The film constantly reminds us that it could have been so much better

Rating: 5/10 (27 July 2010)

¨I did what so many men have done throughout history when a woman has broken their heart. I went to War.¨ The Men Who Stare at Goats is one of those movies that really seems funnier in paper than in the big screen; it is one of those rare films in which the black humor is more effective when read then it is when executed. I laughed more reading the quotes from the film then I actually did while watching this movie. It isn't a terrible movie and it's short enough to not wear the viewer down, and with low expectations it can be enjoyed because there are some good performances from great actors such as George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey, and Ewan McGregor. Director Grant Heslov worked in the past with Clooney in Good Night and Good Luck, but in that occasion they worked together writing the screenplay which was nominated for the Oscars. In The Men Who Stare at Goats the screenplay was written by Peter Straughan and it was adapted from Jon Ronson's book of the same name. The film claims to be inspired on some true events which is hard to believe because the film is ridiculous, but I guess it is a spoof on the psychic activities that went on in the Army. I have to give some credit to director Heslov for making a different kind of film and it is original, but it just wasn't funny enough to save the movie even though it had such talented actors. The movie had the potential to be so much better and that is what left me disappointed by the end of the film.
Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) is a reporter who has just had his heart broken by his wife that leaves him for a one armed editor. Bob is devastated and decides to go cover the war in Iraq in order to forget about her. He can't get into Iraq so he covers the war from Kuwait where he meets a special forces operator named Lyn Cassady (George Clooney). Bob remembers hearing about Lyn from a report he did years ago on a man named Gus Lacey (Stephen Root) who claimed to have been trained by the US Army in paranormal and psychic activities. Gus mentioned Lyn to be the most powerful student of the group. Bob interviews Lyn and he tells him about the special Army Unit that he was trained in called the New Earth Army. The founder of the group was Bill Django (Jeff Bridges), a Vietnam veteran who travelled around the States studying the New Age movement and adapting it for the army. Lyn was the best student, but he had a rival, Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey) who had a different vision of the New Earth Army. The men were trained to become Jedi Warriors and the purpose was to manipulate the minds of the soldiers so they could put an end to war. The story is narrated by Bob and it has several flashbacks as he interviews Lyn while at the same time travels with him on a mission across Iraq having to experience these psychic abilities first hand.
The film has its funny moments but the pace of the movie doesn't work very well. The performance from the cast is great, but they only remind you of the potential the film had with so many talented actors and how many other great films these actors have made. The movie also claims to be based on true events, but the film is more of a spoof and makes fun of these soldiers and it is really hard to make sense of what are the true events or what even inspired them. The funniest thing in the film is George Clooney's hippie look with the long hair and the mustache, but you can laugh at that in the trailers. Jeff Brides also reminds us of his great character in the Big Lebowski, but as a soldier now. The movie really had some great potential, the material seemed good to work with, but the final product really didn't deliver. The material is dark and sometimes you have to be very careful with it if you want it to work, and in The Men Who Stare at Goats it just doesn't work.
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