‘Goon’ is good, ironically enough, because it embraces hockey’s faults
Goon
Directed by Michael Dowse
Written by Jay Baruchel and Evan Goldberg
Canada, U.S.A., 2011
A sports theme film will more often than not do two specific things. First, it will share the story of either and individual or team, considered to be the underdogs against the clearly more powerful and skilled opposition, who overcomes its deficiencies, rising to the occasion with a triumph against all odds. It may be unexpected within the world of the movie, but audiences have seen this story before. The second thing a sports film will often do is aggrandize, mythologize and render holier than the holiest of things the sport being depicted. The Michael Dowse film Goon only adheres to the first of these two story telling techniques faithfully. The second, while dabbled with, feels more honest given that the movie presents hockey as it really is in the eyes of many:incessantly violent and terribly crass.
Doug Glatt (Sean William Scott) is a bouncer for a bar in Minnesota. His direction in life, unlike that of his father and brother (Eugene Levy and David Paektau), both doctors, is aimless. He is not very bright and has yet to discover his vocation in life. All of this changes dramatically one night when he and his best friend (Jay Barucehl) attend a lower level hockey game, during which event Doug engages in a fight with one of the visiting team’s players. Actually, describing the encounter as a ‘fight’ would be an inaccuracy. Doug completely pummels the poor fellow, which catches the eye of the home team coach (Gordon Campbell), who hires Doug as an enforcer. When Doug’s stardom begins to rise, he is transferred an official minor league team in Halifax, managed by his current mentor’s brother (Kim Coates). It is there that the challenges of hockey and life are thrust into high gear. The Halifax Highlanders are desperately challenging for the final available playoff spot, Doug meets the girl of his dreams in Eva (Allison Pill), his roommate is reckless teammate Xavier Laflamme (Marc-André Grondin) and the shadow of legendary enforcer Ross Rhea (Liev Schreiber), fast approaching retirement, looms large over Doug’s bloody accomplishments.
