Goats (2012)

Sorry, this movie sucks

Perfect cast and a good story

Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

I watched the movie Goats not really knowing what it was about, but right from the beginning I was taken in by such great characters and not to mention some big time actors I went "Huh didn't expect them to be in this movie!" too. when you first start watching you think Ellis is going to go off to Gates and that's where the rest of the movie will take place but in fact the majority doesn't. Its labeled comedy but it is at times a drama also which you pretty much can guarantee with a divorced couple and a kid, I'm not going to check the spoilers box because I'm not going to spoil anyone about the movie although there's not much to spoil. but I will say for a critic to give this movie a score of 0 is pathetic. If you have any soul, passion or love at all you can relate to Goats, its a coming of age dramedy that makes you feel just that, not too happy and not too sad, right in the middle and that's just okay. It makes you realize your life is what you make it and sometimes doing the wrong thing is actually doing the right thing in disguise. Goats is definitely one of those gems you remember forever its not mainstream and its not cheesy its just right, I'm glad I watched Goats, It was thoroughly enjoyed! Would recommend it to anyone who... well anyone!

Graham Phillips, really a teenager, is Ellis living near Tucson. He is basically a good, smart kid with a really strange mother. Vera Farmiga is his mother Wendy . She seems to have a steady stream of new boyfriends, and as events unfold doesn't not appear to be very nurturing for Ellis.Unknown to Wendy he applies to the upper-crust private prep school his dad went to. As a 15-yr-old he is a freshman, and in spite of mom's fears he goes off to the D.C. area, where his dad also lives.Ty Burrell is the dad, Frank . As happens often in real life, Wendy had pretty much demonized Frank, convincing Ellis that his dad was a bad, uncaring guy. But as he gets to know him, Ellis finds Frank to be a warm person who cares about his son, but had stayed away from Tucson because of the psycho Wendy.Dakota Johnson (daughter of Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith) is Minnie , who works at the all-boys prep school, but sneaks into the library often, working her way through the "100 favorite books" list. She is friendly with Ellis, teases him a little. The other boys says she is a prostitute, but only for juniors and seniors. Ellis discounts that, saying it is not true. It seems he has an ongoing interest in perhaps having something happen with this older girl.David Duchovny is Goat Man . The movie never really clarifies why he likes to train goats, or take them for walks in the desert, and in fact at one point declares that he doesn't like goats. But he is allowed to live in the pool house, for doing odd jobs around the property and keeping the pool clean. He grows his own pot and shares it often with others. He is an interesting, quirky character who turns out to be one of the more normal.The story in essence is a "coming-of-age" for young Ellis. He recognizes his mother for who she really is, he gets to know his father and dad's new wife (Kerri Russell). He learns that maybe Minnie really is a prostitute or a "loose" woman after he sees her with other boys off campus asking them "did you get all sweaty?" She eventually invites Ellis to meet her off-campus "to spend some of that allowance money" he has. He turns her down, in a show of maturity, realizing she is not the kind of girl he wants to be around. Not you usual movie, overall I enjoyed it more than its IMDb rating would suggest.

