Stephen Colbert has allegedly never seen The Goonies. Now, sure, the late night talk show host wasn’t an adolescent or teen in 1985. But the treasure-hunting, coming-of-age tale seems so up his alley. Josh Brolin, who decades before snapping half the world to dust, starred in the seminal film, recently appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The Outer Range star took the Colbert Questionert, the host’s series of random questions, during which the iconic ’80s movie surfaced.
The pivotal Goonies discourse arrived when Colbert asked Brolin, “What happens when you die?” Before the actor could even ponder, someone from the audience shouted, “Goonies never say die.” And it’s true. But Colbert defiantly proclaimed that he’d heard this but indicated he wouldn’t know—he’s never seen it.
He casually mentioned the fact to Brolin who definitely thought Colbert was kidding at first. And, quite frankly, with good reason. The Goonies is one of those movies. It’s a classic. It’s right up there with E.T. and The NeverEnding Story.
Colbert told Brolin that he was just “a little too old” for it. Which is fair since he was in his twenties back in 1985. But it’s been 37 years. Luckily, there’s no time like the present. But at least the Walsh brothers and the rest of the Goonies are in good company. Colbert’s never seen The Shawshank Redemption either. Let’s look at it this way, The Goonies is something like two thirds the length of The Fellowship of the Ring. It’s doable—even for a busy talk show host.
Brolin’s visit to the Questionert was a bit of a doozy. In fact, this Goonies debate occurred in part two. The first part, which featured zero movie debates, is also definitely worth a watch. It features important questions relating to the best sandwich, scary animals, and fruit preferences.