Sweatpants and sweatbands never looked so cool.Josh Brolinmade a big splash with his film debut as a teen treasure hunter in the iconic ’80s adventure film,The Goonies. Based on a story written bySteven Spielbergand directed byRichard Donner, Brolin had one of the most legendary film introductions of the decade.The beloved film has cemented itself within pop culture history,and left an undeniable mark on adventure films that are still being made today. A surprise box office hit,The Gooniesnot only started Brolin’s decades-long career, it also began the careers ofSean Astin,Ke Huy Quan,Corey Feldman, andMartha Plimpton.
Currently starring in the Prime Video neo sci-fi western hit,Outer Range, the newly released Season 2 is enjoyinga surplus of success courtesy of criticsand fans.Brolin stars as Royal Abbott, a tough, time-traveling cowboy uncovering mysteries about the ranch he owns, including a black hole that can transport people to different times. With a weathered, lined face and a gruff southern drawl, Brolin has mastered the hardened persona of a reserved outlawmany times in his career. Also enjoying a great year at the box office from portraying the gritty warrior Gurney Halleck inDune: Part 2, Brolin’s characters are now miles away from where he began. But by creating a sensitive portrait of a 16-year-old athlete setting off to save his brother, Brolin introduced a new kind of 80s jock inThe Gooniesthat can still be felt in new reiterations to this day.
The Goonies
An 80s classic,The Gooniesfollows a group of kids banding together to save their town by embarking on a quest across town to find a rumored lost treasure. The mission then lands them in deep waters when they run into a family of dangerous criminals who are also hunting the treasure.
Josh Brolin Plays “Brand,” A Teen Jock Determined to Save His Brother
The Gooniescemented Brolin’s status as a rising star. The fact that it was his first film is a testament to his talent, and the potential Steven Spielbergsaw in him. Playing Brandon “Brand” Walsh, he’s a high school jock, often feuding with his nerdy little brother, Mikey, and his friends. Tasked with watching Mikey by his mom, which includes not letting him leave the house, the whole plan goes awry when Mikey and his friends discover a map in the attic thatleads to a lost treasure hidden within the town. Set in the goon docks area of an Oregon town, all the kids' houses are in foreclosure due to the expansion of a country club, and they believe that if they find the treasure, they can save their town.Brand eventually becomes the kids' greatest protector and heroas they come face to face with a family of criminals who also are plotting to steal the treasure.
Brolin’s introduction scene is one of the most memorable and beloved moments ofThe Goonies. In the chaos of all the middle school mayhem caused by his little brother, and his friends Chunk, Mouth, and Data, Brand is cool and collected, pumping some iron.Brolin instantly has an unmistakable swagger and confidence,but also a sweetness that lets audiences know he’s not like the other caricatures of teen meatheads so many ’80s films produced. Brolin has fun with his transformation from a seeming airhead athlete to a hero with a lot of punchlines. His physical comedy is also top-notch, whether he’s lying helplessly upside down on his chair in the living room after the kids tie him up to go find the treasure, or when he’s forced to steal a pink bicycle from a little girl to hunt down his prey (a.k.a. his little brother).
Josh Brolin’s Brand Rejects The Toxic Masculinity of ’80s Teen Stereotypes
Brand starts the movie by treating his younger sibling and his friends as the brats he believes them to be, while hiding his insecurities about failing his drivers testandnot being on the radar of the most popular girl in school, Andrea Thompson (Kerri Green), by working out. He’s a teenage tragedy of a teen jock not fully realized, butthat ends up being his greatest attribution, as he breaks free from the constraints of trying to be what everyone expects him to be. Brand was a rarity in the ’80s. “Boys will be boys” is put to rest,thanks to Brolin’s endearing performance, as he rejects the toxic masculinity many of the other athletes exhibit, including the school bully, Troy Perkins (Steve Antin). While Troy looks up at Andrea’s skirt, and is a general creep who views her as a prize to be won, Brand treats her as an equal while hiding his crush. He’s miles away fromthe many teen male caricatures of 80s teen flicks, and never degrades the girls going on the treasure hunt with them.
With his red bandana and sweatbands, Brolin is a shining emblem of the ’80s teen. His legacy has lasted to this day, seen in various period pieces, including some similarities to a well-loved character inStranger Things. He was Steve Harrington before we gotJoe Keery’s Steve Harrington, becoming a brave babysitter who puts his body on the line to save kids from danger – with the luscious locks to match. Trekking through flooded tunnels, pirate ships, and competing with a knife-wielding matriarch played byAnne Ramsey, he’s always at the helm of every jump.
Josh Brolin Became an ’80s Icon and Teen Heartthrob, Thanks to ‘The Goonies’
AfterThe Goonies,Brolin was well on the way to becoming a star. Relatively new to acting, despite being the son of actorJames Brolin, Brolin recalled the uncertainty of navigating the choppy waters of film-making on set of a big Hollywood production.Sitting down with GQto break down iconic roles, he revealed advice he received from Spielberg:
“It was a really innocent and a really fun time, and I thought that’s how movies were done and they weren’t. I remember coming up to Spielberg at some point, ‘cause I was reading Stanislavsky, and even though he didn’t direct it, he was there pretty much every day and I said, “Hey, like, don’t you think these tunnels are like my mother’s womb, and that, like, that I’m scratching to get out of the womb, and that I need to be born again?” But it’s a different-whatever I said… And he looked at me, and he goes, “Just act.” And I was like, “I know, but –” And he wasn’t being rude, he was just like, “Don’t overcomplicate it. Just get in there, look around, listen to people, and just do your deal.”
The Gooniesstarted many Hollywood careers, in addition Brolin. This includes Sean Astin, who would go on to star inThe Lord of the Rings, and Netflix’sStranger Thingsin a full circle moment as Bob. Created by TheDuffer Brothers, theypay many homages toThe Goonies,including naming its main character Mike (Finn Wolfhard), as it follows a bunch of outcast neighborhood kids trying to save their town from monsters both seen and unseen. Additionally, Corey Feldman would become one of the biggest child actors of the ’80s thanks toStand by MeandThe Lost Boys. Ke Huy Quan, who had previously worked with Spielberg inIndiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,then had a career resurgencedecades later withEverything Everywhere All at Once, which won him the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
Josh Brolin Holds a Partial Songwriting Credit For a Tune In ‘Dune: Part Two’
The actor says that he worked alongside the film’s composer, the legendary Hans Zimmer, to scribe the song.
While Brolin was a massive success thanks toThe Goonies, his career still experienced many highs and lows throughout the ’90s, before he came back out on top during the 2000s. Thanks to his work withthe Coen Brothersin films likeNo Country For Old MenandTrue Grit, his starring role as the villainous Thanos inThe Avengers, and supporting role in theDunefranchise, he’s become one of the biggest box office stars of his generation. It’s wild to believe it all began way back in the ’80s. But, we’re lucky he decided to go on the adventure that wasThe Goonies, and gave us one of themost memorable, long-lasting film debutscourtesy of spunk and raw, natural talent.
The Gooniesis available to rent or buy on Apple TV+ in the U.S.
