Goat (2016) User Reviews

At times it's intolerable

[artmania90 · 6/10 · 1 February 2017]

There is one review that describes GOAT as "Full Metal Jacket meets Animal House," which might be true if this movie were at all a comedy, or even a movie that examines the long-term effects of psychological abuse. There is a lot that Andrew Neel tries to say from the director's chair, but aside from a few interesting moments here and there, it seems like he may have bitten off more than he can chew.

The story follows Brad (Ben Schnetzer), the older brother of an all-around popular college boy (Brett, played by Nick Jonas). The film opens with Brad offering a ride to a set of strangers in the dead of night. He offers only because he believes they are coming from the same party. Right away the suspicions are tingling. A 20-minute ride down a deserted road finally has Brad come to terms with his situation: that he is mugged, beaten, and left for death in the middle of a field on the outskirts of town. His face is scarred, bruised, and his ease with strangers is never the same.

The movie is something I was not expecting, an odyssey into the mind of fear along the lines of a film Harmony Korine might admire. Where I was prepared for an dark yet entertaining film like Whiplash, we delve into the bowels of a film that more closely resembles "Spring Breakers," another hypnotic story with similar themes of the recklessness of millennials.

As the story falls into place, Brad finally decides to start college (we assume he took a year off after high school, since his younger brother is already well into his degree). Even before classes begin, Brad attends a Fall party at Brett's fraternity. The house is run- down, jammed, full of empty plastic cups and vomit in every corner. It's not so much a symbol as a right of passage: to belong to this house is to have a brotherhood that always has your back. James Franco (a producer on the film) has a brief but memorable scene as a former classmate who seems to hang around at the house a couple hours too long. Stuck in the past, he nonetheless shows Brad that this is an institution to which you can belong and be protected.

And so begins the odyssey. "Hell Week," as it's notoriously dubbed, is the hazing process where Brad, his roommate, and others, attempt to win the trust of the fraternity and eventually get "pinned" before the school year is out. The name is aptly given. Pledges are brought down to the basement where they are stripped, tied up, urinated on, and made to drink to the point of nausea. They drink cups of hot sauce. They are slapped. This is only day one.

The comparison to "Full Metal Jacket" would seem appropriate on a surface level, but the film rarely dives into the psyche of Brad, a boy who is torn between fear and commitment to pleasing his brother. Just as he allowed strangers to abuse him in the film's opening, so does he (poetically) allow it to happen again, this time for acceptance. In fact, maybe the abuse comes to represent a window into the connected world. Life is full of people who come and go, but what's the true test of a friendship if you literally go to hell and back.

The abuse, of course, is the highlight of the film, and the vivid scenes of torture are at times a bit overwhelming. We know going in that this is a movie based on actual events (events in which the death of a student was the culmination of the abuse), and as such each new scene comes with a heightened sense of dread: will this turn deadly? The violence is so relentless that I doubted I would even end this film with a positive thing to say about it. Filmmaking and production is one thing, but if you are making a movie about violence solely for the sake of violence, then what is the point?

I found Schnetzer's performance something that was both fragile and determined. While I at times failed to see motivation in certain scenes, his portrayal of Brad is fully-realized and the basic moral compass of the movie. From beginning to end, the story can be simplified to that of a boy who learns to no longer be afraid. It's a small arc, muddled in with a plot of hazing that does very little for the cause of the overall picture. On an intimate level, this was a story I could get behind. Everyone likes a happy ending, don't they?

Insightful But Inconsistent

[jayceehigh · 5/10 · 21 March 2016]

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.

Based on Actual Events always means a sensationalized version of the truth, but when it comes to frats how sensationalized are the events, really?

[Amari-Sali · 7/10 · 28 December 2016]

Trigger Warning(s):

Physical and Mental Abuse | Vomiting | Blood

Review (with Spoilers)

There is a certain mystique to fraternities. On one hand, they are the source of parties, they make it seem like their network will do more than get you a good job but also attractive girls, and for that, you'd do anything right? Well, this movie goes into that but with the name James Franco attached, a red flag if you don't see the name Seth Rogen anywhere, you have to wonder if this is to be taken seriously or will the sensationalism Franco is known for when involved, will it kill its depth?

