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★★ Stars
Directed by: #VitorBrandt
Written by: #VitorBrandt, #DenisNielsen
Starring: #EdmilsonFilho, #MatheusNachtergaele, #LetíciaLima, #LeandroRamos, #VictorAlen
“Two hapless cops find themselves in over their heads as they cross paths with dangerous criminals while searching for Celestina, a beloved goat mascot.”
Do you remember the sequence in Hot Fuzz (2007, directed by Edgar Wright) where Nicholas (Simon Pegg) and Danny (Nick Frost) are sent on a search to bring back a devious swan to its owner? Yeah – Get the Goat is that sequence expanded into a full film surrounded by drugs and guns, and a goat has stolen the spotlight instead. Unfortunately, the running gag of the swan chase in Hot Fuzz is a lot more enjoyable than Get the Goat in its entirety.
Despite what might sound like a somewhat negative start to my opinions on this film, there are many great aspects that can be enjoyed. These aspects are balanced with the negatives that became apparent to me as a whole. For instance, the acting feels very animated and, although my attention was being held, I wasn’t finding much amusement from the content that was holding my gaze. This kind of structured and exaggerated acting is what would be expected from a comedy like Get the Goat, but because the story itself is wacky and unstructured I think I needed an element, such as the acting, to have a bit more backbone, allowing me to fully absorb the comedic content.
To get my ‘I don’t mean to burst your bubble but…’ criticism out of the way, I’ll say that the writing is definitely cringeworthy — then again, what did I expect from a film so obscure? There are many moments of fun comedic kicks throughout, however the plot feels like it should have been used for a children-based audience instead of one with mature content like drug dealing. It’s an incredibly muddled film, some may find mass amounts of laughter through Get the Goat because of this but it just didn’t hit the spot for me as a viewer. I did find myself sneering at least and that’s always something.
On the flip side, as a visually enticed audience member it’s easy to keep me watching when there is good cinematography; and Get the Goat thankfully brought that to (almost) save the day. The cinematography (Rafael Martinelli) hugely contrasts with the upside down story as it present clear visuals that are beautifully easy on the eye. Even though I stated that there is a massive contrast, the cinematography is able to still run alongside the story to mimic chaos where appropriate. Key phrase: where appropriate — it is directed well with the partnership of Martinelli and Vitor Brandt.
Linking with this, I would be disappointed in myself if I didn’t praise colourist Alexandre Cristófaro for their contribution to the viewing experience. As soon as the film begins, audiences are immediately hit with a vibrant burst of colour spread throughout the setting, which really made me want to keep watching to see what other forms of vibrancy I may be presented with, despite my frowned brow for the most of its duration.
Get the Goat is a comedy for a day when you feel at a loose end, with easy access through Netflix as well. Wanting to fill spare time with a film that doesn’t require much processing of thought? Perfect. Get the Goat is simply a fun way to fill boring days, nothing extravagant or particularly unique but won’t necessarily waste your time by the end.
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