The Men Who Stare at Goats just came out on DVD/Blu-Ray this past Tuesday, and while not even being the best George Clooney movie to come out that day (Fantastic Mr. Fox is), it’s pretty entertaining.
The movie revolves around the character of Bob Wilton( Ewan McGregor) who is a small-time reporter itching to get a big story in order to show his wife, who recently left him for his one-armed editor, his worth. He decides to go to Iraq to cover Gulf War part 2 and meets George Clooney’s character Lyn Cassaday, whose name he recognizes from interviewing a resident of his hometown that claims he was part of a secret psychic unit in the Army. Hilarity ensues? Read on to find out.
YAY :
- The secret psychic Army unit was called the New Earth Army, and the story of that group and how it came together is told via flashback. These are without a doubt the best parts of the movie. There’s a montage where Jeff Bridges’ character goes and spends time with alternative thinking (hippie) groups and it is very very funny.
- The Men Who Stare at Goats would have been a lot worse off without the actors they got to be in this movie. Jeff Bridges is the man who starts the group, George Clooney plays his star pupil, and Kevin Spacey is Clooney’s nemesis/frenemy. Ewan McGregor does a pretty good job, but as mentioned, the best parts of the story are in the flashbacks.
- The Star Wars references are funny. They call themselves Jedi warriors and some things are referred to as the dark side.
NAY :
- The story taking place in the present is supposed to be exciting and you’re supposed to be asking yourself whether Cassaday is crazy or for real, but it comes off as boring and unfunny in comparison to the flashbacks.
- Yes, this is one of those movies where most of the funnier parts are ruined by seeing the trailer. It’s sad, but after you’ve seen these parts and laughed at them a few times the humor wears off.
This is a decent movie, with a decent amount of laughs. Don’t go in expecting too much from it or you’ll be disappointed. If you’re more interested in the psychic Army subject matter than a comedy based on it, “Crazy Leaders of the World” is supposedly good.
