Review of Goon (2012) by Kevin P — 23 Jul 2018

Strengths: I've written in the past about my love for sports movies. This one ranks near the top and it surprised the hell out of me. Sean William Scott (Doug Glatt) is surprisingly charming as the sweet, but kind of dumb protagonist. It's endearing to see him get something good in his life going, while having to deal with some of the negative response he gets from his parents. His chemistry with Alison Pill (Eva) was cute. It says something that you can root for them to be together, even though Eva admits she's not a good girlfriend and is in a relationship. When Doug takes a beating from her boyfriend because he knows he deserves it, you root for that. The sports scenes are great and you'll be especially pulled in when Doug attempts to save a much-needed game for his team. Liev Schreiber (Ross Rhea) doesn't get a lot of screen time, but he's great when he's there. His highly built up fight with Doug lives up to expectations. In fact, most of the fighting in the movie is great. Kim Coates (Coach Ronnie Hortense) and Marc-Andre Grondin (Xavier Laflamme) were both strong in their roles.

Weaknesses: Typically, I enjoy Jay Baruchel (Pat). Not here. His character was over the top with his cursing and gross gestures/remarks. I don't have a problem with a character like that, but this felt like they tried way too hard. I also would've liked some sort of closure with Doug and his parents. We see them object to his career as a hockey player in a pivotal scene at dinner. However, we don't get a moment where they come to terms with it or reconcile with their son. It feels like it was unfortunately left open.

Overall: As I said, I was pleasantly surprised with this. It quickly became one of my favorite hockey movies ever. Sean William Scott and most of the cast are great, while the hockey and fighting scenes are done very well.