Movie Review: GOAT

 

Michael's Movie Grade: C+

An enjoyable but forgettable animated film. 

This movie is pretty much your average underdog sports film only with animated talking animals. This movie may follow every cliché these stories are known for, but the film still works pretty well. The main reason for this is the two main characters. One is Will Harris, a goat, who is told he can't be a roarball (an all-animal version of basketball) player because he is too small. This is your typical movie underdog in many ways. While he is not a complex character, he is a likable one and it is easy to find yourself rooting for him. The other is Jett Filmore, a panther, who is considered a legend yet is afraid as she gets older, she may never actually win a championship. The insecurities this character has are perfectly conveyed and it is hard not to empathize with her fears and anxieties. Despite the action-packed sport scenes and the corny jokes, this movie really comes to life in the quiet smaller scenes between these two characters. One scene where Will takes Jett to the cafe he used to work at has a surprising amount of emotional poignancy to it. The relationship between these characters is very well thought out and actually kind of touching. It grows and changes over the course of the movie in a completely believable way. Because these characters feel real, even though we know how the film will end, the ending still kind of works. 

Like many animated family films today, this movie tries to throw gags at us for most of the film's runtime. As can be expected in this case, some of these gags are quite funny while others fall completely flat. 

I did feel the roarball games themselves were wasted opportunities. This differs from typical basketball as the stages represent various environments and therefore can provide different obstacles for the players. Sadly, this twist on basketball was quite underused. If better utilized this could have given this movie a unique feel that was quite different from your average sports film. 

This is one of those movies that you enjoy watching but, in a few weeks, will forget about.