Admirable film.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Can't quite put my finger on why this movie makes me laugh so much - but all I know is the humour is original and it takes you by surprise all the way through the film. I want to watch it again so I can analyse and explain the humour properly. In the meantime, I recommend watching it if you like Sean William Scott and you can handle rough sports, a bit of violence, deep moments of sadness and weird jokes.

Although he may not be the smartest person in the world, "Doug Glatt" (Seann William Scott) is a really nice guy with an incredible skill—he knows how to beat up people. And because of that he earns his living as a bouncer at a nightclub while the rest of his family looks down upon him. Then one day at a hockey game everything changes for him when one of the players decides to go into the stands to beat up his best friend "Pat" (Jay Baruchel). After easily beating the hockey player to a pulp Doug soon lands a job as a top-notch goon for the Halifax Highlanders with a mission to protect the best player on the team by the name of "Xavier LaFlamme" (Marc-André Grondin). Unfortunately, as Doug becomes more popular the spoiled LaFlamme becomes more jealous and insecure. To make matters even worse, the most dominant goon in hockey named "Ross Rhea" (Liev Schreiber) is soon to return from a 20-game suspension and has no interest in sharing his hard-earned reputation with any player from another team. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this movie had the potential of being a true blockbuster but it suffered from one serious flaw in that it had way too much vulgarity throughout the course of the film—and much of it was totally unnecessary. Of course, if this film was intended only for immature audiences then I could possibly understand some of the crass and sophomoric language. But it loses much of its appeal to viewers who are looking for something a bit more wholesome. Again, this film had some real potential. Unfortunately, the director (Michael Dowse) chose to take the low road and for that reason I have rated it a little lower as a result.

Doug Glatt (Seann William Scott) is a bar bouncer and an embarrassment to his doctor father (Eugene Levy). His best friend Pat (Jay Baruchel) has an online chat show Hot Ice covering hockey action. Their favorite player Ross Rhea (Liev Schreiber) gets suspended. They go to a minor league game where one player comes at Pat in the stands. Doug ends up pummeling the player and becomes a sensation. He can barely skate but he still gets on the team Orangetown Assassins as a goon. He gets hired by the Halifax Highlanders to protect their valuable prospect.This has healthy doses of the classic hockey movie 'Slap Shot'. The trick of this one seems to be making Seann William Scott the straight man. Everybody else is crazy wacky. Baruchel is hilarious and the team is ridiculous fun. There are some big giant laughs in this. The story could be stabilized more by keeping Doug being on one team and having him stay at home. That way his family and Baruchel could have bigger parts in the movie.

Goon (2011): Dir: Michael Dowse / Cast: Seann William Scott, Liev Schreiber, Jay Baruchel, Alison Pill, Eugene Levy: Doug "the Thug" Glatt has been a fighter all his life. He is a bouncer, and despite not being the smartest kid on the block, he likes to protect others. His ability is put to great use when a coach witnesses him pound the oblivion out of a hockey player out to attack his gay brother. He is recruited but not as a hockey player, but as a fighter. This is an independent Canadian film addressing the violence in hockey, but its chief problem is its exploiting the issue. The setup has potential before descending to predictable formula and an ending where it is obvious that Glatt will face off for a brutal encounter with rival player Ross "the Boss" Rhea. Director Michael Dowse uses slow motion to capture the extremes of the violence but the screenplay seems to address it as positive. Seann William Scott gives an honest, sound and very amusing portrayal of a guy who only knows his strength but fails to factor in its consequences. He is backed by a parade of cardboard supporting roles that have the mentality of a hockey puck. Liev Schreiber as Rhea is a predictable ice bully whose fate is obvious from the first time Glatt lays eyes on him on TV. Jay Baruchel as Glatt's gay brother is more an annoyance, and Alison Pill as girlfriend Eva who is torn between Glatt and her current boyfriend, deserves better material. Eugene Levy plays Scott's less than enthusiastic father in terms of his choices in life. The message is there but the payoff seems to have been met with a slap shot. Score: 5 ½ / 10