In the lead up to the 7th Canadian Film Festival in Australia (August 2012), join us as we countdown the Top 100 Canadian Films of the past 30 years. We'll be posting one film a day leading up to Canada Day on July 1st 2012. Do you agree with our staff favourites? Let us know your thoughts!
#69 - Goon
Doug (Seann William Scott), a security guard at his local pub, is a good natured, sensitive, and friendly guy, ifnot a little bit peculiar. Feeling down and out about not following the family tradition of becoming a doctor and therefore lacking their respect, he and his rude, loud-mouthed best friend Pat (Jay Baruchel) go to blow off steam at a minor league hockey game.
After getting in a fist fight with one of the players, Doug appears almost indestructible and the impressed coach of his hometown team invites him to try out, offering him the role of "enforcer” or “goon”– the guy in charge of aggressively responding to dirty or violent play from the opposing team, particularly when it is directed towards star players. Thus “Doug the Thug” is born.
Moving up to join the Highlanders team, Doug is put together with former star player Xavier Laflamme, as a housemate as well as to protect him on the ice. Laflamme has fallen in with a bad crowd after being knocked out and is still recovering from a fight with veteran enforcer (and Doug’s idol) Ross “The Boss” Rhea. As tensions between Laflamme and Doug arise, a rivalry is also revealed between he and Rhea, who is about to be let off his suspension and is set to "lay him the fuck out" at their inevitable showdown.
From the director of cult classic FUBAR (and our #100 pick It’s All Gone Pete Tong), Michael Dowse brings the same dirty, irreverent, and twisted humour to Goon, but ups the ante with this slick, punchy, sports comedy featuring an excellent performance by Scott, and even manages to pop in a sweet, if not dysfunctional, love story as well.
Don’t be a hoser! Watch it when it's released later this year and see who gets laid the fuck out!
-Karina Libbey
"A fresh, new sports comedy that may have a measure of cliché, but the filmmakers overwhelm it in a power play that scores." (Robin Clifford, Reeling Reviews)
To see the other films in the countdown so far, click here.