Film Review - GOAT
Images courtesy of Sony Pictures.
Goat is a fresh and feel-good take on the sports comedy genre, weaving standout voice acting performances and cultural references into a great family film. This colourful, frenetically paced movie follows Will Harris, played by Caleb Mclaughlin (Stranger Things) as he pursues his dream of becoming the greatest roarball player of all time. Though Goat is cringey at times, it knows its audience well. This is the kind of film you take your twelve year old cousin to see. At the climax of the film, when Will scores the unexpected game-winning goal, one kid in the theatre shouted ‘HOLY MOLY!’ out loud.
Sony Pictures maintains its status as an animation studio powerhouse, blending a painterly style with choppy 3D motion graphics to create the lush, colourful world of Goat. Instead of basing the narrative in an urban environment, Goat opts for an expansive jungle setting that makes it worth seeing on the big screen. Goat’s cultural specificity sets it apart from its genre peers. The references to 2026 internet culture, rap, diss-tracks and even specialty sneaker sales made it feel special. What could’ve been a generic sports comedy was given a great heart and strong moral message through sheer commitment to the bit. With Steph Curry acting as producer and contributing voice actor, it’s no surprise that the writers’ love of basketball shines through, showing audiences what the sport truly means to fans.
It’s great to see Caleb Mclaughlin take his first steps away from the Stranger Things franchise. His performance as Will is heartfelt and completely convincing. Will’s idol Jett Fillmore, played by Gabrielle Union, makes for the perfect foil - her scathing and instantaneous dislike of Will makes his hero-worship hilarious. Though the ‘big’ versus ‘small’ animal politics of the film are shallow, it’s great to see a female athlete idolised in a film aimed at young men. In comparison to the Spiderverse films, the soundtrack of Goat is unfortunately awful, opting for forgettable pop where they could have chosen something punchier. Paired with the hyperactive pacing, it seems as if Goat could’ve benefitted from some additional time in the editing bay, but issues aside, this is still a warm and funny story about the little goat that could.
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GOAT is screening in cinemas now. For tickets and more info, click here.