Goon (2011)

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courtesy of spaceshipbroken.com

My grandfather (dad's dad) told me once about his brother playing football "in his day." Apparently, his brother was simply meant to sit on the bench until the coach decided he should go in, solely to break one of the opposing players' limbs (or so he says). It's done in a number of competitive sports for a number of reasons - a player who has no role but to either hurt an opponent, specifically play defense on one person, or who specializes in one specific skill. While most of it is common, the idea of a thug meant to hurt people is technically not legal. But it's fun!
Enter Michael Dowse's Goon, the story of an unreasonably polite family outcast that centers around the world of minor league hockey, a la Slapshot. Sean William Scott plays Doug Glatt, a Boston bouncer from a family of intelligent doctors who is labeled as a disappointment by his father (played by Eugene Levy in what is essentially a cameo). Glatt watches local hockey on television, idolizing professional bruiser Ross Rhea (Liev Schreiber) along with his best friend and loudmouth hockey "analyst" Ryan (Jay Baruchel, who also wrote the screenplay with Evan Goldberg). When attending a game, he is sucked into a fight with an active player, drawing the attention from the head coach. Such begins the surprising rise of a "thug" into the world of minor league hockey as a professional instigator.

After Glatt is signed by his local team, he is eventually promoted to the Halifax Highlanders, meant to serve as a shadow for a talented prospect named Xavier Laflamme (Marc-Andre Grondin), who three years earlier was knocked out by Glatt's idol Shea. Since, he had become gun shy and afraid of contact, so Glatt's job essentially is to keep people off Laflamme until he regains his legs. As the Highlanders slowly climb back into the playoff race thanks to Glatt's no holds barred approach to the game, it lights a fire under his teammates. Eventually, Glatt starts to questions himself, his role, and his relationship with a local hockey fan (Alison Pill), who he falls for quickly in the old fashioned sense.

The film is based on the book Goon: The True Story of an Unlikely Journey into Minor League Hockey, the true story of a minor league enforcer named Doug Smith. Goon follows a similar trajectory, obviously adding some smaller pieces in to make it more than just a by-the-numbers sports movie. The best thing that Goon does is pay all kinds of homage to Slapshot, one of the best R-rated sports comedies of all time. At the same time, it sets itself apart with a true dedication to developing Glatt as an honest character. Sean William Scott is no Paul Newman, but he has a surprising command of the screen here.

While the relationship between Glatt and Eva (Pill) may come over as a bit forced in moments, the charisma between Pill and William Scott sell it as a successful piece of the film. Pill is no Susan Sarandon in Bull Durham, but she is certainly a welcome presence on screen. Her boyfriend is not exactly the hockey type, but she is drawn to the violence that comes with the sport. What she finds in Glatt is a weird amalgam of a polite, kind man who just happens to be very good at knocking people's teeth in. He's a perfect fit for her, even if she may not be the perfect fit for him.

courtesy of guardian.co.uk

Goon is delightfully dirty and sometimes needlessly raunchy. But, few movies that have so many "F bombs" are so well designed. There's almost no exposition - we jump right into the plot. Dowse doesn't waste any time during the film - at a swift 92 minutes, he doesn't bother the audience with anything that doesn't need to be addressed. These aren't eloquent characters - these are guys who are either past their prime or will never reach the prime necessary to get to the NHL. Then there's Glatt, who just wants somebody to be proud of him for finding something that he's good at and embracing it. He knows he's not smart, but recognizing his limitations may make him more intelligent than most of the people he knows.

Though there are more than a few characters in the film that simply fill the  need for a stereotype, the majority of the cast delivers really solid portrayals of real people. Sean William Scott has never been better, tossing aside his "Stifler" persona for a much sweeter, much more confident, but lovable loser. Baruchel is recklessly loud and Glatt's teammates all slip into a necessary cog for this typical band of misfits. Liev Schreiber is perfect for his role as a past his prime, hulking bruiser who recognizes and respects Glatt as his indirect mentee, but wants Glatt to understand his role: bruisers aren't hockey players and the second they try to become well-rounded individuals on the ice, they become a needless weight. There's something to be said for trying to be more than you are, but the role of a goon will always be a limited, though necessary one.

In the end, Goon is proof that everybody has some sort of calling, as pigeonholed or seemingly ridiculous as it may seem. After all, what you do with your life needs to be something you are proud of - something you have no problem putting on business cards and handing out to strangers. It's not about how much you make, what you do, or even how well you do it. It's about waking up in the morning and feeling like you serve a purpose. If your purpose is to slip on a pair of skates, jump onto the ice, and crack someone's skull, then so be it, as long as you're happy doing it. Not sure your opponent will be as pleased, but that's another story altogether.

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