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GOON (2012)Movie Reviews
Comedy about a Boston bouncer who is recruited for a professional hockey team, despite the fact that he can't skate. Cast:Seann William Scott, Jay Baruchel, Alison Pill, Marc-Andre Grondin, Eugene Levy, Liev Schreiber, Kim Coates, Dave WheelerDirector:Michael DowseRelease Date:March 30, 2012DVD Release:May 28, 2012From:MagnoliaRating:RLength:1 hr. 30 min.
MAY 28, 2012
Goon (2012), Good (Not Great) Reviews, Mixed Key Cities
Goon (2012) played in key cities to good not great reviews. Reviews were mixed. • John Semley wrote for the AV Club, "...unabashedly crass and violent, establishing a rare equilibrium between faithfully rendered splatter and jokes about skull-fucking." • And Radheyan Simonpillai wrote in Toronto Now, "...fittingly lowbrow and vulgar... Liev Schreiber brings gravitas..." More Reviews Below...
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...it begins with blood splattering on the ice... but it's also about friendship, loyalty and teamwork in much more convincing ways than glossier, feel-good movies."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 606 words, 03/28/12
Mara Reinstein, Us Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Seann William Scott goes dopey once again in a lowbrow but enjoyable comedy.... Watch for Alison Pill's campy turn as a promiscuous hockey groupie..."(See all of Mara Reinstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 102 words, 03/29/12
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD(cg) "...a very slight movie, with the standard elements all served up like side dishes on a plate. Still, Scott gives this teddy-bear lug a consciousness..."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 318 words, 03/30/12
Kat Murphy, MSN Movies: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Good for lowdown fun... invites us in to celebrate its idiosyncratic bunch of sweet-natured goons. Handicapped they may be, but not one could be said to lack game."(See all of Kat Murphy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 785 words, 03/27/12
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (11 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD "...turns from a rowdy sports farce into something vaguely resembling the 'Rocky' of hockey movies.... Behind the film's brass knuckles are tender fingers."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 628 words, 03/30/12
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Whenever Scott and Schreiber are together, 'Goon' stops skating around in circles, and matures into the funny, surprisingly touching movie it wants to be."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 183 words, 03/30/12
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...monotonously lowbrow... a sloppy, unimaginative Cinderella story with more emphasis placed on profane locker room taunts than characterization or narrative..."(See all of Robert Abele's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 190 words, 03/30/12
Kyle Smith, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...easily takes the title of second-best hockey comedy I've ever seen. Apparently, in the world of small-time hockey, not a lot has changed since 'Slap Shot' days..."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 442 words, 03/30/12
Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine: GOOD "...a comedy, often a very funny one, but you might be hesitant to call it that once you've actually seen it. Walter Benjamin would be proud."(See all of Bilge Ebiri's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 521 words, 04/02/12
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...as standard-issue as the jockstrap is to sports movies... depicting the vocationally debauched world of second-tier hockey, it's not only rowdy, but also humane..."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 473 words, 03/28/12
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: VERY GOOD(cg) "...looks set to skate alongside, if not slam into the boards, the sainted memory of 'Slap Shot' as the movie that really gets the spirit of hockey's animal attraction."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 534 words, 02/24/12
Stephen Cole, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "...another boys' after-pub flick... It's Canucks trading punches and quips in the corner of the rink; European players with Borat accents ... Only it's not particularly funny."(See all of Stephen Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 573 words, 02/24/12
Radheyan Simonpillai, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "...a fittingly lowbrow and vulgar hockey comedy that will scare the shit out of anyone expecting the 'Mighty Ducks'... Liev Schreiber brings gravitas..."(See all of Radheyan Simonpillai's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 139 words, 02/23/12
KEY CITIES (7 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...an infectiously appealing comedy... Anchoring the film is Seann William Scott's performance, which is, to put it plainly, impossible to resist."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 501 words, 04/20/12
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: WEAK(cg) "The fact that a movie as harsh and despicable as 'Goon' can be promoted as a comedy says terrible things about the state of the American film industry."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 499 words, 03/30/12
Tom Russo, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "...makes a bid for 'Slap Shot'-style cred with the Judd Apatow crowd.... those graphic visuals have definite impact. But other elements just don't."(See all of Tom Russo's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 347 words, 04/13/12
