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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.

So so film has a really strong performance from "Modern Family's" Ty Burrell to recommend it for but sadly not much else to really separate it from the pack of the other high school kid comes of age in boarding school films out there. Film's trailer promises a wacky comedy about a hippie like guy with a lot of goats and a lot of life lessons to impart but the film really more or less uses him as set dressing...which is a shame because David Duchovny is clearly having a good time and is quite game for whatever the script wants to throw at him and indeed he seems so ready for wackiness that we all but laugh the first time we see him because it looks for all the world that his character is going to be the real star of this movie and a real laugh getter--but aside from having him duel with ex Weeds star Justin Kirk for the affections of a rather over the top Vera Farmiga the screenplay either can't or won't let Goat Man do much of anything else. The film's center is "The Good Wife" son Graham Phillips as a kid raised in the desert and finding his way in this boarding school--and befriending his roommate and finding a young woman and etc. The film's real star should've been Goat Man. I'm not saying that the film is lousy or even boring although it has some boring stretches, but its kind of slight, when the elements were clearly here for something really vivid and memorable. The film even has characters that it clearly doesn't know what to do with besides Goat Man and the crazy new age mom and the obnoxious boyfriend---there's also the tough chick who threatens to beat up Phillips at the beginning of the film, lives in the desert with Phillips and Goat Man and everyone and is taken under Vera famiga's wing in the middle of the film, but the film never gives her anything to do there's also Keri Russell (forever Felicity to me) who's character is given somewhat of a build-up but then once she gets introduced she's given nothing to do and is all but forgotten about from the rest of the film as well, which brings me back to Ty Burrell. He plays the much much hated father of Phillips' character. Vera Farmiga whom vastly overplays the new agey mother of Phillips' character (and is bravely unsympathetic here--meaning her character is very unlikable) has spent a good amount of her screen time bashing her ex-husband so when he finally shows up played by the dad from Modern Family--we're all ready to pretty much hate him--but the strong somewhat no nonsense portrayal by Burrell actually makes him the most likable character (not to mention the most level headed) in the entire movie. I thought his presence actually served to anchor the entire film itself--and his presence as a supporting character really served to help ground the whole movie itself into a reality that it was sorely lacking otherwise. Oh again its not that its a bad movie per se--but it should've been a lot better then it was.

(2012) Goats DRAMA

Adapted the screenplay from his own novel by the name of Mark Poirier, that was co-produced and directed by Christopher Neil which is a subtle oddball of a film centering on 15 year old, Ellis Whitman (Graham Phillips) coming to grips with the break up of his family and the people he interacts with, once leaving the household to go to an all boys prep school. At first, Ellis appears to be the only normal one since he's the narrator, but viewers should be able to feel empathy with other characters as the film is progressing, particularly the father, Frank Whitman (Ty Burrell) at first they nicknamed him as "F-cker Frank" who abandoned him and his mother to be with other people... and so we thought. It is called "Goats" because of Ellis's bond with the animals as well as the quirky character "Goatman", an unusual role played by David Duchovny who does nothing but smokes cannabis, and originally lives in the same household as Ellis as caretaker of the pool and gardener. Vera Farmiga (Into the Air) who plays the Ellis's mother as Wendy is probably the only character that's hard to identify but overall she's still quite harmless. Kerri Russell also stars as Judy, and a memorable sleazy performance by Justin Kirk as Bennett. This is one of those rare oddball movies about how things are able to work themselves out without resorting to extreme measures.

Review: This is your everyday tale of a teenager growing up with weird surroundings. We have seen this type of storyline many times before, but the unique thing about this storyline is the fact the leading character is being brought up by a goat man. There is enough in the plot to make the story interesting, but I did fall asleep a few times during the movie because the leading character seemed pretty dull with not much personality. All of the surrounding characters in the movie, especially Duchovny, have strange life's with much going on, which the young teenager has to deal with, along with college life and a alcoholic room mate. Personally, I was hoping for a something a bit different than the norm, but there isn't enough to make this movie stand out from different movies in this genre. Watchable!

