I gave it a 7.5 out of 10

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Doug Glatt (Seann William Scott, the "American Pie" series) is a slow witted and big hearted kind of guy without much ambition. He toils away as a bouncer in a bar, and it's when he manhandles a player while watching a hockey game that a coach (Nicholas Campbell, 'Da Vinci's Inquest') realizes his great potential for being an "enforcer". Doug is taught just enough hockey skills to get by, and is sent to the Halifax Highlanders, where he's watched over by coach Ronnie Hortense (Kim Coates, 'Sons of Anarchy') and is made to look out for star player Xavier LaFlamme (Marc-Andre Grondin, "C.R.A.Z.Y."). A legendary tough guy of the game, Ross Rhea (Liev Schreiber, the "Scream" series) is soon to retire, and he sees Doug as the inheritor to his throne. And nice guy Doug falls in love with a young woman (Alison Pill, "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World") who has her own self-esteem issues."Goon" is co-written and co-produced by supporting actor Jay Baruchel ("She's Out of My League") as a comic and yet heartfelt celebration of the violent side of hockey, brought to vivid life with a lot of bloody brutality. Inspired by real-life player Doug Smith (you see footage of him during the end credits), it actually, genuinely cares about its characters, which is appreciated, and gives weight to the saga. It ultimately tells a very familiar misfit makes good formula, and while it may hold no surprises, it's suitably rousing just the same. Moreover, you can tell this was made by people who are actually big fans of the game, and they do get the "feel" just right.Truth be told, the story thread regarding Doug as the black sheep of his family (both his dad (comedy legend Eugene Levy of 'SCTV' fame) and his brother are doctors) IS under-developed. Levy ends up with very little to do in the grand scheme of things. But some viewers may still enjoy how well paced the movie is and how well it cuts to the chase.The whole cast is great, and they add to the good vibes. Scott, in particular, is a standout, showing that there's much more to him than Steve Stifler and Steve Stifler-type roles. Schreiber is amusing as his nemesis, Pill is appealing, and Baruchel is a real live wire as Dougs' best bud. Curt Keilback is quite funny as the announcer for the games.While not exactly memorable in any way, "Goon" gets the blood pumping (and flowing) for a slick hour and a half. Michael Dowse (the "FUBAR" films, "It's All Gone, Pete Tong") directs, with engaging results.Seven out of 10.

A down-and-out bouncer discovers he has a talent for dolling out beatings in the hockey rink in Goon (2011), a surprising independent Canadian sports comedy film written by Jay Baruchel and Evan Goldberg and directed by Michael Dowse. Aside from being well made, Goon features a solid, nuanced performance by Seann William Scott.Despite dismal box office returns, Goon is almost universally praised by critics. It currently has a rating of 82 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. I overlooked it many times, because although Seann William Scott has had funny side roles in some of my favorite comedies, I just couldn't imagine him as a leading man. I was so wrong. In Goon, Scott proves he is a competent actor capable of breaking out of the fratbro trope.Doug Glatt (Seann William Scott), a tough but polite simpleton, is working a dead end job as a bouncer. His friend, Pat (Jay Baruchel), hosts a public access hockey call-in show. One night at an Orangetown Assassins minor league game, Doug gets into a fight with a player and the Assassins coach invites him to join the team as their "enforcer." When his skills on the ice improve, he's recruited to play for the Halifax Highlanders and protect their star player, Xavier LaFlamme (Marc-André Grondin), who is slow to recover from a brutal knockdown.Along the way, he falls in love with Eva (Alison Pill), an adorkable hockey fan who sleeps around with hockey players, but is in a relationship, and discovers he might one day have to confront Ross "the Boss" Rhea (Liev Schreiber), who was responsible for knocking out Xavier LaFlamme. Will he get the girl and defeat his rival? Seann William Scott is an American actor predominantly known for playing Steve Stifler in the American Pie films, as well as a host of other moronic, comic-relief roles. His portrayal of Doug in Goon reveals a nuanced side and shows he is maturing as an actor. I was impressed by this performance, and like Matthew McConaughey, who began his career as a stoner "bro", as Scott gets older he may successfully transition to more dramatic roles.Alison Pill is a Canadian actress who played Kim Pine in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) and Maggie Jordan in the TV series The Newsroom (2012-2014), though she has been acting since childhood. Alison's character, Eva, is a subverted version of Adrian from Rocky. As Doug's love interest, Eva is not well-developed, which is a shame because even though their relationship is given plenty of screen time, she tends to fade into the background. We never learn much about her other than her passion for hockey and unfaithful promiscuity.Goon doesn't disguise its similarities with Rocky (1976), another film about a dimwitted but polite muscle who rises to prominence in a violent sport. Goon raises the violence in hockey to a level in which you almost forget the point of the game is to score goals. It focuses almost entirely on Doug's bouts with the other players, and the exaggerated level of brutality would be gratuitous if it wasn't so well-crafted.Goon shares similarities with other films as well. A scene in which Doug Glatt meets Ross Rhea in a diner is reminiscent of the famous restaurant scene in Heat (1995). These callbacks to famous films is probably why Goon is so good, since the filmmakers decided to replicate proved success. Unfortunately, either the subject matter doesn't really appeal to American audiences or the film wasn't properly advertised, and it was not commercially successful. A sequel, Goon: Last of the Enforcers, came out this year to mediocre reception.

