Why We Love The Goonies

A Russian friend of mine — a film-enthusiast — once asked me why Americans are so obsessed with The Goonies. It amused me a little that he couldn’t understand the allure, when to me it seemed so obvious. For anyone who has ever wondered the same thing, here’s what I told him:

The reason we love The Goonies is the same reason we love X-Men, and for that matter, all comic books. It’s the reason we love the idea of America. We want to see an underdog succeeding against all obstacles, a David beating a Goliath, a pack of so-called freaks banding together to save the world, or even simply, to accomplish their mission. Americans are suckers for stories where the usual losers defy all odds and win.

It should be no surprise to anyone then, that The Goonies have stolen our hearts. It’s a classic story about a group of outcasts teaming up to save the Goondocks, their neighborhood and home, which is in danger of being destroyed by the schemes of greedy investors. Heartwarming already, right? Well add a seemingly impossible treasure hunt (complete with a parchment map), as well as cursed pirates and wayward bank robbers, and it’s easy to see that this cult classic film contains every element necessary for success. To make it even more lovable, the group of children discover a disfigured, but gentle giant in the company of the criminals, and not only accept him, but rescue him from his abusive conditions. Together, they use the recovered pirate treasure to save their home. What could possibly be better than that?

The question of whether the film’s genre speaks to you especially, is somewhat beside the point. The important thing is how it makes you feel. A film like The Goonies has the power to recover those parts of ourselves that we’ve forgotten, and to remind us who we should strive to be. It embodies all the closely-held ideals of America, and all the innocence of childhood. It is so much of what we are at our heart, and also so much of what we wish to be.

The fact that my Russian friend could not see the beauty in this film, both surprised me, and also made me a little sad. For all of our faults, I am grateful that we, as Americans, still teach our children that anything is possible, and that sometimes, those with the least amount of power can change everything.