Coming-of-age films tend to be character-driven stories with minimal action. GOATS is no exception. The comedic tale of one young man's coming into his own and realizing that loved ones are still worth loving despite their flaws and failings has nearly no drama. It has lots of characters, though. As in, What a character! kinds of characters.

The main—and least wacky—character is Ellis (Graham Phillips), a 15-year-old kid soon departing for prep school, leaving his Tucson home where his...