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It's proof that the "sports" and "crying into a pint of Haagen Dazs" genres are not so far apart, and that the sweet/salty thing, when executed deftly, can make even the most pedestrian material feel fun and engaging. Goon isn't ambitious, it isn't mysterious or surprising, and it dutifully runs through all the necessary plot points with such efficiency even your kids could see it - except you should never, ever let kids watch this movie. Ever. But my point is, sometimes what you want isn't something original, it's a mixture of familiar things presented in a moderately inventive way.

In all honesty, the thing that originally kept me away from this movie was the cast. It wasn’t anything personal; it was more a matter of taste. You know exactly what you're getting with some actors, and you know Eugene Levy is going to play someone's dad, and that he's going to be very nervous, and he will disapprove of many things. You know Liev Schreiber is going to snarl and glare and eventually chew through someone's sternum. And you KNOW Seann William Scott is going to be playing Seann William Scott. And Alison Pill is so cute even her name deserves a hug. Everything about Goon is as predictable as a lab rat - but it's in a fun, endearing way that's easy to stomach.

Unless you're someone who can't tolerate a few pints of blood here and there.

It's not genius, but Baruchel and pal Evan Goldberg have put together a tight, by the numbers script that does exactly what you need it to do in all the right spots. It's funny, it's warm (if not maudlin a time or two) and it's packed with some pretty wicked hockey brawls. I've seen Goon a couple of times now, after being told repeatedly that I would enjoy it, and resisting for as long as possible. This is the rare sports flick that knows how to score when it counts, and yes I really said that. If Goon feels a little too new to be a cult classic, it’s because not enough people are behind the Zamboni. Allow me to get on board, because Goon a great way to kill a 90 minute layover, bring a smile to your face on a rainy day, or impress the pixyish looking girl at the end of the bar who can't take her eyes off the hockey game and is sitting next to a copy of a copy of Billy Zane.

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