Josh Brolin's Film Debut in This Spielberg Classic Made Him a Teen Heartthrob and Star (2024)

Sweatpants and sweatbands never looked so cool. Josh Brolin made 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 by Steven Spielberg and directed by Richard 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 Goonies not only started Brolin's decades-long career, it also began the careers of Sean Astin, Ke Huy Quan, Corey Feldman, and Martha Plimpton.

Currently starring in the Prime Video neo sci-fi western hit, Outer Range, the newly released Season 2 is enjoying a surplus of success courtesy of critics and 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 outlaw many times in his career. Also enjoying a great year at the box office from portraying the gritty warrior Gurney Halleck in Dune: 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 in The Goonies that can still be felt in new reiterations to this day.

The Goonies

PG

Adventure

Comedy

Family

An 80s classic, The Goonies follows 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.

Release Date

June 7, 1985

Director

Richard Donner

Cast

Corey Feldman , Sean Astin , Josh Brolin , Jeff Cohen , Martha Plimpton , Ke Huy Quan

Main Genre

Adventure

Writers

Chris Columbus , Steven Spielberg

Runtime

114 minutes

Studio

Warner Bros.

Josh Brolin Plays "Brand," A Teen Jock Determined to Save His Brother

The Goonies cemented 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 Spielberg saw 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 that leads 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 hero as 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 of The 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 test and not 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, but that 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 from the 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 in Stranger Things. He was Steve Harrington before we got Joe 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 by Anne Ramsey, he's always at the helm of every jump.

Josh Brolin Became an '80s Icon and Teen Heartthrob, Thanks to 'The Goonies'

After The Goonies, Brolin was well on the way to becoming a star. Relatively new to acting, despite being the son of actor James Brolin, Brolin recalled the uncertainty of navigating the choppy waters of film-making on set of a big Hollywood production. Sitting down with GQ to 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 Goonies started many Hollywood careers, in addition Brolin. This includes Sean Astin, who would go on to star in The Lord of the Rings, and Netflix's Stranger Things in a full circle moment as Bob. Created by The Duffer Brothers, they pay many homages to The 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 to Stand by Me and The Lost Boys. Ke Huy Quan, who had previously worked with Spielberg in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, then had a career resurgence decades later with Everything Everywhere All at Once, which won him the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

While Brolin was a massive success thanks to The 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 with the Coen Brothers in films like No Country For Old Men and True Grit, his starring role as the villainous Thanos in The Avengers, and supporting role in the Dune franchise, 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 was The Goonies, and gave us one of the most memorable, long-lasting film debuts courtesy of spunk and raw, natural talent.

The Goonies is available to rent or buy on Apple TV+ in the U.S.

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