Goat (2016)

Overrated and overhyped

Great Film overall

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

A thought provoking watch on the behaviour of young adults in college fraternities from an interesting and challenging perspective.

This is the story of the experiences of two brothers who join the same college fraternity, one year apart. I think that it did not take much talent to come up with the story. Start off with a violent beating of the younger brother to get the audience's attention, emphasize the hazing events during hell week, toss in some sibling interactions, and end with the fallout from a tragic consequence of the hazing. The acting is pedestrian and there is such a lack of depth to the characters that it is difficult to care about them. The deepest conversation goes along the lines of, "Hey man, how's it going?" followed by "Fine."The "based on true events" comment at the beginning does not add much value, since what is presented does not go beyond stereotypical material.Several years ago I read the book "Goat Brothers" by Larry Colton. I thought this movie might be based on that book, but, aside from the one small part of the book dealing with hell week, they are miles apart. The book traces the lives of five fraternity brothers over a period of twenty-five years and, opposed to "Goat," you wind up really knowing them.

I screened #GOAT starring #BenSchnetzer and #NickJonas and although the hazings in the film can get over the top, one can't help but wonder if hazings in real life frat out there can really get that violent, especially since the college I attended didn't have Greek houses so I never personally experienced pledges. But GOAT has its own way of rattling your comfort zone. The psychological pain the characters inflict on each other is more disturbing than last year's "The Stanford Prison Experiment." Directed by Andrew Neel, in GOAT, Ben Schnetzer's character, Brad Land earlier on in the story goes through an initial violence so traumatizing that it pretty much sets up his motivation throughout the entirety of this film. He joins his brother Brett's (Nick Jonas) fraternity and as the pledging ritual moves into hell week, the stakes grow more violent, more humiliating, and more torturous, all in the name of brotherhood, or is Brad trying to prove something else? Based on Brad Land's memoir, co-written by Andrew Neel, David Gordon Green and Mike Roberts, the film deals with the questions of which rites of passage are worth taking and which ones are not and where do you draw the line. There are plenty of hazings in this film, you really don't know what to expect because each of them is shocking in its own way, it becomes ingrained in Brad's psyche or his belief that this may be what is needed to be done for him to punish himself for the earlier event that victimized him. And to some of these brothers, this frat life has become all they know, this is all they have, they think it's the center of the universe so if you go against it, then consequences ensue. It's very intriguing to see Brad and this brotherhood collide and the effect they have on each other.GOAT is not a college comedy, it shows the darker, harsher side of what college life can offer. It's raw, unforgiving, and it punches you in the gut. You will feel uncomfortable watching GOAT and that is one of the film's main goals. I'd be very interested to see a featurette or behind-the-scenes videos showing how they shot some of the hazing scenes, just to see how the actors mentally prepped for them. I'd like to believe that GOAT doesn't necessarily intend on demonizing frat or Greek houses, I'm sure there are many brotherhoods out there that don't go over the line in their rituals but it does show that when we join a group, any group, it's best to analyze whether or not that group would be beneficial for our personal growth given our previous life experiences.-- Rama's Screen --

When a film ends with a wide shot of a person standing in a field, the sunlight in the background casting a beautiful haze across the sky as it sets, most get a sense there is hope for the next day. There is a newness that lingers for the viewer even after the scene disappears into a black screen filled with post credits. "Goat" ends this way, but what lingers afterward is not hope or newness. Director Andrew Neel, a brilliant and clever filmmaker, creates a world in which these attributes try to supersede chaos, but don't have the chance to do so. Brad Land's true, and heartbreaking, experience at the hand of two strangers violently pulls the audience into the film. Juxtaposed to this brutality is a different scene with equal force: a party that involves the stereotypical aspects of many fraternity gatherings. As Brad (Ben Schnatzer) attempts to cope with his trauma, distance builds within the Land family, until Brad's brother Brett (Nick Jonas) encourages Brad to come to college with him and pledge his fraternity. There, Brad might find real family and even become a real man, one that can take care of himself. Initially, Brad resists, but chooses to make an attempt at moving forward. However, to truly live the life, Brad has to become one of the brothers, and this means suffering through Hell Week for the new pledges. This experience becomes a nightmare, not only for Brad, but also for the audience.The trauma of the movie's initial violence is surpassed by the violence of the brothers. The audience endures this pain for much of the movie with the young men, cringing and gasping as those on the screen bear the brunt. The goat, and the horrific implications that come with it, is brought in as the last rite of passage. However, this act is the last straw for Brett, who initially joined his brothers in hazing but soon became disillusioned as he watches his brother endure further physical torture. Ultimately, both brothers have to make a decision about the fraternity, and the movie teases closure, but alas not quite. Come back to the closing scene. Brad stands in a field, looking off into the distance. His relationship with his brother - unstable, his own sanity - shaken, and his future - uncertain. Sometimes, when the character stands in the field, the only need is for the audience to be bold enough to admit they see the chaos and choose not to be passive in their reaction. Though the movie lacked, on a personal note, clear intent or a distinct opportunity for resolution, the mess that is Goat is worth carrying around for a while.