Get the Goat //Cabras da Peste (2021) Netflix Original Movie Review

Get the Goat [Cabras da Peste] (2021)

Sometimes I'm just in the mood for a light-hearted laugh, something that I don't have to think too deeply about and can get some chuckles. So I checked out the Brazilian Netflix comedy "Get the Goat", or "Cabras de Peixe." And gladly it delivered what I was looking for.

The Plot

Two hapless cops find themselves in over their heads as they cross paths with dangerous criminals while searching for Celestina, a beloved goat mascot.

Seriously. We have Bruce and Trindade, who are two police officers from wildly different backgrounds. Bruce comes from a very small town where he's over-anxious to solve crimes.

He sees himself as this great detective and police officer, and he takes his role really seriously. Trindade comes from Sao Paulo, and he would much rather simply write his desk. He is a thinker and fully acknowledges he doesn't want to be out in the field, because that's where you can get hurt by the bad guys.

After a mishap in his town, Bruce is relegated to taking care of the town goat Celestina, who is important for an upcoming celebration. Through some mishaps, Celestina is taken in a vehicle filled with drugs, and Bruce goes to rescue her. He meets Trindade, and they work to get the goat, but they encounter something larger during their search.

This is kind of like a cross between The Odd Couple and 21 Jump Street. Bruce and Trindade are opposites in just about everything, and that's played up for comedy really well. The film uses a ton of ridiculousness and absurdities to garner laughs, and it works.

Down to my review

Sometimes I'm not a fan of absurd situations, but in this movie it fits perfectly. I think also because our two main characters are able to convincingly deliver the humor and action without insulting us with the ridiculousness. There's a bunch of physical humor that comes into play, too.
Some is slapstick, which is pretty funny, but a lot of it comes from the facial expressions that both of our leads deliver. They have great timing together, and just like in The Odd Couple, there are things about each that are designed to both love and loathe. But all of these traits work together to create a character that you ultimately want to root for.

They have wonderful chemistry between them, too. They play off each other in ways that kept endearing them to me as each scene progressed. Even in the times where there is slight conflict between the two, or you like one over the other because of behaviors, I still found that they both sucked me in and kept me rooting for each of them.

The plot itself is fairly thin and predictable, but because I was enjoying the characters and the ride it was taking me on, I didn't mind. They go from one scene to the next, and you know that as their quest continues, they will encounter some sort of difficulty that is going to challenge them, but in some kind of silly way. And I kept looking forward to how they'd respond, and then what would ensue as a result of that.

There are some slow scenes that are engaging because of the dialogue. But when we'd hit the portions where everything kind of just halted the momentum, I found myself wondering when we could get back to the next part and pick the pace back up and keep going with the absurdity. The story itself is easy to follow, too, and it does make sense.

It's not convoluted or even disjointed. The story progression is natural and it builds on itself appropriately. It's also not trying to deliver some grand exposition.

We're promised a buddy cop comedy, and that's what this delivers. There were so many small surprises during this, too. Just when we think we know the character, they unveil something new, and that made it really enjoyable.

I love that the characters kept growing. Sometimes it was a personal character growth. Other times it was us getting to see new facets that were always present, but not visible or obvious.

Towards the end of the story, there were some obligatory flashback montages with music, and these are meant to be cheesy and are almost making fun of love stories. They work so well and fit perfectly with the entire tone of the movie. This is a really easy watch and one that I found super enjoyable.

The humor comes from several different angles. There's the visual and physical humor. You have tons of just rubbery facial expressions, but also the dialogue itself is rife with jokes that are sometimes very subtle, but still hilarious.
I give Get the Goat four and a half out of five stars. So what's a silly or ridiculous comedy you've watched lately? Feel free to share in the comment section.

source image IMDb