#66: The Goonies and Sex (Thanks, Freud!)

General Snobbery | Film and Philosophy

There's no way around it, Listener. The Goonies is all about sex. In particular, it is a coming of age story about what it means to be an American boy discovering sexuality for the first time. Can the Goonies, by traveling deep into a cave, discover the treasure they looking for? The treasure of ONE EYED WILLY? Or, will they be thwarted by those mother-loving Italians, the Fratelli Brothers?

We know how it happened. Fresh from the throes of hi new-found, burgeoning love, having arisen from the dark Temple of Doom, Steven Spielberg demanded a movie about boys learning about sex. And when the director of Jaws wants a movie about boys learning about sex, America gets a movie about boys learning about sex.

We got Astin, we got Brolin, we got Short Round, and all the rest, teaching us, the viewer, of the diverse ways American boys experience the onslaught of sexuality. Some are timid. Some are confident. Some don't quite get it. Some use gadgets.

No matter what kind of puberty you had, we can all relate with Mikey. All he wants is to find ONE EYED WILLY and save his family. Is this really so fantastical? Isn't the what every man has wanted throughout all of time? I guess you could say, we can all relate with Mikey, especially Steven Spielberg who, once again, seems to be enthralled with the sexual awakening of these young boys.

As always listener, thank you for joining us. We have no doubt that this episode will forever change the way you think about your GOONIE.