Hockey is something that is just ingrained in Canadian culture. People from countries like Sweden, Finland, Russia and the Czech Republic get it too. Whether you play it or not, most of us still huddle around the T.V. when the Stanley Cup Playoffs or the Olympics come around. You crack open a couple of beers and watch the action with your friends. This isn't a movie about Canadian hockey but it feels like there is so much love for the sport radiating from it. This movie didn't get a big release but I sought it out anyway and I wasn't disappointed, you can enjoy this movie whether you like hockey or not.*Minor Spoilers Ahead* After a short introduction to the world of a hockey enforcer through Ross Rhea (Liev Schreiber) we then meet Doug Glatt (Sean William Scott) who is a bouncer at a bar. After seeing him deal with a couple of the bar patrons, a few things come across. He's not terribly bright, he can throw down with the best of them and he's generally a pretty sweet guy. The next day we get a glimpse of Doug's family after they are done at the synagogue. Dr. Glatt (Eugene Levy) is introducing his two sons Richard and Doug to some friends. We learn that Richard is gay and further proof that Doug is dumb. Dr. Glatt concludes the conversation by telling his friends that they're both adopted. Doug then goes to hang out with his friend Pat (Jay Baruchel). Pat has a cable access show called Hot Ice about hockey. The big news is that Ross "The Boss" Rhea took an illegal shot at another player and is looking at a suspension. Doug tells Pat that he wants some purpose in his life and he wants something that he can call his own.They go to see their hometown minor league hockey team The Assassins play. Doug and Pat are having a good time when one of the visiting players ends up in the penalty box. Pat starts cussing the guy out and he actually hops the glass and tries to attack Pat. He calls him a homophobic remark and Doug takes offence because of his gay brother. The guy punches Doug but Doug kicks the crap out of him. Doug then appears on Pat's show and after the guy who usually riles up Pat calls in, they actually get a call from the coach of the Assassins asking Doug if he wants to try out. He accepts the invitation and shows up the next day in figure skates (they belong to his brother). The other players start to make fun of him and he proceeds to take them out one by one. The coach tells him that he shouldn't beat up his teammates but offers him a spot on the team. When asked what number he wants his friend Pat tells him "take the #69 it's hilarious!" Before I go on about the hilarious jokes or the well written characters, I want to point out this movie wouldn't work at all if they didn't have the great performance of Sean William Scott leading this film. Sean's big claim to fame is that he's Stifler from American Pie but you really see something else here. He can play a different type character and he infuses Doug with a lot of heart. He's his funny self but in a separate way and this movie wouldn't be successful without him. All the supporting actors are great minus Jay Baruchel who is laying it on a little too thick. He's a good actor, it's just a minor criticism from me. I really liked Liev Schreiber, he's pretty subtle here and he makes Ross a great antagonist to Doug. Alison Pill is also great and she plays a pretty funny character. Sean and Alison have good chemistry together and make what would be a throwaway subplot into something interesting. Marc-Andre Grondin is also good, I can't mention the whole supporting cast but I'd close with how good it was to see Eugene Levy and Kim Coates again, they are both memorable in their small but respective parts.Moving on to the writing, you not only get more than your fair share of great jokes but you get some pretty well written characters. Ross would be a one-dimensional villain in any other movie but he's more like a future version of Doug. He's not evil, he's more disillusioned and cynical. He's had one job his entire career and he's just about done. He's looking for his shot at glory and Doug might just provide him that opportunity. Eva is a different kind of love interest. She describes herself as a terrible girlfriend and is turned on by the violence of hockey. She matches well with Doug's naive optimism. I also really liked the character of Doug himself. Sure he's dumb as a post but he really believes in using what he can do to help people. He wants to be a hockey player so bad even though everyone else just sees him as a thug in skates. Even if he is an idiot, you can identify with his sense of purpose and it's even inspiring in the movie.This movie came out awhile ago but I revisit it a few times a year because I think it is that funny and it is that memorable. You get some really funny scenes, a great leading performance, a unique story and overall a memorable sports comedy when there are so few good ones being made today. I recommend it highly.

