Film

Goats

Name: Goats
Genre: Comedy
Released: 2012
Cast: David Duchovny, Vera Farmiga, Graham Phillips, Keri Russell, Justin Kirk

Comedy

A comedy about a teenage boy caught between his bohemian desert upbringing and the conformist pressure of prep school. Duchovny's Goat Man is a rambling, half-wise mentor figure—part father figure, part cautionary tale. It's gentle and whimsical rather than sharp, aimed at anyone who's felt genuinely strange in a normal family and wondered if staying strange might be the better choice.

TMDb rating

2.8

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy coming-of-age comedies built on eccentric, lopsided families, where the humor comes from odd grown-ups you can't quite trust and a teenager who notices more than he says.

Skip it if you need tight plot momentum, since this meanders through loosely connected episodes of family eccentricity rather than building towards a firm destination.

What it asks of you: Ninety-two minutes, lightly paced, with a comic tone that stays mostly dry and lingers in its quieter moments, asking patience more than close attention.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Moonrise Kingdom2012

Wes Anderson's tale of two misfits falling in love at summer camp shares the same affection for outsiders, the same deadpan humor about childhood intensity, and an indie-film warmth that never patronizes its young protagonists.

But Anderson's meticulous visual style is so distinctive it can feel cold or overstuffed to some viewers; this isn't a naturalistic film.

The Squid and the Whale2005

Noah Baumbach's semi-autobiographical film captures the particular loneliness of being a smart, artistic kid between two self-absorbed parents. It has the same deadpan tone and the same genuine affection for its confused protagonist.

But It's messier and harsher than Goats, with uncomfortable sexual content and a pervasive sense of failure that some find depressing rather than funny.

Rushmore1998

Another Anderson film, but essential: a teenager's elaborate fantasy life collides with reality. It's a blueprint for sympathetic comedy about overdramatic, lost kids, with surprising heart beneath the careful construction.

But If you find Anderson's style mannered, two Anderson films back-to-back won't change your mind.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Goats

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

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Both films center on a young man adrift between worlds, guided by a mentor figure who is functionally impossible. Both are interested in whether weirdness is wisdom, and whether connection matters more than belonging. Both have a genuine tenderness buried under strangeness.

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A similarly warm ensemble comedy about suburban lives disrupted by unconventional choices. Features real chemistry between the cast and a genuine interest in how people navigate between their expectations and their desires.

But It's plot-driven in ways that can feel sitcom-ish, and the emotional stakes never quite match the setup.

Captain Fantastic2016

Viggo Mortensen as a father raising his kids off-grid in the Pacific Northwest until circumstances force them into regular society. It has Goats' central tension—alternative life versus mainstream pressure—but with more genuine darkness and nuance.

But It's considerably more serious and sometimes veers into heavy-handed preachiness about the damage each world inflicts.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople2016

A New Zealand film about a grumpy old man and a foster kid bonding in the bush. Taika Waititi brings humor and heart to a mentor-student relationship that's earned, never saccharine, with real generational warmth.

But It's less interested in the philosophical questions about conformity that drive Goats; it's more straightforward adventure-comedy.

The Fundamentals of Caring2016

Paul Rudd and Craig Roberts as an unlikely pair on a road trip. The humor is gentle, the bond authentic, and it shares Goats' interest in how outsiders see the world differently—and whether that difference is wisdom or just running away.

But It's aggressively earnest in places and can feel like it's reaching for profundity in a Netflix way.

Submarine2011

Richard Ayoade's indie about an awkward, precocious teenager obsessed with his parents' marriage. British, precisely observed, and genuinely funny about the grandiosity of adolescent emotion.

But It's darker and more caustic than Goats; the comedy punches at the protagonist rather than celebrating him.

Our Idiot Brother2011

Paul Rudd as a cheerful ex-con navigating his sisters' complicated lives. It's an ensemble comedy with a similar sweetness and an interest in people who don't quite fit the expected trajectory.

But The structure is loose to the point of aimlessness, and the conflicts resolve with a shrug rather than genuine catharsis.

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Both films are interested in childhood perspectives on adult dysfunction, and both find genuine humor and grace in unconventional family arrangements. Both capture the strange freedom of growing up outside normal structures—and what it actually costs.

Sean Baker's film follows a six-year-old girl and her struggling mother living in a budget motel near Disney World. It's shot like magic-hour poetry, with children's resilience set against real economic desperation. Warm, funny, and quietly devastating.

But There's no plot in the traditional sense, and the ending refuses to resolve anything. Some viewers find the aesthetic gorgeous but the story frustratingly static.

Tomboy2011

Both are about a young person choosing their own way in defiance of expected roles, and both films trust their young protagonists' logic completely. Neither moralizes; both respect their characters' intelligence. Both find humor in the gap between how adults want children to behave and how they actually think.

Sophie Leleu's quiet French film about a ten-year-old girl who moves to a new town and presents as a boy. It's observant, unsentimental, and entirely without agenda—just a precise capture of childhood and self-determination. Surprisingly funny about how children navigate identity and belonging.

But It moves at a contemplative pace and refuses to dramatize or explain. Non-English language, and the subtlety might feel slow if you want conventional narrative momentum.