Goon is a
funny, violent, vulgar, sweet, formulaic, and endearing film about a guy who
finds his calling in punching other people in the mouth.
Seann William
Scott plays Doug Glatt, not the sharpest arrow in the family quiver. Dad's a doctor, Brother's a doctor, and
Mother is disappointed in him.
He's athletic, he knows how to throw a punch, and he works as a
bouncer. It's honest work, sure,
but nothing to brag about down at the synagogue. Glatt is a fundamentally nice and decent guy, and there's no
fulfillment in strong arming weaklings.
Everything
changes when he attends a minor-league hockey game with his best friend (Jay
Baruchel, the voice of Hiccup in the surprisingly good How to Train Your Dragon. He
wrote and directed this movie.) and finds himself standing up for his buddy
when a heckled player climbs into the stands to throw a few punches. Glatt knocks the guy out,
attracts the attention of the home team's coach, and he's on his way. Finally, he has the chance to be part
of something, to work in an organization that values his talents, and to beat
up worthy opponents.
From there,
the film follows the structure of your basic sports story, complete with an
on-ice showdown with the league’s reigning master enforcer (Liev
Schreiber, proving yet again that a great actor in a small role can raise the
game of an entire film.). But that’s
just the structure. The joy in
this film comes from the wickedly funny writing, the spot on delivery, and the
real affection it shares for the damaged people of and around minor-league
hockey.
I laughed all
the way through Goon, and I was
delighted to learn that there’s an actual Doug Glatt out there,
busting heads as an officer with his local police department and, hopefully,
banking his royalties from this film.
Goon was released to little
fanfare, but it’s a winner. Queue it up.
2 comments:
I just finished watching this, great pick. I enjoyed everything about it. Kudos.
Thank you, Christopher!
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