Review of Goon (2012) by Walter M — 29 May 2013

Okay so on occasion I do watch some hockey mostly for the fights, but after watching this movie I may be getting right back on the NHL band wagon next season. Hell may be I'll take up watching that minor league game down in Stockton. Anyway, it's been a long time since I have seen an awesome hockey movie like The Mighty Ducks and Goon delivers in spades. It's one of those movies where you can't really judge it by its cover just because it has Seann William Scott, Jay Baruchel as the co-writer, and Michael Dowse as the director. This is the kind of film you get to watch with your buddies and have a good time in the process while cracking open that twelve pack of beer. Normally I would say six pack, but usually that's not enough. It is a guy movie in every sense of the word. So let's get into the nit and gritty of things and tell you what I really thought about this haymaker of a film.

So this movie is about a guy name Doug, played by Seann William Scott, who is just your average nice guy from Massachusetts. He's kind of a loser and he feels that. The rest of his family are successful doctors while he just bounces at a bar mostly because he has a cement head and knows how to fight. So one day he and his friend attend a hockey game where one of the aggressive players charges at Doug's friend. Being the loyal friend that he is, Doug beats the shit out of this player and gets hired on to the amateur hockey league as an enforcer. At the same time you also get this other hockey player who was once a star player until he was traumatized by Liev Schreiber who is pretty much a brute in this movie.

Seann William Scott is really awesome as Doug where he may be a little simple minded, but is tough as nails and loyal to a fault. He may not be a bright character, but if you tell him what to do he follows through on it defends his teammates like a dumb dog would. Doug is also a soft spoken and sweet guy when he is not beating this shit out of someone. If there any negative things I would have to say about this movie it would only be two words and those are Jay Baruchel. I swear to Buddha this guy needed to shut the fuck up because he wrote this movie and yet he is the only person that is hard to deal with. It's only saving grace is that he is not in it for the majority of the second and third act and I couldn't take anymore of this guy. I did however enjoy the relationships with everyone and especially Seann William Scott in which I was surprised with his role it just proves that he can really steal the show. There's a scene where his asshole teammate punches him repeatedly in the face and he does fight back because they are on the same team. It is those simple terms to which the world functions for this guy that defines his entire existence. Another one of my favorite moments is when Seann's character meets Liev Schreiber in this diner and he tells Doug, "You're the new me, kid. I respect you as a fighter and a player, but if we are going to scrap on the rink I am going to fuck you up." And it is dialogue like that makes a movie so great to watch and listen. Speaking of dialogue, it is funny from a lot of different characters and the fight scenes in this are awesome and brutal as hell. Overall, it is an entertaining sports movie to both hockey and general sport fans alike. Jay Baruchel did unfortunately drag most of it down but not by a whole lot. This is why I give this slobber knocker four out of five stars and I look forward to a possible sequel that will probably never happen.