I'm not much of a sports fan, but I do enjoy the good occasional sports film or documentary, whether it's about football, baseball, snowboarding or hockey.And this is a great sports film --if you're not turned off by excessive amounts of violence, profanity and generally vulgar language.Pardon the crass review summary, but there are indeed a lot of parallels between this film and Forrest Gump:Seann William Scott plays Doug Glatt: a quiet and somewhat innocent protagonist who's not the brightest bulb in the box (especially compared to his physician father and brother) but demonstrates great heart and is endlessly sweet and endearing. His sweetness and generally meek and naive demeanor contrast starkly with the physical prowess he demonstrates as a bar bouncer/back alley enforcer.Our simple-minded hero is dragged out of his dreary, mediocre existence by a chance but dramatic demonstration of his physical talent: a superhumanly thick skull and ability to knock guys out cold without breaking a sweat. He's quickly recruited by a local hockey team and sets off on his athletic adventure.Doug falls head over heels for a flighty bad girl who has some emotional issues tied to self-destructive sexual promiscuity. She wants him but keeps pushing him away and alternating hot and cold because she knows she's bad for him. Yet our romantically naive hero never wavers in his adoration for this troubled hockey groupie.OK, so it's not an exact point-for-point matchup with the multi-Academy-Award-winning 1994 classic. But Goon does have a lot of heart and will surprise those who give it a chance.Obviously, being written by Jay Baruchel and Evan Goldberg (frequent collaborator with Seth Rogen), Goon is of a different ilk from more "serious" dramedies like Forrest Gump. This film features the same style of man-child pothead humor that has done so well in films like Pineapple Express, Superbad and This is the End. There are tons of memorable lines and gut-busting scenes that keep the energy level of the film high without encroaching on the plot or drama.For a short dramedy that emphasizes the comedy, there's a fair amount of character development as we see Doug grow into his role on the team, discovering what it means to be a "goon" while also helping his girlfriend, Eva, and teammate, Xavier, get over their respective issues.And really that's all the character development you need in a satisfying and life-affirming sports comedy. The main character doesn't need to experience a personal catharsis or undergo a sweeping character arc to touch the audience. And the hilarious supporting characters in the film (notables include the goalie, the best friend, and the Russian brothers) don't need to change in order to deliver compelling and thoroughly entertaining performances that sell the camaraderie between friends and teammates or create a convincing portrayal of hockey culture.This is a very well cast and directed film in which pretty much every character works and adds their own contribution to the movie. Even the more minor roles, like the sportscasters, the donair restaurant owner, Ricky Mabe's character, etc. tie in so well to the feel of the movie and the comedic effect of each scene.Schreiber also delivers an excellent portrayal of the "bad" goon and makes for an excellent antagonist/rival in a genre that often has very cheesy, hammed up "villains." Instead, Ross "the Boss" Rhea is shown as a tragic anti-villain who receives the audience's sympathy as much as he gains their antipathy for brutalizing the protagonists.Overall, this is just a great feel-good sports film with lots of lewd language and hilarious characters. There's certainly drama as you watch the protagonist struggle against the odds in the rink and struggle with life and relationships on and off the ice. But it never gets too heavy and keeps you gripped with its abundant humor and action.