And here we have the first review of 2012. A review of a movie that predominately revolves around Ice Hockey. While thats a good thing in the States and Canada, surely the Irish and even our next door neighbours in the UK may be a little out of their league, so to speak, when it comes to the rink? To be fair, it doesn’t matter if Ice Hockey isn’t that big a deal over here compared to across the pond. Especially when it comes to Goon, which is a prime example of how a movie can deliver the goods regardless of how alien (to some at least) its core subject may be.
Seann William Scott plays Doug Glatt, who is a few genes away from Forest Gumpness. Doug is a bit of an outcast from his successful and brainy family, as he earns a crust by bouncing at a local pub. At a local hockey game, sorry fist fights on ice, Doug gets involved in an altercation which leaves a burly hockey player busted up, complete with a cracked helmet. From there, Doug, who can’t skate, gets signed by a local team and moves up the ranks. Hired for his fists, Doug embarks on an incredibly violent, funny and touching journey which will have you rolling with the punches…which are a plenty.
There is alot of story going on here. Firstly you have Doug’s story which has a number of arcs going on, from his family’s disappointment, love story and of course the hockey stardom. Besides Dougs side, the actual movie has the Hockey side of it going on, which not only catalogues a small time team and their hopes at the big wins, but also their star player who has lost his star. So, breathe deep! Alot going on is right, and thankfully it is all expertly woven together by Michael Dowse, with a fantastic screenplay by Jay Baruchel (who also stars) and Evan Goldberg. The pacing is spot on for the best part, although on a rare occasion it does drag its feet, but not long enough to prove a major distraction.
Seann William Scott, to his credit, puts in a fantastic performance here. Actually, its probably the best performance of his career. It could have been so easy to go down the route of Stifler doing hockey, but instead we have a touching, genuine and entirely believable 92 minutes of acting. Alot of the time, Scott’s performance is so good, you forget you’re watching the dude who has consumed many bodily functions. The rest of the cast are spot on as well, with Baruchel being responsible for many of the one liners and Liev Schrieber being a quite convincing bad guy.
On the funny side of things, there are one liners galore and plenty of laugh out loud moments, many of which happen in the locker room. As for the fantastic violence, well…it’s incredibly well done. Slow motion blood, sweat and teeth scatter across the ice and is made all the more enjoyable by a bone crunching sound mix. You literally do feel every crack, smash and splat, and you’ll be waiting for the next throw down of gloves.
Prepare to get sucked into the world of Ice Hockey. Prepare to get emotionally involved in a movie that will have you on the edge of your seat in the final quarter. Prepare to laugh, cheer and want to start punching some heads! Goon is thoroughly enjoyable and is a must watch. Pucking Brilliant!
