It’s been a long time since Slap Shot, George Roy Hill’s wonderfully caustic ice hockey comedy, in which Paul Newman swapped punches and one-liners with opponents and team-mates alike. But its influence weighs heavily on Goon, a vulgar, violent and not very funny attempt to follow in Slap Shot’s ice tracks. Based on a true story, it follows the rise of Doug Glatt (Seann William Scott), a nightclub bouncer who hits the Canadian hockey minor leagues with a vengeance when he’s recruited as an on-ice enforcer. Scott is charming and sincere in a relatively thankless role, and the hockey scenes are decent, but it’s tonally inconsistent, and suffers from a witless script from Evan Goldberg and Jay Baruchel, who further spoils the party with a truly obnoxious turn as Glatt’s arseholish best mate.
Goon Review
Bouncer Doug Glatt (Scott), fed up with being berated by his over-achieving family, joins a Canadian semi-pro ice hockey, revealing a talent with the puck. He quickly leads a team of down-and-outs to the top of the ladder by exploiting the violent nature of the sport, and beating the crap out of his opponents.
Release Date:
06 Jan 2012
Running Time:
91 minutes
Certificate:
15
Original Title:
Goon
The likeable Scott does his best with a weak script. Jay Baruchel's cameo stinks the place up. Approach with caution.
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