Leonard Maltin wasn't alone when he noticed similarities between
Goonies and the 1934 Our Gang comedy
Mama's Little Pirate. Adapted by
Chris Columbus from a story by
Steven Spielberg, the film follows a group of misfit kids (including such second-generation Hollywoodites as
Josh Brolin and
Sean Astin) as they search for buried treasure in a subterranean cavern. Here they cross the path of lady criminal Mama Fratelli (
Anne Ramsey) and her outlaw brood. Fortunately, the kids manage to befriend Fratelli's hideously deformed (but soft-hearted) son (
John Matuszak), who comes to their rescue. The Spielberg influence is most pronounced in the film's prologue and epilogue, when the viewer is advised that the film's real villains are a group of "Evil Land Developers." The musical score makes excellent use of
Max Steiner's main theme from
The Adventures of Don Juan, not to mention contributions by the likes of Richard Marx and
Cyndi Lauper. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide