Protraph Lack of good storyline.

SparkMore n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

canaryalive I would like to start with that - after watching this movie i wished i were the one living in the farm with Goat man as my father :D. Although this movie does not introduce deep philosophical problems - it is about life and leaves you with cosmic feeling that life is good. It revolves around ordinary story of really fictional fifteen year old boy(believe me boys at that age are rarely so mature ;) ) but the characters around him are the one that matters. David Duchovny is one of the few really genuine actors, who can portray weird but true and honest characters in their nature, so well. He is witty and his subtle intelligence is so appealing and his character Goat Man has so many layers. He starts as a mysterious and flawless guardian who is always there and just gives you advices and leads you on a journey without judging you. But later in the movie we see him as a real man with weaknesses and desires. In the end he proves to be the real father and the best the boy could have. The film shows that even though the boy was raised in this unconventional atmosphere with two unconventional parents who loved him so much, he couldn't escape from his biological nature and pursuing what his biological father had thus pulling him apart from his real family. I really liked the open ending leaving us with feeling that life goes on and anything can happen.

napierslogs 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.

joel696 ***SPOILER?*** While the plot was a bit meandering like a goat on a trek, it was for the most part entertaining. The acting was superb by the lead and Vera also had a solid performance. I look forward to seeing what graham does next. Not only was his performance solid, he seemed to be the most poised in answering questions after the movie. Nice job Graham. I felt like the movie went in a few too many directions that might better be handled in a series of shows on network television. I did end of liking the main characters except for goat man. His character, while interesting, didn't seem to have any real depth to it. All in all it was an entertaining movie with superb acting by graham that was thinned out a bit by a plot that got lost in the hills a bit.

lisa-m-johnson Loved the film-subtle and touching with some laugh out loud moments. Fortunate to see it at the Tucson Sundance showing. Filmed on location here so there was great audience engagement at the sold out showing. So interesting to hear the Q and A with the writer and director and producers after the film. The story was very personal to the director and mirrored his upbringing in many ways. He and the writer were simpatico about the script and vision of the film. Producers also seems very attached and committed to the story. Well-cast and well written. Graham Phillips makes an impressive transition to film and captures Ellis with perfect reserve. David Ducovny was born to play Goat Man. Even the goats were superbly cast. Beautifully filmed and directed. Hope it makes it to the big screen. It's a treasure of an Indie that deserves wide distribution.