Based on the Jon Ronson book of the same name, The Men Who Stare at Goats follows the 'true' story of a reporter, Bob Wilton, (Ewan McGregor), trying to lose himself in the romance of war after his marriage fails. Bob gets more than he bargains for when he meets an alleged special forces agent, Lyn Cassady (George Clooney), who reveals the existence of a secret psychic military unit whose goal is to end war as we know it. Having heard some truth to his tales Bob dives in and follows Lyn on his 'mission'. Is Lyn crazy or is he a super soldier member of The New Earth Army?
more after the jump...
more after the jump...
Longtime character actor and first time director Grant Heslov directs frequent collaborator and friend George Clooney in this zany satirical picture, and for the most part he does a fine job. Goats is whacky, funny, and completely incredulous as to what parts of this story are true. Many liberties were apparently taken with the story, and as a result the film finds itself in search of both the truth and of a tone. As a flat our satirical comedy the film flounders at parts, and as a straight up adaptation of real world events the film lacks credibility. It's certainly fun to laugh at the absurdities of war and of our government, but the film seems to lack an overall focus and has no real sense of sincerity. The difficulty in balancing the tones doesn't detract the film of its joys, it just hinders it a bit. All the actors are in top form here from George Clooney's wide eyed Jedi stares to Jeff Bridges flower power leadership. Kevin Spacey also has a nice turn as the green eyed recruit who can't quite seem to master the skills Clooney's Cassady possesses. And the always dependable Ewan McGregor anchors this farce as the only relatively level head on the battlefield.
The story is a bit far fetched, and when the shit hits the fan, it's hard to fully embrace the gravity of the situation because of how loose everyone is playing it here. All the players are there, and the formula seems right, but unfortunately this one is less than the sum of its parts. The Men Who Stare at Goats is a fun film for the most part, but it doesn't provide much beyond a few snickers here and there and a couple thought provoking mind musings from the LSD altered New Earth Army men.
--Greg MacLennan
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