Goon

Goon is a 2011 sports comedy film directed by Michael Dowse, written by Jay Baruchel & Evan Goldberg, starring Seann William Scott, Jay Baruchel, Liev Schreiber, Alison Pill, Marc-André Grondin, Kim Coates and Eugene Levy.

The film made its debut on September 10, 2011 at the Toronto International Film Festival in Canada. It made its theatrical debut on February 24, 2012.

In the United States, it was released on video on demand in February of 2012 and was given a limited theatrical release in March of that same year.

A sequel "Goon: Last of the Enforcers" is scheduled to be released in September of 2016.

Plot
The film is about a nice, but dimwitted bouncer named Doug Glatt (Seann William Scott) who becomes an enforcer for a minor league ice hockey team.

Cast

 * Seann William Scott as Doug "The Thug" Glatt
 * Jay Baruchel as Pat
 * Alison Pill as Eva
 * Liev Schreiber as Ross "The Boss" Rhea
 * Marc-André Grondin as Xavier Laflamme
 * Eugene Levy as Dr. Glatt
 * David Paetkau as Ira Glatt
 * Kim Coates as Coach Ronnie Hortense
 * Jonathan Cherry as Goaltender Marco "Belchie" Belchior
 * Ricky Mabe as John Stevenson
 * David Lawrence as Richard
 * Ellen David as Mrs. Glatt
 * Geoff Banjavich as Brandon
 * Nicholas Campbell as Rollie Hortense
 * Richard Clarkin as Highlanders Captain Gord Ogilvey
 * Karl Graboshas as Oleg
 * George Tchortov as Evgeni
 * Georges Laraque as Huntington
 * Robb Wells, John Paul Tremblay and Mike Smith from Trailer Park Boys make a cameo appearance as Pat's production team

Production
"Goon" is an adaptation of the book "Goon: The True Story of an Unlikely Journey Into Minor League Hockey" by Adam Frattasio and Doug Smith.

Footage from Smith's career as an enforcer is shown during the film's credits and he said in an interview with Grantland.com that he is happy with the finished film.

The book was discovered by Jesse Shapira and his producing partner David Gross. Along with Jay Baruchel and Evan Goldberg, they developed the script and then proceeded to package and independently finance the movie. It was the first film under their No Trace Camping banner.

The movie was filmed in Brandon, Portage la Prairie and Winnipeg, Manitoba. Most of the hockey scenes were filmed at the Portage Credit Union Centre in Portage la Prairie, even though the Halifax Metro Centre was shown as the home of the Halifax Highlanders.

Some of the scenes were also filmed at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg and the Keystone Centre in Brandon.

Marketing
A red-band trailer for the film was released on IGN.

In Toronto and Montreal, prior to its premiere, posters for the film were removed from city bus shelters after several complaints from the public due to Jay Baruchel making a "sexually suggestive gesture with his tongue and fingers."

Box Office
"Goon" was given a limited theatrical release in the United States on March 30, 2012. It opened at #17 at the box office, grossing $1,232,860 in its opening weekend. Domestically, it only grossed $4,168,528. The film closed in theaters on May 31, 2012 after 14 weeks.

Critical Reception
The film has received positive reviews.

Rotten Tomatoes has rated the film "Certified Fresh" with a score of 82% based on reviews from 103 critics. Metacritic gave the film a score of 64 based on reviews from 21 critics.

The New York Times' Stephen Holden gave the film gave a positive review that credits all the major performances.

The timing of the film’s release was considered controversial by some as the previous summer featured the deaths of three NHL enforcers: Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien and Wade Belak who suffered from depression and head trauma that are believed to be factors in their deaths.

The San Francisco Chronicle called it "harsh, nasty and vulgar like you wouldn't believe. And often, it's hilarious."

The New York Post's Kyle Smith said, "The dialogue, while filthy, is wickedly funny, and sounds perfect coming out of the mouths of these beaten-down characters in their low-rent surroundings."

It also received negative feedback from critics.

Stephen Cole from The Globe and Mail called the film "a disappointment" and Tom Russo from the Boston Globe said, "The movie's unlikely sincerity can't completely offset its ugliness for less bloodthirsty viewers, but it helps, and it does smooth over some narrative rough edges."

Accolades
2013 Central Ohio Film Critics Association
 * Best Overlooked Film (nominated)

2012 Directors Guild of Canada
 * Craft Award Direction- Feature Film: Michael Dowse (nominated)
 * Picture Editing- Feature Film: Reginald Harkema (nominated)

2013 Genie Awards
 * Performance by An Actor in a Supporting Role: Jay Baruchel (nominated)
 * Performance by An Actor in a Supporting Role: Kim Coates (nominated)
 * Adapted Screenplay: Jay Baruchel & Evan Goldberg (nominated)
 * Achievement in Cinematography: Bobby Shore (nominated)
 * Achievement in Direction: Michael Dowse (nominated)
 * Achievement in Make-Up: Brenda Magalas & Lori Caputi (nominated)

2013 Toronto Film Critics Association Awards
 * Best Canadian Film: Michael Dowse (nominated)

2013 Vancouver Film Critics Circle
 * Best Supporting Actor in a Canadian Film: Jay Baruchel (nominated)
 * Best Supporting Actor in a Canadian Film: Liev Schreiber (nominated)
 * Best Supporting Actress in a Canadian Film: Alison Pill (nominated)