Noted Actor(s)

Brad (Ben Schnetzer) | Brett (Nick Jonas) | Will (Danny Flaherty) | Dixon (Jake Picking) | Leah (Virginia Garnder)

Storyline

In one way it is about following in his brother's footsteps and in another it is about all a frat seemingly guarantees. That is the reason behind Brad wanting to join Brett's fraternity. After all, as Will points out, how else will the average dude find himself having sex with beautiful women, invited to the biggest parties, and not spend college as some sort of weird guy right?

Problem is, not just anyone can get into a frat for on top of those benefits, there is also the prestige, the network frats have, and who wants just any single bugger becoming a brother. Enter Dixon, the pledge master, who is tasked with filtering out the goats trying to get into Phi Sigma Mu. Though his methods aren't universally agreed upon and become tragic.

Highlights

Memorable Characters

To my surprise, the cast in this film all play memorable roles. Not to the point you'd want to explore their filmographies, but like with the case of Flaherty who I automatically associate with Skins (US), I'd imagine if you see most of the actors in something after this film you'd remember them as that guy from GOAT.

Strangely, Women Aren't Trashed That Much

Granted, outside of Leah, there isn't any woman in this film who shows up more than once. However, considering this is a film about college, much less with frats, it was a pleasant surprise that we weren't treated to an HBO styled movie which just had a parade of nameless naked girls one set of breast and ass cheeks one after another.

Criticism

It Seems Like It Should Have Some Emotional Depth But Doesn't

The synopsis on IMDb notes how Brad is reeling from a "terrifying assault." Yet, after the wounds heal, you don't get this sense of terror. Well, perhaps not the way you think he should react. Being abused by Dixon and crew doesn't trigger him, he just sucks it up. When he meets a bunch of frat brothers, who honestly look about the weight and size of those who beat the hell out of him, there is no suspicion. His way of dealing with things is in silence. A common way to handle things but being that there is so much you see that should, and could, affect him, it is like this assault become an afterthought to the story, only remembered because the pledge story needs to be paused for effect.

But even when you set aside Brad and look at Brett or even Will, again it is like there should be something deeper here. Now, with Brett you do see guilt and some kind of emotion, but between Jonas or the writing, it doesn't take you to the point of truly feeling something. You recognize his emotions but they don't hit you in a way to make you too feel something.

Which leads us to Will. He has no one, no brother, no friends, no girlfriend. His story, arguably, seems like the one which should not only hit hard but also be the primary focus. Yet, he is in the background. We see the abuse, him taking it for he wants all the fraternity can offer him, but with him not being the focus, but rather the bigger names of Nick Jonas and the person playing his brother, the one person who honestly could make you feel something is largely ignored.

On The Fence

You Understand The Motive

Strength in numbers, opportunities to get laid, parties, protection, brotherhood, and not having to experience college, much less living on campus, alone… All of this leads you to understand why all of these pledges go through the abuse they do. Though I must admit, even with this film likely green lit because of its notoriety, and the mystique frats have, it would have been nice if there was a stronger presence of brotherhood, the charity frats do, and some positives. If only to balance things out a bit. They could have even mentioned other frats which do that and just make it seem Phi Sigma Mu was slipping.

Overall: Mixed (Home Viewing)

Admittedly, this was better than expected. Perhaps one of the most interesting movies I've watched in a few weeks. However, the pushed aside vulnerability, the sole focus being hell week and it seeming like this was more about the acts than the people and frat life in general, it what makes this rated as "Mixed."

A compelling story

[Gordon-11 · 3 October 2016]

This film tells the story of a young man who gets brutally attacked by two strangers. He then goes to college, joins a fraternity house, and gets transformed into a different person.

There has been a lot of films that portrays fraternity houses to be super fun, but finally there is a film that shows that fraternity houses may not be as rosy as it appear. The story focuses on the initiation week, where new recruits are humiliated and even tortured. It is scary to see what happens in the film, even though the tone of the film is not too dark. The level of subhuman behaviour is terrifying, because the abuse is legitimised by "tradition".

"Goat" tells a compelling story of abuse, abused and abuser. It lets people reflect on what is right and what is wrong. Let's hope this film will find more audience.

Since when did Porky's become so serious?

[subxerogravity · 6/10 · 27 September 2016]

Goat starts off similar to such frat boy slapstick comedies as Animal House or the more recent Everybody Wants Some, but nowhere near as funny and entertaining, unless you count a ridiculous overblown cameo from James Franco as man in his mid-thirties who saw the best years of his life as being in the frat, which is why he shows up to say high once in a while. Off the bat the movie did show a tone that said it was going to be something different from the fun and games of Frat life.

