GOAT (English) Review {2.5/5} & Review Rating
Star Cast: Caleb McLaughlin, Gabrielle Union
Director: Tyree Dillihay
GOAT Movie Review Synopsis:
GOAT is the story of an underdog. A goat, Will Harris (Caleb McLaughlin), resides in a city called Vineland and works in a diner. Since childhood, he has been a fan of Jett Fillmore (Gabrielle Union), a black panther and a legendary roarball player. However, in the last few years, the performance of Jett's team, Vineland Thorns, has been terrible. In desperation, Jett asks the team owner, a warthog named Florence Everson aka Flo (Jenifer Lewis), to find a talented sixth player. Meanwhile, Will faces off against Mane Attraction (Aaron Pierre), the lead player for the rival team of Lava Coast Magma, at a neighbourhood roarball court. Will plays well at first, but then gets defeated. The video of their face off goes viral with Will being projected as a hero by the netizens. Flo is impressed with Will and realizes that enlisting him in the team will get publicity for Vineland Thorns. Thus, he's signed onto the Thorns. Will can't believe that he's living his dream of playing alongside Jett. But Jett is not impressed at all and doubts his potential. The roarball tournament begins and Will is not allowed to play and is placed on the bench. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
GOAT Movie Story Review:
GOAT is based on the book 'Funky Dunks' by Chris Tougas. Nicolas Curcio and Peter Chiarelli's story is ordinary, but Aaron Buchsbaum and Teddy Riley's screenplay is detailed and is peppered with some lovely emotional moments. But the writing is not without its share of blemishes. The dialogues are fine and raise laughs in a few places.
Tyree Dillihay's direction is contemporary. His execution is such that it would be loved by the under-25 audience and also those who love anime. The imagination is solid. The city of Vineland is depicted in a unique manner and it stands out from the ZOOTOPIA series. The idea of having a game called 'roarball', which is a mix of basketball and rugby, also makes for a novel watch. And that's not all. The stadiums are not flattened pieces of land and each of them pose a challenge - at one stadium, Stalactites might fall on the players anytime, while in the other, the freezing floor might give away and land the players in an ice-cold lake. Elements like these keep viewers involved. The bond shared by Will and Jett is lovely and the scene where the latter visits the former's cafe is quite touching.
On the flipside, the modern-day execution is also the film's minus point. The fast-cut action and sensory overload get a bit too much after a point. Also, there are places where it seems the makers are trying too hard to make the film seem to be of 2026. The mentions of crypto, memes etc. are a case in point. A few jokes don't land as intended and some plot points move too quickly before the viewers can process it; this, especially, happens in the emotional scenes. Finally, the limited buzz can prove detrimental.
GOAT Movie Review Performances:
Speaking of voiceovers, Caleb McLaughlin keeps it subtle, which suits his character. Gabrielle Union is impressive, while Jenifer Lewis is too good and raises maximum laughs. Nick Kroll (Modo) comes next. Aaron Pierre, Nicola Coughlan (Olivia Burke), David Harbour (Archie Everhardt; rhino), Stephen Curry (Lenny; giraffe), Patton Oswalt (Coach Dennis), Ayesha Curry (Carol) and others also do very well.
GOAT movie music and other technical aspects:
Kris Bowers' music is in sync with the film's mood and energy. John Clark's cinematography is stylish. The animation is top-class and unlike the ones seen in Disney or DreamWorks' films. Clare Knight's editing is quick.
GOAT Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, GOAT is a visually imaginative underdog sports tale that scores in world-building, slick animation and a few warm emotional moments. But the thin humour and the desperate attempt to make it seem like a film of today dilute the impact to some extent. At the box office, the film faces an uphill task as the excitement on ground is limited. With the ongoing examination period, the core target audience, that is, the kids and teenagers, is likely to stay away from cinemas, restricting its overall potential.