The movie opens with a family of criminals known as the Fratellis - domineering Mama Fratelli (Anne Ramsey) and bumbling son Francis (Joe Pantoliano) - staging a dramatic prison break for Francis's incarcerated brother Jake (Robert Davi). The titular main characters of the story - the "Goonies", a ragtag group of young misfits - are then individually introduced in brief vignettes during the Fratellis' high-speed getaway through town from the police.