Displaying items by tag: Patton Oswalt

GOAT

US, 2025, 100 minutes, Colour.

Caleb McLaughlin, Gabrielle Union, Stephen Curry, Aaron Pierrer, Nicola Coughlin, David Harbour, Nick Kroll, Jennifer Lewis, Patton Oswalt, Jennifer Hudson, Wayne Knight.

Directed by Tyree Dilihay, Adam Rosette.

GOAT – that American accolade, Greatest of all Time. So, what better for the animation fans, and have a literal goat as the hero of the film, an enthusiastic young kid, a fan of basketball, admiring the star player, Jett, and encouraged by his mother to follow his dreams.

GOAT has been very popular in the United States, very American in its presentation of sport, competition, fans and the crowds. And, the sport in question is basketball, eventually playing of games but also the highly challenging and dangerous Roarball (something like a basketball version of cage fighting).

Caleb McLaughlin is the voice of Will Harris, our GOAT hero, eager, ingenuous, learning the realities of the hard life. Gabrielle Union is the voice of Jett, the champion, falling on hard times, getting older. And there are all the fans, especially when they gather at the local diner, a motley group of eccentric characters and their enthusiasm. And there is a regional loyalty to teams, especially when they have not won a competition for years – and an aggressive attitude towards the competitors.

This all comes to a head with the owner of the team, wily Mrs Anderson, Jennifer Lewis, doing financial deals, building up a team of eccentrics, including Jett and Will yet planning all the time for further deals and for Jett and her failure, as well as that of the team.

So, a great range of eccentric characters, visually, and voices. A lesson to be learned from animation films and voices – there is very little distinction between African-American voices and white voices, except some recognition of rhythms and accents. So, here there is racist equality, black and white actors voicing the characters without discrimination. And the same with the two directors.

There is something of a rough and readiness about the animation style, somebody making a reference to street graffiti, paint, brushstrokes, vivid colours, creating something of a tough urban atmosphere. And that applies here to the characters, the visual backgrounds, and especially in the basketball games and their rapid and effective editing.

And, by the end, the underdog team being beaten by the champions and rivals, Will, our hero, overhearing the plans of Mrs Anderson, talking to Jett who is determined to make a last stand for her reputation, disregarding all the teammates. But, as expected and hoped for, she comes to her senses, the team plays, the result is very close, and Will has the opportunity to be the GOAT that his mother encouraged him to be.

Perhaps a warning, anyone intending to see GOAT and who is not enthralled by basketball might be advised to check it out and think again!

I LOVE MY DAD

US, 2022, 96 minutes, Colour.

Patton Oswalt, James Morosini, Claudia Sulewi, Lil Rel Howery, Rachel Dratch, Amy Landecker.

Directed by James Morosini.

I Love My Dad has been billed as a comedy. But it is a very black comedy, wry, making its audience uncomfortable.

Comedian Patton Oswalt is very effective as the father who has made excuses not to be a at events of his son’s growing up, is worried about his son now an adult, tries to reach out but fails, the son resenting him. He creates the situation of an online friendship, his pretending to be a young woman whom he has seen at a diner, sending her photo, phrasing his own outreach to his son through this waitress character.

The son has mental and emotional problems, resenting his father, lives with his mother, goes to group therapy. But he responds very well to the outreach from Becca, the waitress, the film showing his response, and using the device of having the waitress present in communications with the son, dancing in the street, conversations and advice, sexual encounter.

The father uses his sexual experience with his boss and getting her to phone the son. Later, she realises what she has done, reaches out to the mother who is very angry.

When the father decides to drive his son to meet the waitress, there is a dramatic episode in the diner and the eventual revelation of the truth.

However, there is some forgiveness at the end – and the son himself using the device to get his father to come to live near him and his mother.

The film was written and directed by James Morosini who says that the interaction between father and son is based on his own experience.

1. Based on the experience of the writer-director? Serious, comic?
2. The emotional response of the audience, uncomfortable, identification with father, with son, with mother, with the boss, with Becca the waitress? Mixed emotions?
3. The situation, as explained by the father, the bond with his son, all the excuses for not attending special events, the response of his son? The adult relationship? The father excusing himself, wanting to make amends?
4. The situation of the son, mental health, self-destructive, relationship with his mother? Going to meetings, his glum contribution? His skills in design? Prospects? As a personality, audience identification with him, or not?
5. The father and his plan, discussions with his friend, the reactions of his friend? Warnings? The father and the diner, seeing Becca? The picture? Setting up the situation on the Internet, contacting his son, the son’s response, the continued correspondence, the father and his outreach? Good sense, common sense, mistakes? His relationship with his boss, persuading her to participate? His own sexual experiences, into the texting?
6. The son and his response, enthusing, the correspondence, the device of having Becca present, dancing in the street, the sexual encounter, the conversations, friendship? His complete involvement? His mother’s reaction?
7. The father, the complications of the situation, his son wanting to meet Becca, the father driving all the way? The discussions, the devices of the continuing texting, the effect on the son, the father and his dilemmas, at the motel, in the car?
8. The boss, her contacting the mother, the mother and her anger, her threats to the father?
9. The episode in the diner, the real Becca, the son and his advances and behaviour, the father in the kitchen, keeping the busboy away, the eventual explosion? The father and his confession? The son’s reaction?
10. The son, still loving his father, despite the situation? His job and the references from Becca? And his sending his father the letter about the vacant apartment opposite the house, the father’s rival, the mother’s reaction, the realisation of what it happened?