A pretty smart stoner movie?

Rating: 8/10 (15 January 2010)

I wasn't expecting anything from this movie, other than having a good time, and I enjoyed it more than I expected. Maybe this is why unlike some of the other reviewers, I wasn't disappointed by it at all. In fact I got a lot more laughter out of this film than I bargained. The cast is pretty terrific in this film, I wish that Jeff Bridges could have had a few more scenes. Much of the writing is excellent, and the improv that I could detect worked, mostly.
I could agree with some of the complaints about this movie, the weak ending, not particularly great chemistry between Mac Gregor and Clooney, etc. The Men Who Stare at Goats was made by some very smart and funny people, and even though it was not perfect the few flaws did little to dampen the entertainment value for me. As a straight man, I found the homo-erotic subtext to be pretty funny too.
As well as the laughs, there are some moments of more serious satire. In the case of the Iraq war, which is the setting for about half of the movie, the facts themselves pretty much outdo any satire one could make, and some of that is presented.