REVIEW: Goon

Let it be known at the start of this review that I do not watch hockey. I've never had even the slightest interest in the sport and nothing has ever made me even consider tuning in during a game. Nothing, that is, except for Goon, a 2011 sports comedy that is so adept at just about everything it sets out to do, it manages to not only sell me on the plot, characters, and performances, but on the sport it is based upon.

The story follows the almost comically good-hearted Doug Glatt (Sean William Scott, playing a character partially inspired by real-life hockey player Doug Smith); the black sheep of his family, Doug longs to find purpose in his life. While his father and brother are both successful doctors, Doug finds himself earning a living as a bouncer at a local dive bar thanks to his remarkable talent to utterly annihilate anyone who dares try and fight him. After an altercation at a hockey game, Doug is signed onto a team as an enforcer, stepping onto the ice purely for the purpose of protecting his teammates and thoroughly beating the tar out of any opponents who may pose a problem.

While the premise lends itself to a lot of wanton violence and bloodshed (make no mistake, things get brutal for a comedy), I was completely surprised by the sheer amount of heart to be found in this film. Sean William Scott is so completely lovable as Doug, coming off as not only funny, but genuinely sweet and innocent despite his penchant for dishing out sound beatings. He fights, not because he likes to destroy people, but because he likes to feel useful while protecting those he cares about. No one here gives a bad performance, but Scott's character is the shining beacon that makes this movie work as well as it does.

In the supporting cast, we have Jay Baruchel (also a writer, and director of the upcoming sequel) as Pat, Doug's foul-mouthed friend who hosts his own hockey-themed talk show on public access. It's a real credit to Baruchel's flexibility as an actor, considering that Pat is on the polar-opposite of the spectrum of character types that he usually plays. We also have Allison Pill as Eva, Doug's love interest. While I adore Allison Pill and think she did a fantastic job here, her character presents my only flaw with the entire movie. The primary romantic subplot involves Eva cheating on her unnamed boyfriend to be with Doug. While she shows a fair amount of guilt and conflict over her actions, she still receives a happy ending despite doing absolutely nothing to earn it. There's no arc or resolution to her conflict. She feels bad about her attraction to Doug, pursues her feelings anyway, and everything works out just fine. It's literally the only part of the entire film that I found in any way unsatisfying, which is disappointing, considering the rest of the film borders on perfection.

Filling the role of antagonist is Liev Schreiber as Ross Rhea, a hockey legend notorious for fouling and fighting anything that moves once he steps out onto the ice. Schreiber gives a great performance as usual and the character manages to come off as a genuine threat to our protagonist's goals without becoming cartoonishly evil. It's a great, understated performance that meshes well with the movie's generally down-to-earth tone. I also really enjoyed Kim Coates as Doug's coach, Ronnie Hortense, and Marc-André Grondin as Xavier LaFlamme, a once-promising prospect who was busted down to the minors after his social life spiraled out of control. If I mentioned everyone I thought gave a great performance, I'd just be listing the entire cast, so these are the few that I felt really stood out. Each character is excellently portrayed in a way that helps to sell the natural feel of the dialog; this is a movie that is very clearly a movie (it being an underdog sports story with humor, action, and romance), yet hardly ever feels like a production. It's a combination of The Bad News Bears and Rocky that, while being humble and relatable, still manages to get you seriously invested and excited for the action and story.

Goon is, in my opinion, a wholly underrated gem and one of the absolute best sports movies I've ever seen. Whether you're a hockey fanatic or prefer to stick to a nice, quiet game of solitaire, the endearing characters and engaging plot will hook you in and make you care. It's become a new favorite of mine and I'm sure you'll feel the same way, definitely check this one out.