Surprisingly great

Rating: 10/10 (13 June 2017)

The great thing about Goon is that, when you get right down to it, it's not a sports movie. It's not even really about hockey in the sticks and skates sense of the word. Any fan of hockey can tell you, to great length, about the bizarre and unique position of the Goon, a player with minimal hockey skills, who is utilized solely to defend the more talented players, keep defenders from the opposing team honest, and beat the snot out of someone, should the need arise. It's a niche talent, yet an important one in terms of motivation, spirit, and tone of a hockey team. That's what this movie is about. It's about utilizing the gifts you were given, carving out a place in the world for you and your talents, and the basic human need to belong to something greater, a team, a romantic relationship, a family. The movie goes out of its way to tell you that protagonist Doug "The Thug" Glatt is NOT a hockey player. All Doug wants is to wear a uniform and use his talents to help the people he cares about, and I think we can all relate to that.
On a more technical note, the performances of the film are exceptional, particularly those of Seann William Scott, who gives the best performance of his career, for my money, as the simple, kind-hearted Glatt, and Liev Schreiber as another veteran Goon, Ross "The Boss" Rhea, looking to go out swinging. It also features hilarious performances from Jay Baruchel as the wisecracking best friend, and Kim Coates, Kim Coates-ing it up as the coach of Halifax. But what surprised me was how well the movie functions as both a comedy and a surprisingly sweet love story.
Long story short, don't let the title of this movie throw you off. Goon is an excellent film.