Goon

Movie / Show Details

Amazon.com

Seann William Scott packed on some pounds for his role in Goon, and the extra weight jibes well with his comic instincts–he’s had to ramp down his antic American Pie goof to fit the bulky, dull-witted protagonist of this off-the-wall picture. Scott plays Doug Glatt, whose thickheadedness may be a disappointment to his brainy family (Eugene Levy cameos as dad) but serves him awfully well in the role of hockey “enforcer.” You know the type: not much of a skater, can’t get the puck in the net, but if you need someone to come off the bench and lay an elbow into somebody’s cheekbone, Doug Glatt is your guy. The amusing and impressive thing about the movie is that the script (by costar Jay Baruchel and Evan Goldberg) posits Doug not as a meanie but as a puzzled innocent who really, sincerely wants to help his team. Alison Pill is just right as the groupie touched by his dazed sweetness, and Liev Schreiber absolutely shines as hockey’s most legendary tough guy, a weathered goon-among-goons whose badassery is announced in his giant Fu Manchu mustache. The movie aims for a tricky blend, and director Michael Dowse doesn’t always make it: we’re supposed to laugh at the exaggerated characters, but also eventually care about them, too. Oh, and there’s also an enormous amount of blood-spilling and bone-cracking. Thanks to the generally jovial air and Scott’s skillful performance, the patches of ice don’t seriously slow this movie down. –Robert Horton

Product Description

Doug Glatt; a slacker who discovers he has a talent for brawling is approached by a minor league hockey coach and invited to join the team as the muscle. Despite the fact that Glatt cant skate his best friend; Pat; convinces him to give it a shot; and Glatt becomes a hero to the team and their fans; until the leagues reigning goon becomes threatened by Glatts success and decides to even the score.