And the tone definitely sets up for the dark mood change. The second most famous person in this film, Nick Jonas, has a supporting role as a frat boy who was already semi-questioning the whole thing when his brother pledges during hell week, and it's not sitting well having to watch him going through the sick disturbing things they make them do.

Goat, works to expose the harshness and the dangers of Hazing. It does a great job of giving a pretty no holds barred look at one of college's oldest traditions.

But other than this view of how dark and disturbing the male bonding process can get, the movie has very little in a narrative story.

Goat, acts like a document on something based on true events. You'll get nothing from it, no lesson learned, only the ugly truth on frat hazing.

Not bad

[fil-nik09 · 7/10 · 24 December 2016]

I have to admit that I decided to watch this film because of Jealous singer Nick Jonas!

I do not know Nick from his Disney days ( I guess he acted then) or from his Jonas Brothers days but I do know him for some of the songs and I wanted to see how is he as an actor. And to be honest, I think he is good. But again, I do not think that this kind of a film requires A list actors.

Anyway, the film is interesting. It does keep your attentions and makes you wonder if all these things really happen is some schools in America? I guess it is so as it is based on true events.

The beginning and the ending of the film are kinds let down... The beginning is kinda slow, the ending is not 'closing'. But it is not boring and I guess that is what matters.

All the actors were kinda good in their roles.

All in all, not bad. I rate it 7!

Horrific, but unfocused

[paul2001sw-1 · 5/10 · 14 September 2018]

The awful, normalised rituals of American fraterities are addressed in 'Goat'. I can't say if the brutality we see see here is commonplace; but it's certainly a documented fact that new recruits are basically tortured, encouraged by social pressures to consent, and college authorities turn a blind eye. But 'Goat' is a peculiar film, because it ties in this story with a secondary tale about an unrelated attack on one of its protagonists, and I don't really understand the intention of linking the two stories. The hazing rituals occupy by the bulk of the film, but at the end, no longer seem to be the point. In consequence, the movie is horrific, but oddly unfocused.

Poignant

[k-me-johnstone · 7/10 · 5 July 2018]

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

Superfluous

[bandw · 2/10 · 12 January 2017]

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.

Eh, maybe

[codygdietrich · 7/10 · 15 February 2021]

It starts out with a dramatic intro that creates a wound. After that initial hook the plot seems to drift a little about this person a little about that and a little about the relationship between two people. The key for the film seems to be a little, as in it seems to skim the top of the people and their relationships with each other. The first university I enrolled in had maybe six fraternities and they counted the two honor societies in that number. For all fraternities you needed a 2.5 or 3.0 GPA to join and maintain membership. You could only join your second year there (having successfully passed 24 credits) and most were based in major a student could only join with a certain declared major. The university I'm looking to transfer to has no fraternities at that campus and limit numbers at all other campuses and agin largely major based with gpa requirements for entering and maintaining membership. The university my brother went to in a different state had the same basic set up for fraternities. Maybe it feels a bit like a cliché 80s college film because universities and fraternities have changed since then. Would have been better if they spent more time letting you into the characters minds and less of a 4 minute or so scene of a topless stripper dancing around. It's worth watching at least once.

Animal house

[Prismark10 · 3/10 · 24 February 2017]

Goat is a look at the dark side of fraternity initiations and is a long way away from the comedy antics of Animal House.

Brad (Ben Schnetzer) follows his popular brother Brett (Nick Jonas) to college. Right at the off he gets beaten up and mugged by some strangers at a party he gave a lift to.

However much worse is to come as the new students need to survive hell week and various rites of passage that is associated when it comes to joining college fraternities even if hazing has been outlawed.

These pledges are meant to be darkly comic but nauseating and the new students endure it for the prestige of joining a house and getting laid. Of course we know that tragedy will strike and brother Brett is already dubious about these frats and what they stand for and is worried about Brad.

James Franco makes a comedic guest appearance as an older former college frat who drops in to tell the new recruits that being a member of the house means joining a brotherhood who always watch your back.

Apart from the disturbing scenes of the various initiations and the fraternity members later falling apart when disaster strikes there is little story here. It is even not that interesting because it lacks the darkly comic humour that this film needed.

