Goonie Enough?

30 years later, are the Goonies still Goonies?

Goonies Tour of Astoria | Oral History of the Goonies | Goonie Stars Then and Now

 Goonie 30th Anniversary Events | Why's Cyndi Lauper Hate "Good Enough"?

Astoria Fish n Chips | Astoria Beer | Oregon's Biggest Films | Astoria Film History 


The Goonies always had to grow up—especially after 30 years. But have the movie's young stars retained their Goonieness, that essential mix of heart, underdog drive and inherent weirdness? Here's how the seven stars rank in Goonieness these days.

7. Kerri Green (Andy)

Goonieness: B-flat, at best.

Then: The cheerleader who twitterpated the Walsh brothers' emotions was the go-to crush of nerdy adolescent boys throughout the '80s in films such as Lucas and Summer Rental. It must have been the poofy hair.

Now: Post-pubescence, Green has disappeared a bit, with small roles on old-people shows such as Murder, She Wrote, ER and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and a star turn in 2012's obscure Lifetime-esque drama Complacent.


6. Ke Huy Quan (Data)

Goonieness: No more fortune and glory.

Then: As Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and pint-sized inventor Data, Quan pretty much got to live out every kid's fantasy before his Adam's apple even surfaced.

Now: Cuteness firmly behind him, Quan spent a little time using his tae kwon do skills as stunt and fight coordinator on films such as X-Men and The One. That was 15 years ago. Now, he's likely to be seen wandering unnoticed at conventions.


5. Jeff Cohen (Chunk)

Goonieness: Half and half.

Then: Token fat kid. Truffle shuffler. Keeper of the Baby Ruth.

Now: Now svelte, Cohen is a hot-shot entertainment lawyer with a Beverly Hills firm and a book  called The Dealmaker's Ten Commandments. But despite sounding like a member of Mr. Perkins' country club, Cohen still maintains relationships with locals he met while filming in Astoria, and backs up his Goonieness by asserting he keeps a Donkey Kong machine in his office.


4. Josh Brolin (Brand)

Goonieness: One in the bush.

Then: Hollywood prince. Also enjoyed drug-fueled adventures as a member of a teenage surf gang that stole car radios for dope.

Now: He's basically a household name for his roles in No Country for Old Men and Men in Black 3. But he's still got some blundering Goonie heart, as evidenced by a filmed 2013 bar fight that ended in a seemingly endless hug with the bouncer.


3. Corey Feldman (Mouth)

Goonieness: Kind of nice, when his mouth isn't screwing it up.

Then: Tiger Beat centerfold. The most emotionally stable Corey.

Now: Were it not for the revelations in Feldman's awesomely titled memoir, Coreyography, that his drug addiction was exacerbated by sexual abuse, it might be easier to laugh at his well-publicized, stripper-fueled birthday party, reality shows and social-media meltdowns. But we can still laugh at his horrible band, Truth Movement. He's exactly the adult that wise-cracking, amoral Mouth would want to be. Except for the crippling sadness.


2. Martha Plimpton (Stef)

Goonieness: Drama queen.

Then: She beat most of Portland to the punch by dressing like your grandma long before it was cool, romanced River Phoenix and braved The Mosquito Coast.

Now: Plimpton's fame may have fizzled, but she's now a respected TV and stage actress, and stage actresses get mad geek cred. She's also a singer and an abortion rights activist, continuing Stef's quest to end unpaid babysitting. That's heart, and heart is a Goonie's most important trait.


1. Sean Astin (Mikey)

Goonieness: Never said die. Goonie forever.

Then: Son of Patty Duke and Gomez Addams. Weezer of juice in Encino Man.

Now: Astin tried to be a badass in Toy Soldiers and Memphis Belle and (sort of) in 50 First Dates. But he only really stood out in roles with Mikey in their DNA. In The Lord of the Rings, Samwise was the heart of the franchise, though he sought to destroy treasure rather than claim it. In Rudy, Astin taught a generation of kids that it's OK to be a loser who is terrible at his intended sport as long as you're Catholic. He's widely reported to come off like Mikey all grown up. And he's still committed to his friends, so much so that he even had a cameo in Feldman's atrocious, auto-tuned EDM music video "Ascension Millennium" in 2013—while reading One-Eyed Willie's map.


Goonies Tour of Astoria | Oral History of the Goonies | Goonie Stars Then and Now

 Goonie 30th Anniversary Events | Why's Cyndi Lauper Hate "Good Enough"?

Astoria Fish n Chips | Astoria Beer | Oregon's Biggest Films | Astoria Film History 

WWeek 2015

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.