Unexpected triumph

Rating: 10/10 (6 April 2012)

I finally endured 2 hours of The Artist and was very disappointed that it had no depth and no plot. I paid to go to a movie that made me fall asleep midway through the film. So when I came across GOON I was so happy I found a film with so much heart. About 2/3's of the way through the movie, I thought it was a stroke of brilliance to have the main character suspended from hockey for one game so that the viewer could focus on the protagonist's moment of reflection. When Doug finally comes up with my stomach light needs your stomach light and we could both phone home together from ET, I was struck by how many levels this movie goes after. Instead of being fuelled by toxic jealousy from Xavier, we get a humble little proposal of a solution from Doug in the form of a bedtime soliloquy. Yes there's the comedy, the hockey action,there's a love interest, but for me what struck me the most was the brotherly relationships that these guys have for each other.
They end up having to protect each other because they are all on the same team and no one wants to get hurt real bad. The other great scene involves Doug and Ross in the diner at 3am. Totally unexpected. These two goons end up discussing how they mutually respect each other and then Ross tells Doug that if boundaries are crossed, Ross is not going down without a fight because he wants to retire a fighting hero. It seemed like such a civilized, gentlemanly exchange between the two. Personally I never like to watch hockey games in real life, but I definitely understood the guerrilla mentality of these men, and the compassion they have for one another on and off the ice.
Goon actually made me think whereas the Academy Award winning picture The Artist made me yawn.