This is not entertainment

[jromanbaker · 10/10 · 1 April 2021]

I saw this film in the early hours of the morning on British television, without any recommendation to watch it. It was one of the most necessary, and at the same time one of the most brutal films I have ever seen. I do not want to give away spoilers, but the opening credits of half naked men shouting warned me that this was not going to be entertainment, and the opening scenes of a young man being beaten almost to death made me want to turn the film off. I watched it and followed this young man's path to recovery, and along with his brother entering an elite school for further education. Here the real horror began. He had to prove his worth by being 'hazed' which is as I understood it a ritual of various tortures to become 'worthy' of being there. The tortures and the verbal abuse I will not describe, except to say that it was like watching pages of description out of De Sade. The most used of the verbal abuses was anti-gay, along with others used against women. This was the heart, if that is the appropriate word, of the film, along with physical humiliation and torture. Not since Pasolini's 'Salo' have I seen a film like this; another condemnation of human nature that was equally necessary to see and try to understand. The film, as film, is in my opinion equal to Pasolini both for its cinematic merits, and also for daring to go into the lowest depths of humanity. I expected a very violent climax, but instead I saw the young man trying to come to terms with what he has been through. I must just add that there was no disjunction between the opening violence, and the violence in the school. As far as I could see they completed the circle of extreme torture filtering down from the top of society to the most dispossessed in our society. Necessary films are actually quite few, but this in my opinion is one of them. A fully justified 10 for its content, and what it tells us about aspects of human behaviour we would rather turn away from.

Mostly treads water

[rich-fouts · 6/10 · 28 September 2022]

The title and promotional photo of this film serve as early warnings that this is going to be an unpleasant story, especially because it's not labeled a comedy as many frat movies tend to be.

This is the story of Brad, a sweet guy from the midwest, who joins his real-life brother's fraternity. Having gone through the college fraternity experience myself, I can attest to this film's realistic portrayal of hell week and brotherhood. But the story, as good as the acting is, lacks insight into why the brothers continue putting pledges through horrific initiations year after year. We get no view into what the active brothers are plotting each day and why. Neither are we privy to their conversations outside the hazing. There's brief conflict between Jonas and his peers, but it's so short, and it would have been natural to dig into more intra-brother conflict as to the absurdity of hell week.

The entire middle act of the film focuses on one hazing incident after another. The result is a film that largely treads water until it hits the crisis (one of the pledges doesn't make it), the climax (an investigation) and ultimate resolution, which is weak at best. We also get no interaction between the fraternity and the rest of the campus or community, which gives the film an odd isolation. But I get it ... the director/writer/producers wanted to keep the story strictly focused on the fraternity.

That said, superb performances by Jake Picking, who plays Dixon, the frat president, Nick Jonas and Ben Schnetzer (a rising young actor who shows real promise). I've always like Jonas subtle, nuanced performances, where he displays a natural affinity for the screen. He never looks like he's acting.

Schnetzer does an excellent job playing little brother, but trying hard to be his equal.

waited for nothing

[smith_mr-88697 · 1/10 · 17 October 2018]

Kept waiting for the story to unfold. then it was over.

a movie about dumb fratboys who think the things they do are important. someone dies. it's supposedly dramatic. james franco plays himself perfectly. real life hazing is worse. the film makes no statement. was probably based off a memoir of a fratboy.

Those townies can be real tough

[nogodnomasters · 5/10 · 30 August 2017]

The Amazon plot is as follows: "After being assaulted, Brad Land (Ben Schnetzer) starts college ready to move on. His brother, Brett (Nick Jonas), is in a frat that Brad wants to join. Brett has concerns. While pledging, each new humiliating event threatens to destroy their relationship." The film is about the brother's relationship. Theme: Real brother, good. Frat brother, bad. Home is where the hurt is.

Brett helps Brad get closure. I felt I missed the whole point of the film as it ended without giving me any real closure, leaving me hanging out in a field of nightmares. Supposedly inspired by real events, i.e. hazing still goes on, even though everyone and their mum have rules against it.

Guide: F-word, sex, nudity.

Nick Jonas Stands Out Like a Sore Thumb

[injury-65447 · 5/10 · 15 September 2020]

There are moments in this film that I really liked, but overall it feels pointless and confused. It pulls its punches and doesn't go far enough to even be satisfying on a gratuitously depraved level.

The Huge problem for me with this film is Nick Jonas. From the beginning he stands out as being a significantly inferior actor here and the film really suffers for it. The film really depends on him being able to successfully sell his relationship with his brother and I just wasn't buying it. You could tell he was playing a part and it didn't feel natural. With his model looks and posing he didn't even fit in physically. He singlehandedly ruined the movie.

