Blu-ray Review: "GOON"

The brutally humorous puck comedy “GOON” is now available on Blu-Ray and DVD, and being the independent revitalization of the career of once (and still) hilarious Sean William Scott, it is well worth picking up if you see it on the shelf. Written by Evan Goldberg (who has previously written “SUPERBAD” and “PINEAPPLE EXPRESS”) and Jay Baruchel (who also stars in the movie) and directed by Michael Dowse, this is one of the best sports movies we’ve been granted the privilege of seeing in some time.

Based off of the book about former AHL tough guy Doug Smith called “Goon: The True Story of an Unlikely Journey into Minor League Hockey,” Sean William Scott plays Doug Glatt – a dramatized version of Smith. Glatt is the most innocent guy you could ever meet, very likeable because of his purity, and he is a bouncer at a local bar who literally apologizes to the belligerents he beats the shit out of prior to beating the shit out of them. Next

With Eugene Levy, Liev Schreiber and several other film and theatrical actors and actresses, there is no shortage of talent in Dowse’s crew. Even with its brutal hilarity, “GOON” still deals with such serious hockey-related subject matter like concussions and substance abuse without becoming a message movie because of how good the acting is. On the brink of the NFL concussion crisis, we should cherish a film like this that takes these issues so lightly.

That’s the ironic part of the fights in the film. No matter how brutal and disgusting they are, they are still laughable and truly entertaining. Even with puddles of blood everywhere you still have an appetite for more because they are unlike any other. Including these aforementioned aspects, “GOON” is totally no holds barred. There is alcohol, tobacco and drugs everywhere – something that seems to be typical but surely covered up in professional sports.

The commentary done with Dowse, Baruchel and Goldberg is drunkenly hilarious. You can totally see the insane amount of fun these three guys had creating this movie simply through their horseplay in the commentary. The deleted scenes are significant – there are several that fit well with the movie but were taken out so that you can like the characters more. They do in fact create more depth for each character that may have made for a longer movie had they not been cut out, so it was a good move by Dowse in the end in getting rid of them.

The bloopers are short and sweet, but the interview with Baruchel and William Scott is pretty bland and there’s a pretty ludicrous segment called “Fighting 101” that explains to you how you’re supposed to fight on the ice. The funniest segment may be the “Goalie Audition,” which is as it sounds: the audition from perhaps the funniest character in the movie.

From the first to the last fight and for all those in between, “GOON” keeps it coming with a fistful of goriness without ever getting boring. From songs of the classic rock genre that should stereotypically accompany a game of hockey to the Boston accents sported by many of the characters, the filmmakers attack the good and bad of the sport and hold nothing back.