6. Mouth’s Incredible Talent For Languages – The Goonies
Mouth from The Goonies is perhaps the most ’80s character of all time. For starters, he’s played by Corey Feldman, whose performances in multiple ’80s classics make him an icon of the decade. Secondly, he’s one of The Goonies‘ best and most unforgettable characters, although there is something that adds a little too much mystery to Mouth.
Early in the film, Mouth is asked to translate for Mrs Walsh, who wants to communicate with her Spanish-speaking housekeeper, Rosalita. Hilariously, Mouth deliberately mistranslates everything with the express purpose of terrifying Rosalita in a display of sociopathy so unsettling that it almost makes The Goonies a horror movie. Shortly after, when Mikey discovers the map to One-Eyed Willy’s treasure, Mouth then translates the Spanish written on it – especially impressive, considering it was made in the 17th century.
Mouth’s staggering command of Spanish doesn’t really make sense though. He’s a white kid living in a backwater Oregon town, and it’s heavily implied that he’s from a somewhat impoverished background (if the local economy is anything to judge by, it’s basically a certainty). So where exactly did this prepubescent boy with a fairly short attention span learn to so fluently speak and read Spanish? The capacity Mouth has for learning even one language to such a standard at his young age makes him nothing short of a prodigy, and it’s never once properly addressed in The Goonies.