Round-Up: If this movie had a leading character with better screen charisma, then it wouldn't have been to bad. Even if they would have taken out the leading character, it had enough substance to be a different type of movie. Anyway, for me, it is Duchovny that makes this film, but the disappointing thing is that he is not in it that much. We are just watching a boy become a man who had to make some difficult choices, like every teenager nowadays.

Budget: $5million Worldwide Gross: N/A

I recommend this movie to people who are into there dramas about a teenager growing up with strange surroundings. 4/10

The first word that came to mind as I left the premiere of GOATS was forgiveness. The story is funny yet reflective and beautifully told. Impeccable acting and perfect direction brought each character to life. The story gently speaks of the struggles individuals face and how those around them learn to cope and to forgive, regardless of uninterrupted mistakes. Special kudos to the young actor who played Ellis. He was convincing and genuine. It seemed to me like each actor understood the depth of the story which translated into GOATS' authentically human relationships. It truly is an incredible story, with something to offer everyone.

As you can see, this is my first review since registering for IMDb. However, if you look at about 90% of the other reviewers at the time of my post, it is there first review as well. These people obviously have something to gain from this film doing well as there is no possible way this film could have garnered this much positive response.

I tried to like this movie, I wanted to like this movie and I even watched this movie till the weak ending, but this was one of the worst movies I have ever seen in my entire life. The acting and the script were horrible. There were "plot twists" that went nowhere and were not explained away except maybe on the floor of the cutting room. There is just so many weak attempts to make film likable and cram it all into 94 minutes that you end up detesting not only the characters, but the actors for allowing themselves to take part in this travesty.

Do not buy this movie, do not purchase it on OnDemand. I am literally still floored at how bad it was a day after seeing it. Just look at the other reviewers profiles, either it was so life altering that they had to register to put in their review (as I was), or the movie is so bad that they are moved to create fake reviews for a horrible attempt at a quirky indie movie.

My wife and I screened this film at the Sundance Film Festival World Premier this evening and were proud to have given it a 9 out of 10 stars! This fantastically funny modern coming of age story is carried by a great cast that truly brings the audience into a world of starkly contrasting personalities. I never stopped laughing for the entire 90 minutes, not just at the overtly funny moments but at the subtle idiosyncrasies that each character brings to the screen. Put simply I loved this film. David Duchovny as the Goat Man alone is an act that could go on the road. In his directorial debut Christopher Neil has produced a film that I could easily see becoming a cult classic!

Even though this flick had a definite effect upon me I'm only giving seven stars because I felt the story was presented too episodic and choppy.

There's Graham's relationship with his mother, then his relationship with goat man, then his relationship with his Gates dorm roommate, then his relationship with his absent father, then his relationship with the girl that walks across the Gates campus. None of these seem to come together to mold out the story. Each person is compartmentalized into his life.

But maybe that was the directors intention as the overwhelming message in this movie is 'we might lives among others but ultimately we are alone in this world'.

This is Not a comedy! It might be lite drama but there is very little funny to be found.

This was billed as an exciting adventure to the best of my understanding and it was anything but. Plus, I only watched it to see more of Dakota Johnson but as with many other movies, it turns out she had such a minor role it's baffling why she was cast or why her character even existed.

If you are what you eat, this movie is also a reflection of how mindless and numb skulled the director and the writer are. First, as a book, this movie has nothing to offer to anyone but a handful of oxygen wasting Gen Z. There is nothing much intellectual to talk about this banal movie, the nude David D's scene could not help this worthless crap movie. The main actor is kid of cute, but that's the extent of what he offers throughout the movie. Each character has nothing deep to relate to, and the story stays on the surface without digging deep into the soul or meaningful moments about life and its complexity. To sum it up, this movie is just another waste of hollywood space (if we call it movie). It will just be a waste of money, time, and an indication that movie makers sometimes are just rich but brainless people whose leisure is to waste money for personal entertainment and nothing to offer to the world outside of its bubble head. I wont go as far as saying that avoid this movie, but if u are so bored and restless and sleeping pills wont do it for u, then watch this movie, maybe it will help u fall asleep fast enough.