So so film has a really strong performance from "Modern Family's" Ty Burrell to recommend it for but sadly not much else to really separate it from the pack of the other high school kid comes of age in boarding school films out there. Film's trailer promises a wacky comedy about a hippie like guy with a lot of goats and a lot of life lessons to impart but the film really more or less uses him as set dressing...which is a shame because David Duchovny is clearly having a good time and is quite game for whatever the script wants to throw at him and indeed he seems so ready for wackiness that we all but laugh the first time we see him because it looks for all the world that his character is going to be the real star of this movie and a real laugh getter--but aside from having him duel with ex Weeds star Justin Kirk for the affections of a rather over the top Vera Farmiga the screenplay either can't or won't let Goat Man do much of anything else. The film's center is "The Good Wife" son Graham Phillips as a kid raised in the desert and finding his way in this boarding school--and befriending his roommate and finding a young woman and etc. The film's real star should've been Goat Man. I'm not saying that the film is lousy or even boring although it has some boring stretches, but its kind of slight, when the elements were clearly here for something really vivid and memorable. The film even has characters that it clearly doesn't know what to do with besides Goat Man and the crazy new age mom and the obnoxious boyfriend---there's also the tough chick who threatens to beat up Phillips at the beginning of the film, lives in the desert with Phillips and Goat Man and everyone and is taken under Vera famiga's wing in the middle of the film, but the film never gives her anything to do there's also Keri Russell (forever Felicity to me) who's character is given somewhat of a build-up but then once she gets introduced she's given nothing to do and is all but forgotten about from the rest of the film as well, which brings me back to Ty Burrell. He plays the much much hated father of Phillips' character. Vera Farmiga whom vastly overplays the new agey mother of Phillips' character (and is bravely unsympathetic here--meaning her character is very unlikable) has spent a good amount of her screen time bashing her ex-husband so when he finally shows up played by the dad from Modern Family--we're all ready to pretty much hate him--but the strong somewhat no nonsense portrayal by Burrell actually makes him the most likable character (not to mention the most level headed) in the entire movie. I thought his presence actually served to anchor the entire film itself--and his presence as a supporting character really served to help ground the whole movie itself into a reality that it was sorely lacking otherwise. Oh again its not that its a bad movie per se--but it should've been a lot better then it was.

Having read a review prior to attending the screening, I had mixed expectations about Goats. But in the time since, this complex and poignant film has stuck with me more than most any film I have seen lately. As billed, Goats is a coming of age story, but it is much deeper than the typical angst ridden drama with a teen central character. In fact, all the people in 15-year-old Ellis's life, no matter what their age, face the turmoil of growing up.A smart, but weed-toking slacker, Ellis is probably the most grounded of this oddball mix of humanity. Graham Phillips does a marvelous job of showing us his emotional journey rather than short cutting with some cheesy exposition. He doesn't have any real drive other then a conflicted sense he needs to move beyond the life he grew up with. This portrayal is very true to life. Director Christopher Neil gets a lot of depth out of his actors without over doing it. The performances of Vera Farmiga and David Duchovny are wonderful as the over-the-top, self absorbed seeker of spirituality Wendy, and the so laid back his is almost in reverse Goat Man. Justin Kirk is fun to watch as Wendy's arrogant, two timing sleaze bag boyfriend. An all to brief cameo of Minnie Driver as a spiritual coach is a hoot.There is stark visual contrast between Ellis's new world of east coast boarding school and his old life in Tucson. This mirrors the emotional jarring Ellis is going through. As the film treks forward on two parallel trails, we are also reminded that, despite our protests, life continues without those we love. When these trails intersect, we see how Ellis is pulled between his two worlds.The scenes shot in and around Tucson, Arizona give Goats a unique look. Thankfully, the film avoids the clichés of Tucson. Sure we see saguaros, the mountains and vast alluring desert landscapes. But they are part of the environment the characters naturally inhabit rather than used as pretty postcard filler shots. It also, for the most part, avoids the clichés of boarding school. There is a nice twist when the track coach takes Ellis's joint, and simultaneously blackmails him in to running cross-country, while savoring a smoke.Throughout the film, a lot is said indirectly through action, or through dialog containing multiple meanings. When Goat Man says, "I hate my goats," it reveals a moment of clarity: an inner disappointment with his life and the feeling he is trapped in it.The packed crowd at the screening I attended laughed, cheered, and in the end, erupted into applause. Where so many films of this genre plod to a tedious end, Goats treks lightly to its conclusion. It is not tied up neatly with a bow. The characters all have a long journey ahead, and most likely, they won't get where they think they want to go. Kind of like, well, goats. In the end, I found I wanted to see more of the story. It is an entertaining film that leaves you with something to talk about.