Critics reviews

Though the film is slickly shot, lingering seductively on the titillating, testosterone-filled tableaus of campus life, what's compelling here is the critical way Neel frames masculinity as something shaped by humiliation and violence, and the excellent, inward-looking performances from Schnetzer and heartthrob pop star Nick Jonas as older brother Brett.

Goat is a refreshing and overdue exposure of the violence that white male privilege breeds and needs to reassert itself. It's a more important film than it thinks it is, as it deploys a shaky camera and all sorts of out-of-focus affectations that never match the traditional literality of its script. Its artistic ambitions may only ever be cosmetic, but its indictment is real.

Slickly directed by Andrew Neel from a script co-written with David Gordon Green and Mike Roberts, the dreary movie scrutinizes the nature of that animalistic behavior and unsurprisingly discovers a pathetic scene. While it may not bring the deepest analysis to the table, "Goat" effectively shows the way frat life preys on the weak by hiding insecurities under layers of crass machismo.