Friday, September 8, 2017

Cinema Clips: Goon: Last of the Enforcers

Posted By on Fri, Sep 8, 2017 at 11:00 AM


Six years ago, Goon, a funny-as-hell hockey comedy based on a real sports figure who played shitty hockey but fought like a madman, came out and seemed to give new life to the acting career of one Seann William Scott.

This sequel, directed by Goon costar Jay Baruchel, is an embarrassment from all angles. For starters, it’s sloppy, the kind of sloppy you would expect from an actor who has no clue behind the camera. The tones shift like crazy, the jokes fall flat, and the performances get killed by piss editing. The movie deals with Goon hero Doug Glatt going into retirement shortly after being named captain of his team because he can’t fight from his left side. Then it goes into a strange side story involving his work as an insurance salesman while he tries to come back, eventually getting fight training from Ross Rhea (Liev Schreiber). His training includes fighting in a hockey league that has no actual hockey, just guys dressed in hockey gear, fighting. That sounds like it could be funny but, trust me, it’s not.

The talented Alison Pill return as Eva, Doug’s love interest, and her talents are wasted, as are the talents of Elisha Cuthbert as her drunk pal. I laughed twice at this thing, both moments involving Doug’s insurance boss and his activities in Doug’s basement office. Otherwise, I just sort of groaned and felt bad for all involved.

Available for download on iTunes and Amazon.com during a limited theatrical release.