There is not much to like about the film except for the actors. Vera Farmiga shows us why she's an Academy Award nominee, stealing every scene she's in. David Duchovony has a sexy bod. The guy from Weeds plays the guy from Weeds. And Graham Philips? I'd rather he had a better vehicle to showcase his talent, but I suppose we all have to start somewhere.The premise of the film, if a solid one can be written, isn't very solid. A young boy under the tutelage of a wise man named Javier, AKA the Goat Man, gets a chance to leave the comfort of his dysfunctional home and be a normal student at a prep school. He meets a bunch of non-sensical young men in the process, none of which are charming, endearing, or compelling characters at all. He gets drunk with some, high with the others, and he spends his time learning nothing but showing us how great of an academic he is (saying in one scene that he's getting all A's even though there's no evidence to say that he's extremely studied or intelligent).Boy meets girl, girl is charming, but that storyline is pointless too. We meet the young boy's father played by Ty Burrel, and his father's new wife, played by the sensational Keri Russel. The father is a douche and the new wife is way too nice to understandably be in love with the douche father. The father's character arc is supposedly wrapped up at the end when he comes to visit the boy and helps him retrieve a stolen item, but it's another unbelievable arc in a series of subplots that the film throws at us expecting us to believe.The movie goes on a bit aimlessly, never ceasing to grant us boring turns and twists that neither endear us or provoke meaningful thought. One last issue I would take with the film is the all white cast. Like other independent titles, one would think that this film would showcase a more broad spectrum of the locations that the film portrays. But like other independent titles to fall into the same trap, Goats can't imagine even the darker skin of an extra clouding up the already murky plot of final product.

I watched the movie Goats not really knowing what it was about, but right from the beginning I was taken in by such great characters and not to mention some big time actors I went "Huh didn't expect them to be in this movie!" too. when you first start watching you think Ellis is going to go off to Gates and that's where the rest of the movie will take place but in fact the majority doesn't. Its labeled comedy but it is at times a drama also which you pretty much can guarantee with a divorced couple and a kid, I'm not going to check the spoilers box because I'm not going to spoil anyone about the movie although there's not much to spoil. but I will say for a critic to give this movie a score of 0 is pathetic. If you have any soul, passion or love at all you can relate to Goats, its a coming of age dramedy that makes you feel just that, not too happy and not too sad, right in the middle and that's just okay. It makes you realize your life is what you make it and sometimes doing the wrong thing is actually doing the right thing in disguise. Goats is definitely one of those gems you remember forever its not mainstream and its not cheesy its just right, I'm glad I watched Goats, It was thoroughly enjoyed! Would recommend it to anyone who... well anyone!

What starts out as a silly comedy quickly descends into a fairly average coming-of-age dramedy. But after reading an interview with the director, "Goats" is very clearly a coming-of-age dramedy; it's just the marketers that would like to pretend that it's a quirky comedy – usually an easier sell for indies. The change in genre is both good and bad news for the audience.We are first introduced to Ellis (Graham Phillips) as he's living with his mother, Wendy (Vera Farmiga), a new age hippie, and Goat Man (David Duchovny) a step-father-like figure, on a sprawling desert farm. Goat Man smokes weed and makes goat treks – whatever those are. His mother talks in nonsense philosophical quips as she comes up with more and more ways to become one with nature.It's a relief when Ellis goes off to prep school because those early comedy stylings could only go so far. In prep school, Ellis clearly doesn't really know normal. He doesn't get along with his roommate and he keeps expecting Goat Man to send him marijuana in the mail. He's at the school because of his father's money and name, but thinks of his father as some worthless jerk who left him and his mother.While the film isn't really going anywhere, the characterizations are good. I wasn't really sure what the film was trying to say, but one thing that I picked up on is that no matter how different people may be, they are all selfish. Hippies are just as selfish as those that are rich and privileged. His mother expects Ellis to come home for Thanksgiving even though she won't answer the phone or return his calls. So Ellis decides to spend the holiday with his father who is just as insufferable as he thought.His father, Frank, is played by Ty Burrell in a very good, dramatic role. When we meet Frank, we also meet his new, younger wife, Judy (Keri Russell). She's the nicest character in the movie, and is the spark for the expected eventual outcome.The acting is good, in particular Graham Phillips as our young hero. Ellis is pretty bland, but Phillips infuses as much warmth and charisma into him as possible. We don't mind following Ellis to prep school, mostly because it would be much better than spending time with his whining, annoying, screaming mother (who is communing with nature). But like the protagonist, the movie gets a little lost when he arrives at school. The only comedy is when he calls home and Wendy's new boyfriend answers the phone, or when Wendy's new boyfriend wears a small Speedo, or when Wendy's new boyfriend throws a hissy fit with Goat Man. Did I mention that Wendy's new boyfriend is played by Justin Kirk? He's hilarious. But he's also not really important to the narrative of the film.As I mentioned, "Goats" gets a little lost when Ellis arrives at prep school. At this point it's a coming-of-age drama, and it takes him the entire school year to arrive at the tiny bit of acceptance he was searching for.

I had the pleasure of seeing GOATS last week at The Loft Cinema in Tucson, AZ and enjoyed every minute. The story was subtle and touching and really gave an honest depiction of a young man's path to maturity amidst such family instability and often hilarious strife. The script was masterfully crafted and was a perfect balance of laugh out loud moments and heartfelt drama. Loved the performances by all, especially the genuine depiction of the lead character Ellis played by Graham Phillips from 'The Good Wife'. David Duchovny, Vera Farmiga, Ty Burrell, and Justin Kirk were all spot-on and hilarious throughout...the character of Goat Man is an instant cinema classic! The film was gorgeously shot and authentically highlights the Sonoran desert, which was an interesting cinematic contrast to the east coast prep school that Ellis attends. With an enthusiastic applause at the conclusion it was clear the film was very well received and almost the entire audience stuck around for the great Q&A session that followed. I hope it will be in theaters soon so all can see this fantastic film by first time director Chris Neil, which I think is destined to be a cult classic. A MUST SEE!!