I actually think Ben Schnetzer did a pretty commendable job with his role. I believed his journey, character, vulnerability and emotion. He was definitely the best part of this film. It's such a shame he got given a wooden Nick Jonas to work with. There was no chemistry between the two as actors. I feel bad for Ben here because he really did well.

James Franco's cameo is just awkward and perhaps unnecessary. I think I actually cringed when he showed up on screen.

Overall it was an unsatisfying viewing experience.

Stupid when you think about it.

[asanchez44194 · 3/10 · 1 January 2019]

First I want to say I think Nick Jonas should have won a Emmy for incredible acting. (Hope you get the sarcasm). But I just think it's stupid that people actually do this in reality. They go through all this to be apart of a stupid frat that doesn't mean anything after you graduate! Stupidity!

Disturbing, eye-opening

[Ramascreen · 8/10 · 20 September 2016]

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 --

Complete waste of time

[mapau-57589 · 1/10 · 19 November 2018]

Nothing else to say. This is a complete waste of time

disturbing

[ops-52535 · 8/10 · 23 January 2019]

One of many ,you might say, but as a frat-pack movie its passable, but how realistic it is i am not sure.its drinking,partying,fighting, suppression, friendship, bullying and initiations. you get the feeling of being in the army barracks with the drill seargent hanging over you , screaming on his epiglytical strings, till you have no touch with the realities in the end.then your accepted and found good enough. and as the main clearly thinks in the end...for what????

there are also a bit of revenge in this flick,though it only snaps some air on the surface once in a while. revenge is one of the most addictive drugs when watching a movie, either you are a ''winner'' or a ''looser'' it always fascinates, and i wish that factor had been played better out in this story.. i admit that my emotonal strings were touched,but the film doesnt complete what it started, and ended in a never ending story. its an inconclusive film were youre not sure what the director and producers wants, are they pro-,even or against???

the acting are quite vivid, and reliable. its just lack of a good script that coulve made it brilliant

my conclusion is that the american higher education system are administrated by ex-fraternity leaders, who has their eyes wide shut. when a film can make an old grumpy man angry, then you might want to see it too. eight stars it is.

More the story of a relationship between two brothers than of a fraternity.

[everettzenser · 8/10 · 12 November 2016]

This film gets 90-percent of the way there. As a story of the relationship between two brothers, during a stressful time in the life of one, it's poignant and wonderful. To a discerning eye Goat's setting in a fraternity will come across, through most of the film, merely as set dressing for the underlying story, rather than an indictment of fraternity life generally. And at that level it works beautifully. Unfortunately, the last twenty minutes of the film flips into an anti-fraternity rant that, while not exactly coming out of nowhere, could have been better left on the cutting room floor. Nonetheless, Goat is a powerful and emotional film that, in this reviewer's mind, is touching, as opposed to disturbing as some have called it.

The character development in Goat, beyond the two brothers, is minimal but the level of vague ambiguity it creates works perfectly in helping focus attention on their relationship.

Nick Jonas' acting chops were a wonderful surprise. Ben Schnetzer and Gus Halper also deliver unrelentingly powerful performances.

James Franco's sudden, albeit brief, appearance, is a little out-of-place and the presence of his character somewhat unrealistic.

Goat- a dark side to hazing

[mherrin-43253 · 8/10 · 17 May 2018]

Goat: Directed by Andrew Neel and written by David Gordon Green, Andrew Neel and Mike Roberts

Goat is a movie where we take the college hazing rituals, the kind that are gross, vile, humilating, embarassing and maybe a little funny, and we give them the Full Metal Jacket treatment. It is the story of two brothers, the older one already in the fraternity and the younger one who recently suffered a brutal assault. They enter into Hell Week and it is a descent into debaucherous behavior but from a more intense viewpoint. The film is quiet in places. It doesn't have the music lead you to where it wants you to go. It knows you will experience it without it. It offers no way out.

This can be a difficult film to watch. Hazing has traditionally been the subject of comedy. It's funny to drink to excess, be paraded around campus in your underwear, stuck in a small cage after you've vomited all over yourself. This movie does wallow in those elements. It sets things up by establishing the close relationship the two brothers have before and after the assault. It drags you into what it must feel like watching someone you love go through this kind of humilation especially after suffering the kind of assault that he did.

