A Canadian film about violence?!

Rating: 8/10 (21 April 2012)

Written by Markus Robinson, Edited by Nicole I. Ashland
Containing one of the most simplistic story lines in recent movie history, befitting the attention span of hockey fans, "Goon" surprisingly is a film which displays a comedic chemistry that is not only constantly funny and entertaining, but, at the end of the day, is only one step below a film the caliber of "Slap Shot".
Forgettably directed by Canadian born Michael Dowse (Take Me Home Tonight), but brilliantly adapted by Canadians Jay Baruchel (The Sorcerer's Apprentice) and Evan Goldberg (Superbad), from a novel by Adam Frattasio and Doug Smith, "Goon" stars Seann William Scott (American Pie) and is based on the true story of Doug Glatt. If you don't know who Doug Glatt is, it's OK. You'll probably never hear about him again. Doug is a somewhat timid and dumb bartender, who is uniquely used as an enforcer of sorts. One day, during a hockey game, Doug, accompanied by his friend (played by Baruchel) gets into a fight in the stands, which goes viral. Literally moments later (around 12 minutes into the movie) Doug is recruited to play semi-pro Hockey in Canada, not for any hockey skills he may have, but more for his ability to throw down. And just like that, he becomes a star.
A half hour into "Goon", it becomes quite evident of how the director's best friend in the first act is the sports montage. If you don't get my analogy, what I mean is that "Goon" is working with the absolute minimal amount of exposition. Also, in almost an attempt to extend the plot, there is semi endearing love story which occurs between Doug and Eva, the exceptionally well written female hockey groupie, which flows pretty well with the story, but is nothing new.
Sounds like I really didn't care for this movie, right? Well, for a while I didn't, but then "Goon" began to focus less on the dimwitted Doug character and incorporate more and more of his teammates. And with that comes the most comically intriguing and well written aspect of this film; the quirky (and very raunchy) side characters and the interactions they have with each other. These supporting players did more than give "Goon" a necessary comic distraction from the one dimensional Doug, they gave an entirely new life to a film which was gearing up to be as forgettable as "She's out of My League". At times, scenes within "Goon" play out like "Major League", aka a superbly written buddy team comedy, with very unusually outlandish personalities, which will undoubtedly keep audiences invested in the characters, even if they are not interested at all in the subject matter.
Furthermore, critics may be giving Scott way too much credit here. Although he does play the sympathetic dullard (the Rocky archetype) fairly well, the character itself grows tiresome fast. In all actuality, it is a mixture of a very funny supporting cast and some fantastic writing from Jay Baruchel and Evan Goldberg that keeps the hum drum plot line quite entertaining.
Final Thought: All jokes aside, if you don't know me personally, and couldn't tell by now, I am not a hockey fan AT ALL. So, the fact that I, above all others, am recommending "Goon" means that this is one movie that truly transcends sports all together. Yes, there are a few inside jokes, which one either has to be a huge hockey fan or from Canada to understand, but overall, "Goon" is a film that, even if one doesn't like sports (or likes real sports, such as football or basketball) many will find themselves being pleasantly surprised.
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