The teamwork of the Eighty3 family is absolutely essential to the running of our business. They are the best at what they do and without them, Eighty3 wouldn’t be what it is today.
This got us thinking about what actually makes a great team? So we enlisted the help of an expert in the shape of Eighty3 Family member and author, Daniel J Barnes. He has researched, justified and ranked the top five teams from film and TV, according to him, so let’s see who made the cut. Teamwork makes the dream work… as they say!
What a task! How does one pick the top five teams from television and film? With great difficulty that’s how.
There are so many famous teams that are embedded in our heads and hearts with a nostalgic connection to most of them, which make it extremely difficult to pick a favourite. I’ve given myself some rules to follow to make it easier.
Call it fate, call it karma, call it luck (well maybe bad luck that they don’t make it higher on the list), but what a great team. The trio of Egon Spengler, Ray Stantz and Peter Venkman are already a unit when we meet them, all brought together by the same cause to show the world that ghosts do exist and that they can catch them.
Winston Zeddemore joins them later on and, although he does make them a foursome (which helps them get into this top five), he’s the one that brings less to the team. He’s the ‘everyman’ just looking for a steady paycheck, not an expert at anything really.
Egon is the tinkerer and constructs all their equipment including PKE Meters, Proton Packs and containment units. He is the real brain behind the ‘busters.
Ray fixes up their iconic wheels in ECTO 1 and knows all manner of information on the supernatural world. He is the heart of the team and is very passionate about their cause.
Peter is the leader, he’s a jokester with a nonchalant attitude. He’s the nudge that the others need to make them move.
But it took them all united together to cross those streams and save the world.
A list of teams would not be complete without ‘The A-Team’ now would it? Any team that can construct a tank out of a forklift truck, a few metal pipes and some sticky back plastic deserve to be on the list. The team itself are made of four former Vietnam war veterans, forsaken by their own government, their unity is tighter than B.A Baracus’ fist.
They all bring unique attributes to the table, Hannibal’s leadership, Murdoch’s ability to pilot or drive anything, B.A’s brute strength and his ability with a blowtorch is second to none and then there’s Face… yeah he just cops off with the pretty lady each week. So I think Face is the one that stops them from being top of the list that and the fact that B.A and Murdoch are always bickering. Just get on the plane B.A!
Feel the rhythm, feel the rhyme, get on up it’s bobsled time!
For a bobsled team to be successful they have to be on the same page or it just won’t work, right? To start with, our team are a group of individuals that lock horns on numerous occasions due to the dreaded ego. The late, great John Candy plays referee early on before somehow bringing them together to be the best they could be. They unite and use their various skills to get on the same page, but do they win in the end? No. No, they don’t. But they pull each other up, making it over that finish line together, pulling on your heartstrings in a true moment of solidarity and heart shown by the team. I love how it has the message and of not letting anybody tell you that you can’t do something.
Being a huge Goonies fan many may have presumed that they would have been numero uno on my list. Well, because of my dissection of teams, I’ve taken all into account the majority have attributes or talents that helped them move forward in their task.
Mikey, the leader of the team with a knack for motivational speeches and he had so much heart.
Data, an inventor. Okay, the gadgets didn’t always work how they were supposed to, but they helped to foil the Fratelli’s on a number of occasions.
Chunk, he brought the comedy value of course and was a reluctant adventurer, but it is always important to have someone that brings the mood up and Chunk does that. He also was responsible for making the connection with Sloth, who in turn became a huge player in their adventure.
Mouth, you could say he was obnoxious and constantly making jokes about the situation but again, it lifts the mood and makes the team feel better, forgetting that they are in peril. He also knows Spanish which is a huge help for them when reading the treasure map
Brand, to me he’s the voice of reason. He always has a perfectly good reason for not doing things and his little brother, Mikey, probably should have listened to him more but then we wouldn’t have had such an epic adventure would we? He also saves Andy from drowning.
Andy, what does the cheerleader bring to the team? Well, she can play the piano for one and without hitting that B sharp they would all be flat.
Sloth (yes he was definitely a Goonie), the poor guy had an awful upbringing from his family, (these really disgusting people, you might have heard of them) The Fratelli’s. The connection between Sloth and Chunk is beautiful and having the power of Sloth behind him gives Chunk a bravery boost. Sloth found his place with The Goonies.
Now, here is why they’re not number one, Stef, unfortunately, brings nothing to the team, has no specific attributes that help them on their perilous journey.
NOTE: You may notice that the groups from Monster Squad (which is one of my favourite films) and Stranger Things haven’t been added to the top five purely because I believe they are both derivatives of The Goonies, and in Stranger Things, the team is constantly evolving and adding new characters.
The Flying V! The crown for the top team has to go to The Ducks. The core of the team was a group of outsiders that didn’t really fit in with society and had banded together to form District 5’s Ice Hockey team. All the players had something inside that they need to unlock to be the best they could be and let out that confidence that had been beaten into submission by society. Then comes Coach Bombay who is dealing with his own problems but gets the best out of these bunch of degenerates, giving them guidance. It is really a father-son story as he becomes that for all those kids and just through care, guidance and trust, he allows them to be who they are. All the players are memorable and each brings something to the ice. They all help each other overcome their fears and that’s what teamwork is all about. The Ducks go on to be successful in two other movies, with the competition growing each time but succeeding by trusting in themselves and each other.
Stranger Things, The Monster Squad, Rockford Peaches, Ocean’s Eleven, The Three Musketeers (D’Artagnan made them four), Young Guns, The Fellowship, Magnificent 7 & The Sandlot Kids.
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