This was a powerful and very well made movie. It addressed what happens at these places and what it could possibly lead to. This movie is not something I would recommend to everyone. The tension does ratchet up a point that laughter is the only release possible. Be prepared for that when you enter into this film. I give this movie a B.

A very well made and acted movie with a revolting story.

[johannes2000-1 · 10/10 · 17 January 2019]

This movie definitely is no pleasant entertainment, it slaps you right in the face and belly, it's unsettling and at many points utterly repulsive. Yet it's also fascinating, honest in its meaning (at least so it seemed to me) and very well made and acted.

In this story (based on true facts) we follow two brothers to college, the one (Brett) already has a place in a very sought-after fraternity, the other (Brad) is (although reluctant) persuaded by his brother to apply for the same fraternity. For this he needs to partake in a hazing-process together with a group of other applicants.

The next hour or so we witness this process. In what is called hell-week they are bullied, stripped, beaten, degraded, exhausted, filled up to nausea with liquor, covered with mud and excrements and urinated upon, one terrifying experience after another. It's appalling to see how far these hazings go and how the board and administration turn a blind eye, evidently for the same reason as the fraternity-brothers year after year repeat these hazings: because it's "tradition". Things deteriorate to the point that one of the group dies, supposedly by heart-failure due to the physical and psychological stress, and that's when Brad throws in the towel, joined and supported by his brother.

This movie rests in my opinion on three major pillars: the overwhelming power of social pressure; the relation between the brothers, where in the end their love prevails over that social pressure; and the right to be yourself, even if that is someone who is not as brave as you would hope to be. This is all very convincingly brought by director Andrew Neel, not only with unrelenting realism in the harsh hazing-scenes but also with insight and compassion in the more reflective scenes between the brothers. Ben Schnetzer and Nick Jonas as the brothers are both outstanding.

It was a tough ride to see this movie but it was also a very rewarding experience that lingered in my mind for a long time. I rank it a heartfelt 10.

Dark indie flick with an eye opening moral conclusion

[DrChristers · 8/10 · 18 October 2017]

I'm surprised that this film has such a low rating on IMDb as I thought that the acting was excellent, it is probably quite true to life and it justifies the moral of the story very well.

It is horrifyingly brutal from the outset with pretty graphic sex scenes so don't watch it with your little, 80 year old granny! It's not uplifting either so don't expect The Skulls. Also, it obviously doesn't have their budget. The washed out colouring, shaky camera style and stilted conversations gives it a much more indie feel than any of the big Hollywood movies.

Ben Schnetzer was excellent in Pride, underused in The Riot Club and a completely sympathetic and damaged character here. I am so impressed by his acting skills and I don't yet think he's been recognised for how good he is.

I wasn't sure about James Franco, he seemed to make a cameo just for the hell of it. He marches in, plays the psychopath, munches up the scenery and then disappears as quickly as he walked in. I've seen him play better psychopathic roles.

The brother (Nick Jonas) is difficult to read sometimes - You're not sure where his loyalities lie (but then are you meant to know?). His character is complex but slightly unbelievable at times..... is looking good in front of your fraternity brothers really that important? This culture is totally alien to the UK.

It is pretty uncomfortable viewing, especially considering how many pledges have died needlessly over the years in the US. It reminds me of the Stanford Prison experiment conducted at Stanford University, where strangely the (randomly chosen students who acted as) guards freely caused psychological distress to the 'prisoners' despite knowing they were being watched and not needing to cause this much distress. As one student in the group saw others acting cruelly, they began to do so and so the experiment spiralled out of control and was terminated early. It freely showed what one human being was willing to do to another in a situation of authority.

Unfortunately, the plot takes the obvious route and the reaction of the university, the fraternity and the wild cannon are even more obvious. I think the film could possibly have done with a little more imagination but then again I don't think it's looking to surprise you, just teach you.

Overall, I enjoyed this film and I could see how this could be quite true to life, as demonstrated by the Stanford experiment.

Dark and Beautiful

[ccarterglass · 8/10 · 1 July 2018]

This movie was an official selection at both the Sundance Film Festival and the Berlin International Film Festival. How it winds up with such a low rating on IMBD and a much higher rating on the competitor's site is and indication of the movies difficult subject. It can be hard to watch, it can be brutal, it can also be beautiful. Male bonding is frequently all of those things. It captivated me and so I recommend it.