MOVIE - Goon

There are two kinds of people in this world: those that like hockey and those that don’t really understand hockey. In general, those two groups also split along the same lines of those who like hockey movies and those that don’t like hockey movies. If you like hockey, and you like hockey movies, I would highly recommend watching Goon. If you “don’t like hockey” but find humor in movies such as Superbad, I would slightly recommend watching Goon. And if you “don’t like hockey” and think raunchy R-rated comedies are lame, then you should probably just kill yourself because your life is not worth living.

Goon is one of those classic loveable loser finds his hidden talent movies. Sean William Scott was absolutely the right choice to play Doug “the Thug” Glatt in that he has the physical presence to be believable as a hard-ass fighting goon, the emotional range of the “nicest guy you’ll ever fight”, and obviously the comedic chops necessary to draw the laughs. I am not a huge fan of Jay Baruchel (who co-wrote, acted in, and basically fathered this entire movie) and his character is somewhat reminiscent of James Franco’s in Pineapple Express, but it works because we all know someone like that in our lives. The secondary characters, particularly Glatt’s teammates, are all hilarious stereotypes. The hockey fights are over-the-top but in the best possible Hollywood melodrama kind of way. It is really just a great story that, while sometimes bordering on the ridiculous is grounded in a realism (actually based on a book written by a minor league hockey “goon”) that makes it even funnier and enjoyable.

Where this movie falls a little flat is in its length. Scraping the hour and a half mark in an era where most movies are pushing nearly double that, it definitely feels short. But the time is properly budgeted between hockey “action” scenes and character development, so I’m really not sure what could have been included to bump up the run time.

This hockey movie doesn’t stack up against the greats like Miracle, or even my personal favorite, Mystery, Alaska, but it’s definitely worth an On-Demand or Red Box rental. And speaking to the awareness of those involved in its making and release, it was available On-Demand the same as its theatrical release – and, I believe, became the best release for a movie produced by Magnet (an independent production company that actually has some really good stuff). So, with Stanley Cup Playoff fever in the air, I say give Goon and look. It’s a great rainy weekend afternoon kind of movie that will leave you laughing and maybe even a little inspired.