So "Goon" won't likely win any Oscars, but might pick up a Genie or two. While the Canadian film may sufficiently cross over into the American audience, its purported violence level won't be a good example of other Canadian films. Still, my radar is up on what the reaction of "Goon" will be on both sides of the border.
Given its hockey and fighting theme, you wouldn't be surprised to see lots of commercials for the movie during last week's NHL Center Ice free preview. The fact that the film stars American actor Seann William Scott as the goon is part of what is attracting interest on the American side.
The vast majority of this film is Canadian. Written, directed, stars, location = Canadian. Liev Schriber is in this movie, and while he is American, he did live in Canada as a very small child. Eugene Levy is definitely Canadian. Jay Baruchel co-wrote and stars in the film with his now-fiancee Alison Pill (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Milk, Midnight in Paris). While Baruchel and Pill are both Canadian, it would be a mixed marriage since Baruchel is a Habs fan and Pill is from Toronto. The film was shot in Winnipeg.
From the trailer and the many different variations of said trailer during the hockey games, the film will have plenty of fighting, some sexual tension (Pill's character describes herself as being horny a lot and liking to sleep with a bunch of men), and people yelling to encourage more fighting. The plot is about a black sheep of otherwise really smart people. He gets discovered after a fight, and told that he isn't there to play hockey but to fight.
To make this clear, I am not a Seann William Scott fan; he usually plays obnoxious characters and he hasn't seemed too talented. In the trailer, Scott seems well-suited for the role, so I will give him the benefit of the doubt. And I realize that Scott is the reason why this movie will get some play in the States … and the fighting, of course.
"Goon" opens in Canada today and is available on demand in the United States starting today. The film will get a limited release in the United States starting March 30.
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