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: EXCELLENT(cg) "...a hoot.... Profane, bloody, and sophomoric, it's a comic adrenaline rush with a surprisingly sweet heart.... a deeply vulgar -- and deeply funny -- film."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 241 words, 04/27/12
Tom Long, Detroit News: VERY GOOD(cg) "What's somewhat surprising is you don't have to give a hoot about hockey to enjoy the movie. This is just a guy living his dream: Hitting people."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 319 words, 03/30/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (9 Reviews)
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...as standard-issue as the jockstrap is to sports movies... depicting the vocationally debauched world of second-tier hockey, it's not only rowdy, but also humane..."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 473 words, 03/28/12
Betsy Sherman, Boston Phoenix: VERY GOOD(cg) "A 'Slapshot'-worshipping, proudly raunchy ode to hockey's enforcers... But it's more than just a hilariously giddy celebration of brawling."(See all of Betsy Sherman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 146 words, 04/12/12
John Semley, AV Club: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...unabashedly crass and violent, establishing a rare equilibrium between faithfully rendered splatter and jokes about skull-fucking."(See all of John Semley's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 411 words, 03/29/12
Cynthia Fuchs, Pop Matters: MODERATE(cg) "He's excellent at breaking heads, but he doesn't actually want to hurt anyone.... you get to feel smart and stupid at the same time."(See all of Cynthia Fuchs's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,112 words, 04/03/12
Stephanie Zacharek, Movieline: EXCELLENT(cg) "...crude, violent and deeply enjoyable.... the movie is admirable for the way it refuses to offer us the easy comfort of watching its lead character learn a valuable lesson."(See all of Stephanie Zacharek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 756 words, 03/29/12
Nick Schager, Slant: POOR(cg) "...a second-rate dude comedy in which an untalented knucklehead becomes a star through brute violence.... a mirthless purgatory between outrageousness and realism..."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 461 words, 03/25/12
Radheyan Simonpillai, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "...a fittingly lowbrow and vulgar hockey comedy that will scare the shit out of anyone expecting the 'Mighty Ducks'... Liev Schreiber brings gravitas..."(See all of Radheyan Simonpillai's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 139 words, 02/23/12
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: POOR(cg) "...the tale of a man 'touched by the fist of God' and called to commit violence in the arena, all presented with a kind of sick grandeur -- or mock grandeur; it's hard to tell..."(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 477 words, 01/10/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD "...turns from a rowdy sports farce into something vaguely resembling the 'Rocky' of hockey movies.... Behind the film's brass knuckles are tender fingers."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 628 words, 03/30/12
Scott Tobias, NPR: VERY GOOD "Whenever the film threatens to get too puerile on one end or too sentimental on the other, Scott steadies it with a performance that's open and innocent..."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 681 words, 03/29/12
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...monotonously lowbrow... a sloppy, unimaginative Cinderella story with more emphasis placed on profane locker room taunts than characterization or narrative..."(See all of Robert Abele's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 190 words, 03/30/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Robert Koehler, Daily Variety: VERY GOOD "...the lovable true story of Doug Smith, a hockey enforcer who achieved minor-league fame... balances the action on the ice with sharply drawn characters off the rink."(See all of Robert Koehler's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 639 words, 09/11/11
John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "...wears its lowbrow thuggery as proudly as a hickey delivered by the hottest girl at the bar... should be director Michael Dowse's graduation from microcult comedies..."(See all of John DeFore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 517 words, 09/14/11
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...monotonously lowbrow... a sloppy, unimaginative Cinderella story with more emphasis placed on profane locker room taunts than characterization or narrative..."(See all of Robert Abele's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 190 words, 03/30/12
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD "...turns from a rowdy sports farce into something vaguely resembling the 'Rocky' of hockey movies.... Behind the film's brass knuckles are tender fingers."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 628 words, 03/30/12
19.5 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Goon (2012)'s reviews are separated by an average 19.5 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Goon (2012) (32 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Goon (2012)'s reviews cover 61.8% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 15,081 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 471 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 4 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Goon (2012)'s reviews on average broke 4 days before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Goon (2012)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Goon (2012) (32 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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