It showed some sort of promise here and there. But ultimately, this is a story of a bunch of spoilt, bored, dull, stupid, obnoxious and utterly pointless people who have no reason to be human beings, who are pampered, live lives that mean nothing and yet, Mr Lucky Guy boychild at rich preppy school has the gall to look down on a girl who he knows nothing about, will never have the courage or energy or anything to discover about why she is living the way she is. Possibly she reads all those books because back home she doesn't have a pointless mother who lazes around all day whilst living on the labour of others and dipping into her inheritance. Total crap. Should have been decent. Not even that. Don't waste your precious life on this one.

I saw this film at the Loft here in Tucson, Arizona, where a lot of the movie was actually filmed! It was one of the best movies I've seen this film season-up there with 50/50 and the Descendants. The film had depth to it, which made the comedy in in it witty and made the audience want to know what would happen next. The best undiscovered (as of yet) film of the year. The actors and actresses were beyond perfect for the film-you could tell they cared about the characters, and they were selected perfectly for their roles as well. Seeing David Duchovny as a pot-head goat farmer was exquisite. All in all, this movie was amazing. I hope it comes out in theaters so I can take everyone to go see it!

I saw this movie in Sundance. It was an amazing moment. the audience loved it and was 100% behind the story of young Ellis.

At last a subtle movie that shows how complex life is, that growing up is not an easy thing to do and that human relationships are a tricky things.

the cast is great, the photography is awesome, the directing is right on.

I give this film a 10 because its the kind of film i wish there was more of. yes i laughed and i felt and i related to the story but it was never forced and the director Chris Neil is always careful of being true and making the moments touching yet never overdoing it.

Go see Goats when it comes out , and you'll remember it.

Great cast with chemistry delivers an engaging performance of an coming of age tale. The story revolves around Ellis, a teenage boy trying to carve out his own life despite having the enormous weight of raising his new-age mother. His troubles are further compounded by his father figure, Goatman, a full blown stoner/gardener who seems mentally stuck at the age of 17. Be prepared to laugh out loud.

Set in Tucson, AZ, the movie also features some of the most beautiful images of the Sonoran Desert. No fake landscapes and plastic saguaros, Tucson's authentic glory is on display in this film. The feel of the town is real.

Although I appreciate many independent films, there are few I want to see over and over, and this is one that I follow from the big screen, to the cheap-theater, and all the way to blue-ray.

Goats, a film directed by Christopher Neil, is a fantastic, unique coming of age story, that spins the common story of personal discovery into something new and previously unseen. I was lucky enough to see the premier of Goats at the Sundance Film Festival. It was a major hit with the audience. Its touching, funny, and original story had the audience watching with bated breath. The cast of Goats was amazing. Graham Phillips played the main character of Ellis, a boy who trying to cope with his difficult parents as well as other problems. His mentor and stand in father, "Goat Man" is played by David Duchovny, a pot growing, goat herder. Both actors hit their roles out of the park making this film a huge success. I would definitely recommend this wonderful film!

This film was so sweet and surprising. The story unfolded in the midst of gorgeously shot Arizona desert. The characters pulled me in immediately with their depth of emotion and experience. I laughed, I cried, and I felt a lot move within me when seeing this film. Even the story itself I felt a connection to, as if anyone could understand the straddling of divergent worlds as a teenager. I appreciated a film about adolescence and coming of age that was real enough to identify with, even if I'm not close to being a teen anymore. A remarkable story and well crafted into a film. Truly a gifted filmmaker, this story had strong performances. Bravo bravo! Can't wait to see it again in my city at the Sundance theater!