Goat **** (2016, Ben Schnetzer, Nick Jonas, James Franco) – Movie Review

Ben Schnetzer stars as real-life 19 year-old Brad Land, who after suffering a terrifying assault by two sadistic young guys after a party, enrols into the college of his older brother Brett (Nick Jonas), who encourages him to pledge at the same fraternity. Brutality follows in the name of brotherhood.

Based on a true story as told in Land’s memoirs, this is a strong, powerful, provocative, in-your-face movie, though it maybe gets a bit too bogged down in the details of the disturbing behaviour involving hazing, strong sexual content and nudity, pervasive language, violence, alcohol abuse and drug use. We’ve probably got the point already.

There’s no need to labour on and on with it, in more and more appalling detail, so a bit more sketching in of the lives of brothers’ family, and especially of the key character of the brother, would be very welcome. What on earth were the parents and the authorities up to allowing all this to go on?

Also on the downside, the issues of college violence, abuse and hazing have been tackled in films before, so there’s a sense of deja vu. And there’s an awkward star cameo from producer James Franco, as an old alumnus, that seems just there to show how cool he is.

Nevertheless, this is a brutal gut-punch type movie, and it has a strong appeal to the brain as well as the emotions. It is somehow very Catcher in the Rye but on acid. Goat is certainly strong meat. Schnetzer (Khadgar in Warcraft) and Jonas are both excellent.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Movie Review

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