Marvel
perversely decided to make Captain America a fascist double-agent and Warner
Brothers will probably turn Superman evil in the Justice League movie everyone
is dreading, but Doug “the Thug” Glatt is the same likable lug he always was.
He is the nicest guy, but the only talent he ever had was for fighting. Yet,
Glatt was able to use his gifts for good rather than evil in hockey’s minor
leagues. He still has a passion for the game, but his aging body is not so reliable
in Jay Baruchel’s Goon: Last of the
Enforcers
(trailer here),
which opens this Friday in New York.
After
several playoff-less years with your Halifax Highlanders, Glatt is finally
rewarded with the captain’s “C.” Unfortunately, he will not have long to enjoy
it. Glatt will be hospitalized by the mentally unstable Anders Cain, who could
be a huge star if he could just control his temper. He also happens to be the
son of the Highlanders’ new owner, former NHL all-everything Hyrum Cain. Since
his enforcer has been forced to accept retirement, Cain brings in his son to
replace Glatt’s muscle. Not surprisingly, Glatt’s teammates bitterly resent his
presence.
It
doesn’t sit well with Glatt either. Despite his promising his wife Eva he will
settle down and plug away at his office job, Glatt yearns to return to hockey.
Just like in Rocky III, Glatt’s old
nemesis Ross “The Boss” Rhea steps up to train him for his big comeback. Rhea likes
to think he can still throw down, but he has been reduced to scuffling in a
hockey-themed club fighting showcase. Glatt has better options available than
the battle royale on ice, but his loyalties to his wife and his team pull him
in diametrically opposite directions.
The
original Goon was the little movie
that came out of nowhere to hold its own with beloved sports comedies like Slap Shot, Bad News Bears, and Kingpin. Sure, it had its share of rude humor
and bruising hockey fighting, but Glatt always had a good heart and absolutely
no cynicism whatsoever. Baruchel, who co-wrote and co-starred in the original
clearly understood his appeal and wisely keeps Doug the Thug’s persona honest
and guileless.
In
fact, the follow-up is rather clever, in that it recognizes the similar
potential pitfalls that face both film sequels and sports comebacks. As Glatt labors
to overcome injuries and setbacks, Baruchel wrestles with sports movie clichés,
but they both have the same solution: let Glatt be Glatt. Indeed, what makes
the film surprisingly compelling a second time around is the ways he must
struggle to balance his faithfulness to both his family and his team.
Forget
Stiffler. Doug Glatt is the role that will define Seann William Scott. It is
easy to get distracted by the flying fists, but his portrayal of the socially
awkward Glatt is quite sensitive and complex. He is simply a great movie underdog.
Even though she gets less screen-time in Enforcers,
Scott still maintains his down-to-earth comedic and romantic chemistry with
Alison Pill’s Eva.
However,
the big surprise is Wyatt Russell as the volatile Anders Cain. Russell is a
former professional hockey player and the son of Kurt Russell, so he could
maybe relate to the troubled Cain in more than one way. He is certainly
brutish, but he also humanizes Cain, conveying his persistent father issues and
acute need for approval. In an added bonus, he even delivers some wryly funny
lines. Yet, it is tough for anyone to beat the film’s ace in the hole: Liev Schrieber
reprising the role of bad to the bone, but past his prime Ross Rhea.
