Why I Saw It: I like hockey. I like movies. Someone told me that GOON was more entertaining than SLAP SHOT. It was available to watch in Netflix Instant.

What Was It About? “Not content with his job as a bouncer at a local Beantown bar and a bit of an embarrassment to his accomplished family, Doug Glatt dreams of the kind of success enjoyed by minor league hockey goon Ross Rhea. When a chance encounter with an on-ice thug leads to a bloody fist fight that Doug easily wins, the coach of the Halifax Highlanders sees potential in this mammoth sized man who is only hampered by his lack of any hockey playing ability and his brother’s old figure skates. Standing up to the taunts of the other players, Doug manages to join the team, and with the encouragement of his hockey obsessed best friend quickly becomes a rising star. Soon he’ll have the opportunity to face off against Ross “The Boss” Rhea and perhaps finally land a girlfriend. Now – all he needs is to learn how to skate.“

Rating: 8.0 out of 10

Memorable Performances: This was easily the best performance I’ve ever seen from Sean William Scott, whose resume is filled with quite a few movies which suffered in terms of entertainment value because of his character. It’s quite the opposite here, as I thought he did a great job as Doug Glatt. Liev Schreiber was great in his small role as the notorious, nearing-retirement goon.

Potential Nominations for Film Quest ’13:

Best Actor – Sean William Scott

Favorite Parts: The fight scenes were highly amusing. The respect he shows for his team was a great touch. The last 20 minutes were great. GREAT. It gave credence to the comment another reviewer made where he said that GOON had replaced SLAP SHOT as his favorite hockey movie. I still might pick Mighty Ducks, but GOON certainly surpassed SLAP SHOT, and a lot of it has to do with those final 20 minutes.

The Regrettable Aspects: The scenes with Jay Baruchel. I’m a huge fan of what he did in SHE’S OUT OF MY LEAGUE. Here? His character was extremely annoying. In fact, if you told me there was a movie with Sean William Scott in it, and you described the different characters, I’d predict that the guy played by Baruchel was the one SWS was cast in. If you told me that originally Liev Schreiber was cast as Doug Glatt and SWS was going to be his best friend? I wouldn’t be surprised at all.

Would I watch it again? I absolutely will watch it at least once a year. Great flick. I might even buy it on DVD… and pay full price.

To Whom Would I Recommend It? I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoyed Slap Shot, The Mighty Ducks, or anything involving Sean William Scott.

Other Recommendations:

– Mighty Ducks – Maybe it’s because I learned to play hockey at a similar age to the kids in the movie, but I have a ton of nostalgic love for this film. Also? It’s a damn good hockey film. In fact, when I teach people how to play hockey, I actually use some of the lessons they used in Mighty Ducks. Because they work.

– SLAP SHOT – I might prefer GOON, but Slap Shot is still a classic.

– Mr. Woodcock – If you’re going to watch a Sean William Scott movie, you might as well watch one where he’s not frustratingly annoying.

If you’ve got recommendations for alternatives to GOON, or for other similar films, let me know!

Next up, YOUR SISTER’S SISTER.