Cinema Therapy, volume 10

One of my best childhood memories is of watching The Goonies. My mom likes to recount the story of the first time my sister and I saw it. She and a couple of her friends who also had kids (albeit a little older than Shannon and me) took us to the theater. We kids sat in the front (as if we were somehow cool because we were in the front of the theater despite the fact that our moms were in the rear, watching over us). At some point, my four year old sister got scared. Because of the lights along the main aisles, my mom could make out some short chubby legs running from the front to the back, and nearly diving into her lap. Poor Shannon.

Since then, it has become a staple in my film diet. Yes, it is action/adventure rather than rom-com or amazingly inspirational true story. But it's fun and has a happy ending. And that's good enough to make the list. Not to mention a Cindy Lauper-infused soundtrack. I don't think it gets more 80's than that.

Perhaps the best part of this movie is that it mainly involves a group of friends who work together for the benefit of saving their families' homes. The camaraderie, along with sophomoric wit and slapstick humor, is a huge draw for anyone who loves comedies.

I love The Goonies (along with millions of other people who've adopted the same sort of cult following), and it's a great one to watch on a winter afternoon such as this. Enjoy!