For most 8 year olds, The Goonies is a yes, and it is the rare kids' adventure that talks the way kids actually talk. It scores 36 on the ScoutScore, in the Mild tier, almost entirely from language and from the Fratellis, a crime family who threaten a boy's hand with a blender and keep their disfigured son chained in a basement. The movie is a treasure hunt with a body count of zero and a swear count that surprises parents.
A ScoutScore is a living number. We re-check movies against the source and raise or lower it when we find something the first pass missed, so a score you see today can differ from one you saw last month.
Wait. Sloth, the blender scene, and the language all land wrong on a preschooler.
Mostly yes for kids who can hear the language without adopting it. The Fratellis are menacing for about four scenes and comic the rest of the time, and Sloth's reveal turns from frightening to beloved within minutes. If imitable language is your line, this is the movie that tests it.
The intended audience, then and now. Adventure in a register kids recognize as their own, with every scary beat defused by a joke.
Nothing to manage. Nostalgia fuel.
| 4 year old | NOT YET | Wait. |
| 5 year old | NOT YET | Wait. |
| 6 year old | DEPENDS | Mostly yes for kids who can hear the language without adopting it. |
| 7 year old | DEPENDS | Mostly yes for kids who can hear the language without adopting it. |
| 8 year old | DEPENDS | Mostly yes for kids who can hear the language without adopting it. |
| 9 year old | LIKELY FINE | The intended audience, then and now. |
| 10 year old | LIKELY FINE | The intended audience, then and now. |
| 11 year old | LIKELY FINE | The intended audience, then and now. |
| 12 year old | LIKELY FINE | Nothing to manage. |
| 13 year old | LIKELY FINE | Nothing to manage. |
| 32:42 | Mute | OD on bullshit stories |
| 52:01 | Skip | Mama threatens Chunk's hand |
| 1:10:54 | Mute | Bone Piano Booby Trap - Data Falls |
Adventure in a register kids recognize as their own, which means the swearing comes with the territory. Decide on the language, not the pirates, and most 8 year olds are ready.
Violence and action with language and substances.
| Scary and dark | 23% |
| Violence and action | 37% |
| Language and substances | 24% |
| Mature themes | 16% |
| All flagged content | 100% |
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