Goon: Last of the Enforcers

I tried my best to watch the original “Goon” but the stars just didn’t align. I had repeated technical issues and eventually, I simply gave up. I nonetheless made a trip to the theater to see “Goon: Last of the Enforcers” and you know what? I really enjoyed it! I bet you'd like it even more if you saw the first as well.

After Doug “The Thug” Glatt is severely injured by Anders Cain (Wyatt Russell) during a game of hockey, he’s forced into retirement. When Cain gets recruited as the Halifax Highlanders’ new team captain, Doug asks his old rival, Ross “The Boss” Rhea (Liev Schreiber), to train him so he can get back onto the ice.

Among all of the vulgarities, jets of blood, well-shot scenes of hockey action and fists to the face, “Last of the Enforcers” has a surprising amount of heart. I wasn’t sure what to expect out of the film, but I had the nagging feeling that I’d be able to foresee a bunch of it way ahead of time. Doug’s wife Eva (Alison Pill) is pregnant? I guess that means the film will end with a mad rush to the hospital. Doug begins secretly training to play hockey again? Sigh. I suppose we can expect the married couple to “break-up” and then reunite just in time for the big game. Actually, the film doesn’t play out the way you’d expect it to. There are many funny scenes where the locker room banter will have you laughing, but the scenes featuring Doug and Eva are quite sweet. Their relationship feels genuine. They talk and have simple, realistic moments that show how much they care for each other. When they have an issue, they discuss it. You grow to like them individually and as a couple. It makes you cheer that much harder for our hero to get back into the game.

Not all of the jokes work, but as a whole, the film is fairly consistent with its laughs. It helps that the actors are fully committed. Seann William Scott is quite good as the sweet-natured hockey player that was initially hired for his abilities to slam into others, but doesn’t want to hurt anyone, and is now looking for something more. Without being too on-the-nose, the film has intelligent things to say about the violence present in hockey. The ending, in particular, is quite strong. It’s mature and also satisfactory. This is Jay Baruchel’s directorial debut and it’s a promising start.

I was very pleased with “Goon: Last of the Enforcers”. I’m more determined than ever to see the first film. When you see it, stick around for the credits. There are bloopers found all the way to the end. (Theatrical version on the big screen, March 25, 2017)