ìThe Men Who Stare at Goats” is definitely not what I would consider to be a mainstream movie. It can also be said with almost complete certainty that it will have absolutely no chance of beating ìTwilight” at the box office this weekend.
Still, ìThe Men Who Stare at Goats” is a surprisingly entertaining film that is, for the most part, worthy of your time.
The film, based on a non-fiction book, is about the militaryís secret development of psychic techniques that were meant to help soldiers fight with their minds and not with their guns. Trust me, youíll be spending most of the movie trying to figure out what was based on actual events, and what was completely made up.
Ewan McGregor plays Bob Wilton, a wannabe war correspondent who has a chance encounter with Lyn Cassady (George Clooney), a man who claims to be a former member of the US militaryís psychic operatives unit.
Before we go any further with this review, I feel it is important to acknowledge Ewan McGregorís failed attempt at an American accent. His strange way of ìspeaking American” will undoubtedly distract a lot of viewers who have not been exposed to it before, so as a person recommending this film, it is my duty to warn you in advance.
Mr. McGregorís American accent has never been very believable and at this point, it can be assumed that it never will be. If you do find yourself becoming distracted, I recommend playing the fun and rewarding ìGuess when Ewan really slips up and sounds completely Scottish” game. It will keep you amused.
And since weíre on the topic of distractions, am I the only one who thinks that George Clooney looks way too much like Clarke Gable when he has a mustache?
Itís also fun to keep track of how many times the soldiers of the psychic ops unit refer to themselves as ìJedi warriors.” Given the fact that Ewan McGregor played Jedi master Obi Wan Kenobi in the three Star Wars prequels, audiences will undoubtedly chuckle when a perplexed Mr. McGregor asks, ìWhatís a Jedi?” Oh, your blatant humor is certainly not lost on me, movieÖ
Anyway, back to the review.
McGregorís character Bob Wilton acts as the everyman and the guy the audience can relate to. While everyone else is going crazy, staring intently at walls and talking about killing goats with their minds, Wilton remains just as confused as we are, which helps to ground the film and make it all seem a little less ridiculous.
And trust me, the film is definitely full of ridiculousness. One need look no further than Jeff Bridgesí character Bill Jango, who is the hippie founder of the secret unit. Bridgesí role in this film further proves that he will always be the go-to actor for any film that requires a new age stoner dude.
The style in which the movie was filmed, as well as the outlandish characters were definitely reminiscent of a Coen Brothers film, only not executed nearly as well. Basically, ìThe Men Who Stare at Goats” is sort of a random mash-up of flashbacks and present tense scenarios, which makes it a little hard to follow. At times, it feels disjointed and often, it seems to lack a story.
All in all, itís difficult to really remember what exactly happened in the film. Instead, I can only remember that it made me laugh. That being said, strange, irreverent humor is rarely lost on me, and this film did make me laugh a fair amount, which is certainly a good enough reason for me to recommend it.
If youíre in the mood for a laugh this weekend and youíd rather see a film with some A-list stars acting silly and a man trying his best and failing at an American accent (as opposed to a film starring some pale, glittery dude and an awkward girl), then go see ìThe Men Who Stare at Goats.” I guarantee you, the theater will not be crowded.