Unlike other members of his family Doug Glatt is not brainy and therefore gets by in life by being a security guard (on account of him being physically tough). However, when he finds himself in a chance encounter with another hockey player and showcases his fighting ability in front of the coach the coach offers Doug a life-changing career move, but, for Doug, it isn't quite all it's cracked up to be...
Goon is another film that I feel wasn't marketed particularly well. Seeing Seann William Scott pulling a silly half-smirk on the film's poster may make one believe that this is another of his goofball comedies. The idea that he spends the whole film beating people up may also make people believe that the film will follow the above narrative path....
For these reasons, this film may disappoint some people (particularly if you're expecting Scott to play another madcap Stifler type role). Goon is bracketed as a comedy (which is slightly misleading as I think I only laughed once). Having said that, Goon still does contain merit in other areas...
To being with, Doug is not the sharpest knife in the drawer and it's clear from an early stage that him not being bright is a defining factor in how easily he is able to be manipulated. However, one can understand why he'd want to be a part of the world that he is thrown in to... the fame...the money...the adulation...the sense of belonging. It's a dream for most people so you can't blame Doug for not wishing to pass up on the opportunity.
I think what really sells this film is how likeable and sweet-natured Doug is as a person. Yes he's physically tough and beats people up, but it's only really when he is duty bound to fight that he does so (whether it's in his role as security guard or 'Goon). His undying love for Eva (despite her seemingly doing everything to put him off) is lovely to see and at one point in the film Doug even 'takes one for the team' to show his love for Eva.
When we look at the acting one thing I will say is that it's always nice to see Seann William Scott diverting away from his Stifler type roles (you feel that he may have been in danger of being typecast at one point in his career). Interestingly, his role of Doug is probably closer to Scott's normal persona so this may not have stretched him as much as some of his other roles (I remember reading that he's quiet, shy and reserved in real life) meaning that he's really acting when he is in Stifler mode (shows how good he can be as I found that hard to believe when I read it). Schreiber is excellent in support and the likes of Pill, Coates and Grondin are also good. I was less taken with Jay Baruchel whom I found to be pretty irritating tbh.
This is not a goofball comedy like many of Scott's other films, but rather an underdog story about a man succeeding in his chosen craft and falling in love at the same time. It is a departure from what we're used to seeing from Scott, but once I became attuned to the film's wavelength I did find it to be quite enjoyable (though it may not work for everyone).
Goon is another film that I feel wasn't marketed particularly well. Seeing Seann William Scott pulling a silly half-smirk on the film's poster may make one believe that this is another of his goofball comedies. The idea that he spends the whole film beating people up may also make people believe that the film will follow the above narrative path....
For these reasons, this film may disappoint some people (particularly if you're expecting Scott to play another madcap Stifler type role). Goon is bracketed as a comedy (which is slightly misleading as I think I only laughed once). Having said that, Goon still does contain merit in other areas...
To being with, Doug is not the sharpest knife in the drawer and it's clear from an early stage that him not being bright is a defining factor in how easily he is able to be manipulated. However, one can understand why he'd want to be a part of the world that he is thrown in to... the fame...the money...the adulation...the sense of belonging. It's a dream for most people so you can't blame Doug for not wishing to pass up on the opportunity.
I think what really sells this film is how likeable and sweet-natured Doug is as a person. Yes he's physically tough and beats people up, but it's only really when he is duty bound to fight that he does so (whether it's in his role as security guard or 'Goon). His undying love for Eva (despite her seemingly doing everything to put him off) is lovely to see and at one point in the film Doug even 'takes one for the team' to show his love for Eva.
When we look at the acting one thing I will say is that it's always nice to see Seann William Scott diverting away from his Stifler type roles (you feel that he may have been in danger of being typecast at one point in his career). Interestingly, his role of Doug is probably closer to Scott's normal persona so this may not have stretched him as much as some of his other roles (I remember reading that he's quiet, shy and reserved in real life) meaning that he's really acting when he is in Stifler mode (shows how good he can be as I found that hard to believe when I read it). Schreiber is excellent in support and the likes of Pill, Coates and Grondin are also good. I was less taken with Jay Baruchel whom I found to be pretty irritating tbh.
This is not a goofball comedy like many of Scott's other films, but rather an underdog story about a man succeeding in his chosen craft and falling in love at the same time. It is a departure from what we're used to seeing from Scott, but once I became attuned to the film's wavelength I did find it to be quite enjoyable (though it may not work for everyone).