The Goonies

Astoria, OR

I can see the argument made that Goonies is too recent to have achieved Icon status, but it has had a pretty significant resonance with much of the last three or four generations of Americans (and possibly a few that came before).

It showed a loose group of young friends and their ever-so-slightly put-upon older siblings who had to work together to survive a very real threat that came as a result of their meddling in local legend. They inadvertently cross the tracks of a rather misfit but still dangerous clan of bank robbers reminiscent of Scrooge McDuck's oafish foils, the Beagle Boys, seasoned with a dash of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

It values imagination and adventure, putting a premium on recognizing how one is affected by the community around them. It is extremely localized to the Astoria area, which manages to strike a more universal chord when it approaches themes of family, of friendship, of loyalty, and of hope.

Ryan

@popjunky