Well worth staring at

Rating: 8/10 (15 November 2009)

I rarely write reviews of films during their initial release (I think the last time I did so was for 2008's The Dark Knight), but if my words can inspire anyone to go and see The Men Who Stare at Goats they will be words well spent. Or something. Simply put, this is the best military-themed comedy since Buffalo Soldiers, and thankfully the Fort Hood shootings haven't done for Goats what 9/11 did for Buffalo. The film can be appreciated on a number of levels: for its superb ensemble cast (Bridges, Clooney, McGregor, Spacey, and Robert Patrick), as absurdist comedy, or as a sharply critical indictment of the immorality and stupidity of American foreign policy. If you think the invasion of Iraq was a good idea, you probably won't like this film. Otherwise, teleport--don't walk--your way to the nearest multiplex and enjoy one of the funniest and most intelligently written American films of recent vintage.