Movie Review - Goat

Goat (2016)

Starring Ben Schnetzer, Nick Jonas, Gus Halper, Daniel Flaherty, Virginia Gardner, Jake Picking, Brock Yurich, Will Pullen, and James Franco

Directed by Andrew Neal

I've never understood the concept of fraternities and sororities.  I mean, I guess there's this brotherhood/sisterhood thing going on, but this concept of having to be judged by complete strangers who act as if they're more important than their pledges simply to become part of some group so then those pledges can do the same thing to the next group of people seems almost like bullying to me and always has.  And then you add in the concept of Hell Week in which the frightened and excited rushes to the Greek society are forced to commit secretive acts in order to "belong" and I'm truly disturbed by the whole thing.  While I'm certain that not all fraternities and sororities enlist torturous acts for its pledges, Goat -- based on a true story -- details Phi Sigma Mu's horrid Hell Week which is filled with demeaning and abhorrent events that prove to be physically and psychologically damaging to its incoming young men.

A surprisingly decent Nick Jonas is Brett, a member of the Phi Sigma Mu fraternity, who is hoping that his younger brother Brad (Ben Schnetzer) will be chosen to be part of the group.  Brad has been through hell recently, viciously attacked by two unknown assailants after returning home from a college party during his senior year of high school.  Brett thinks the fraternity will do his brother good with the sense of camaraderie helping Brad to overcome his reclusiveness since the attack.  However, Brett soon realizes that Phi Sigma Mu's hazing initiations may be too similar to Brad's recent assault and may trigger some horrible memories.

Goat had the potential to be something really special.  There's a gritty realism on display that makes much of the film very difficult to watch.  Yet, by the time its conclusion rolls around, there's something a bit too convenient about the way things are wrapped up.  Good performances all around help the film feel lived in and real, but the screenplay's denouement feels a bit too convenient and ultimately too telegraphed from the film's onset.  Still, it's a horrifying look at an outdated concept that should be eradicated from college life.

The RyMickey Rating:  B-