Director Michael Dowse (Take Me Home Tonight) cleverly crafts the most violent sports comedy I have ever seen. Goon is a hard-hitting in-your-face comedy that’s full of explicit and rude jokes, while still filling up the screen with blood and sweat. Seann William Scott gives his best performance yet, while co-writer/co-star Jay Baruchel lets out his inner asshole. Lock up the kids and send the wife out for some ice cream, because Goon is ready to tear up some ice.
Doug (Seann William Scott) is the nicest guy you’ll ever meet. He’s also the nicest guy that’ll ever knock you unconscious. He’s not the brightest bulb on the tree, but he’s got a heart of gold and a best friend (Jay Baruchel) as immature as a 12 year-old avid Halo player.
A recreational activity turns into a full-fledged job for Doug as he accepts a job playing professional hockey, after clobbering a player that crossed the barricade and continued to harass him. He has simple dreams and simple goals, like making his parents proud and being the best man that he can be. He’s also got a crush on Eva (Alison Pill).
He takes his crush to the next level by basically stalking Eva into submission. She likes him, because it’s kind of hard to turn down a guy that willingly takes a beating from your boyfriend, just because he took you out on a friendly date.
Goon is a sports comedy done Michael Dowse style, which means he injects it with his own brand of flavor. It’s funny, but the jokes actually have some traction. Most comedies that induce loud laughter are usually written with a shock factor to get the biggest laugh, but not the smartest. Goon is a mash-up of both, with some jokes taking the easy way out, but most looking for that long-lasting life, that keeps coming back again and again.
It wins you over with its characters and it keeps you coming back for its laughter. Hockey fans will also be pleased to know that a majority of the film is actually spent on the ice, with teeth flying and limbs cracking. It’s a painfully brutal movie that doesn’t sell itself short in the violence department.
I suspect Goon will again remind the world of Michael Dowse‘s ability as a comedy filmmaker and it will also remind the world that Seann William Scott is a good actor when given the right role. He can do more than Stifler and I find it refreshing to know that.
Goon skates its way onto Blu-Ray with a sharp 1080p transfer that comes from the film’s digital source. It looks as clean as can be, with the icy white battlefield looking just as shiny and smooth as if you were right there in the front row. It also looks great in the color red, once the blood has been spilled. In all seriousness this is another great transfer from Magnet. They tend to keep everything looking as natural as can be or as close to the director’s vision and Goon is exactly that.
The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track offers plenty to like. The in-game scenes have lots of surround cuts and background noise, while the out-game dialogue activity keeps things sounding clear. Occasionally the film gets a little hard to hear once a game gets going and the sound effects get amped up, but dialogue isn’t completely destroyed, just muffled.
Goon comes with a lump of special features that are just as entertaining as the film. I buzzed through most of the content pretty quickly, but found myself really engaged with the audio commentary and interview segment. Here’s a full list of the features below:
- Power Play Mode: A popup icon that takes you to behind-the-scenes content and goodies throughout the film. You can also access this feature without interrupting the movie in the extras menu.
- Commentary with Director Michael Dowse and Co-Writer/Actor Jay Baruchel
- Deleted Scenes (HD)
- Outtakes/ Blooper Reel (HD)
- Interview with Seann William Scott and Jay Baruchel (HD)
- HDNet: A Look at Goon (HD)
- Goalie Audition (HD)
- Fighting 101 (HD)
- Goon Hockey Cards (HD)
- Theatrical Greenband Trailer (HD)
- Theatrical Redband Trailer (HD)
- Also From Magnolia Home Entertainment (HD)
- DVD Copy
- Digital Copy
I really can’t recommend Goon enough. It’s got you blood and violence to please all die-hard hockey fans and it’s actually got an engaging story that’s both funny and kind of different to please the comedy nuts. I’m surprised something like this didn’t get picked up for a wider audience, because I know of at least 20 or 30 people that would personally enjoy it and I can imagine everyone that’s seen it can say the same.
The jokes are appealing enough for the mass audiences, but the actual real-life depiction of hockey might turn some viewers away. It’s very much an R-rated sports comedy that will please the genre fans. It also gives us a refreshing look at Seann William Scott, who proves he doesn’t always need to be obnoxious and immature to be liked.
The Blu-Ray comes with a balanced amount of bonus content to keep you up long after the film ends and the video and audio get high marks for being clear, loud and consistent. The combo pack is currently sitting at $14.99, which is a steal knowing that it comes with the Blu-Ray, DVD and a digital copy. Three ways to watch one movie for under $15 is always a worthy purchase, especially if the product is actually well-made and ready for repeat viewings.
