ikeybabe
This film tells a nice little story. This is the story of a teenage boy who is surrounded by dysfunction, but he's smart, insightful and pretty much knows better than everyone around him. I liked the concept and the story. David Duchovny and Vera Farmiga did a great job playing these wacky people - a grubby man who has a real affinity for goats and wants to be known by a seriously Hispanic name even though he is clearly not Hispanic and the rich spiritually-compromised mother who is completely selfish and self-dosed with whatever respectively . And the young man did a nice job being a center - the stabilizing force. The whole cast was pretty good and the acting well-done. The script was interesting and kept it moving at a good pace. Overall, it was an enjoyable movie.
T Gotty
As you can see, this is my first review since registering for IMDb. However, if you look at about 90% of the other reviewers at the time of my post, it is there first review as well. These people obviously have something to gain from this film doing well as there is no possible way this film could have garnered this much positive response.I tried to like this movie, I wanted to like this movie and I even watched this movie till the weak ending, but this was one of the worst movies I have ever seen in my entire life. The acting and the script were horrible. There were "plot twists" that went nowhere and were not explained away except maybe on the floor of the cutting room. There is just so many weak attempts to make film likable and cram it all into 94 minutes that you end up detesting not only the characters, but the actors for allowing themselves to take part in this travesty. Do not buy this movie, do not purchase it on OnDemand. I am literally still floored at how bad it was a day after seeing it. Just look at the other reviewers profiles, either it was so life altering that they had to register to put in their review (as I was), or the movie is so bad that they are moved to create fake reviews for a horrible attempt at a quirky indie movie.
joe galambos
A seemingly effortless adaptation of the Novel by Mark Poirier, comes off without a hitch. Maybe that's because Mr. Poirier also wrote the screenplay? When adapting a novel of this depth and profundity to film one often looses the emotional continuity and thus overall impact of the book. Not this time. The film is a triumph for first time director Christopher Neil and his unforgettable cast comprised of Vera Farmiga, David Duchovny, Ty Burrell and more. Graham Phillips makes his debut as our protagonist, and does a superb job. His emotional depth on screen accompanied by his impeccable timing is a joy to see from an actor of only 18 years of age. The conventional media press has categorized, and in my opinion marginalized the film "Goats" as another coming-of-age film about a boy. It is clearly a coming-of-age film about the boy's parents. His parents make the changes in the end. They have the epiphanies. Even the boy's flawed mentor "Goat Man" (David Duchovny) cuts his hair and changes his ways. Our protagonist remains his frustrated self throughout. In a sense the story is what we all hoped and dreamed of growing up but never got, and is almost certainly a deep yearning shared by countless adult children of unhappy parents. So it's not so much a coming-of-age film as it is a writer's childhood fantasy of fixing his parents. Or of his parents fixing themselves. This in itself is an original idea for a film, and demands our attention. By the time the credits rolled, the film had drawn a smile on my face that lasted the rest of the evening. I loved it and cannot wait to see it again. And again
Hats off!
bneihart-279-992038
Like "Rushmore" by way of Malick, Goats is a charmer through and through. It has the feel of a surprise minor classic, a movie you'll rediscover and marvel over on repeat viewings. David Duchovny, Vera Farimiga, Graham Phillips are exceptional, and Keri Russell was a revelation. The cinematography sneaks up on you -- a lesson in how visual composition settles a movie of many parts into a fully realized work of entertainment. Every small role is cast perfectly, especially the student body at Ellis's prep school. By the film's well-earned, immaculate ending, you have a feeling of wholeness. Ty Burrell, by the way, in a major reinvention, is touching and believable as a father, long vilified, whose patience pays off in ways you may not see coming.
AD
