64
Metascore
25 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 83ConsequenceJustin GerberConsequenceJustin GerberGoat deals with masculinity, fraternities, and PTSD in equal doses, covering all of them with brutal precision and most importantly, success.
- 80TheWrapAlonso DuraldeTheWrapAlonso DuraldeAlong with an ending that some will find either enigmatic or unsatisfying, the movie could benefit from some minor re-editing. But there’s still much that works here, from the chillingly droning score to a uniformly strong cast.
- 80The GuardianLanre BakareThe GuardianLanre BakareThe film is a pointed, astute and unflinching look at unbridled machismo and its consequences.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThe Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThis taut adaptation of Brad Land's 2004 memoir is less a dramatized depiction of headline-grabbing hazing tragedies than a penetrating consideration of the psychology of violence and its role in defining manhood.
- 80Screen DailyAnthony KaufmanScreen DailyAnthony KaufmanGoat is a potent reminder that even traditional gender roles can be rife with angst, anxiety and devastating social pressures.
- 67The PlaylistNoel MurrayThe PlaylistNoel MurrayThe differences between Goat and a Very Special Episode of some Disney Channel sitcom are, at times, limited to the amount of on-screen puking. That said, Neel, Roberts, and Green do have a good feel for the vagaries of bro culture’s macho codes.
- 58The Film StageJordan RaupThe Film StageJordan RaupGoat is a compelling watch, but in the end, its themes are a bit muddled, and certainly not unique.
- 50VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeTo pretend that the pledges (who voluntarily submit to such harassment) are somehow the victims in an institution of exclusion, objectification and underage substance abuse goes far beyond disingenuous, and the resulting film falls far short of actually surprising those who already know a thing or two about fraternities.
- 12A singularly unpleasant and ugly topic film about a profoundly unpleasant and ugly topic, Goat possesses all the directness of a fraternity paddle whack across the keister, but with only a fraction of the subtlety. As to which experience is more enjoyable to live through, it’s pretty much a tie.