Goat

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2:26

Goat

R

Released Sep 23, 2016

1h 36m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

79%

Tomatometer

77 Reviews

44%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Nineteen-year-old Brad is a new college student and wants desperately to fit in. Taking a cue from his older brother, Brett, Brad decides to pledge a fraternity. At first, it's all parties and girls, but as Brad enters into the final stretch of the pledging ritual-known as hell week, things take a violent, humiliating turn. What occurs in the name of brotherhood tests both boys and their relationship in brutal ways.

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Critics Consensus

Goat isn't an easy watch, but its thought-provoking themes, talented cast, and all-out intensity offer rewards for viewers willing to tough it out.

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Anthony Lane

New Yorker

If you are college-bound, go and see Goat first, but for God's sake don't take your parents.

Sep 23, 2016

Full Review

Scott Tobias

Uproxx

Goat is a suitably horrific expos of campus hazing, but it's wise about the difficulties of ending it, even when victims and perpetrators both want it to stop.

Sep 23, 2016

Full Review

Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

A shocking descent into debauchery that's as gripping as it is disgusting, [with] Neel delivering a searing portrait of abuse I'm not sure I could have torn my eyes away from had I wanted to try.

Rated: 3/4

Sep 23, 2016

Full Review

David Bax

Battleship Pretension

A lesser movie about hazing would cluck its tongue and put on a mask of sympathy for these boys, painting them as victims. Goat has the temerity to let us see them as they see themselves. As survivors.

Jan 5, 2021

Full Review

Steven Prokopy

Third Coast Review

Some may see it as a recruitment video for bad behavior in general, while others (including the filmmakers) may see it as an angry cautionary tale. Either way, it's a heartbreaking experience.

Apr 28, 2020

Full Review

Marshall Shaffer

Movie Mezzanine

Without indicting the fraternity system, co-writer/director Andrew Neel scrutinizes the viability of young men who look for a solution to the problems of masculine assertion and social cohesion within such groups.

Apr 20, 2019

Full Review

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Olivia Y

Pointless and utterly unpleasant. I don't doubt this stuff happens, but why make a film about it? I saw the point of ‘SCUM' and that's brilliant so I have no problem with violence if for a reason, it caused a review of borstals at that time, and resolved deep seated issues within. But this has no redeeming feature and should not get air time…..

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/22/23

Full Review

james g

A half star is a stretch! This film opens with an intense beating of the main character who then goes off to college for some sorta silly hazing-lite such as being blindfolded and forced to eat...a banana? Seriously? I guess the the point is the REAL world is worse than eating fruit. Pointless and boring. Let's not even talk about the performances...

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Goat es el lado crudo de la trama de comedia cliche que hollywood nos vende ,visto de la manera real y cruda de la vida universitaria, es la profundidad que un film debe lograr cuando de impacto se habla.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

If young men taking 1hr30mins to finally realise that being a bit of a dick actually makes you a bit of a...you know...dick is your thing, then this is for you. It's a muddled mess, not ever confident of what tone to take and never 100% sure of what it's actual point is.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

Full Review

david f

So this is what goes on in fraternities!?! At what point does a movie about hazing become an instance of hazing for the audience itself? This film seeks to answer that question, I believe.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

dane m

Powerful. I wanted to punch all the frat guys in the teeth. Makes sense. The director takes you into the souls of the pledges. Shows why fraternity hazing is on the way out. Misogyny, homophobia and jock bravado. It's all there thankfully and shows how shallow the bullies are. A very good film for freshmen and women.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Andrew Neel

Director

Ben Schnetzer

Brad Land

Nick Jonas

Brett Land

Gus Halper

Chance

Danny Flaherty

Will

Virginia Gardner

Leah

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Goat: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Nineteen-year-old Brad is a new college student and wants desperately to fit in. Taking a cue from his older brother, Brett, Brad decides to pledge a fraternity. At first, it's all parties and girls, but as Brad enters into the final stretch of the pledging ritual-known as hell week, things take a violent, humiliating turn. What occurs in the name of brotherhood tests both boys and their relationship in brutal ways.

Director: Andrew Neel
Producer: Christine Vachon, David Hinojosa, Vince Jolivette, James Franco
Screenwriter: David Gordon Green, Andrew Neel, Mike Roberts
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Rough House Pictures, Killer Films, John Wells Productions, Rabbit Bandini Productions
Rating: R (Strong Sexual Content|Disturbing Behavior|Alcohol Abuse|Some Drug Use|Hazing|Violence|Nudity|Pervasive Language)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 23, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 23, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $23.0K
Runtime: 1h 36m

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