The Men Who Stare at Goats
Tags: comedy, boring, historical fiction, flashback, absurd, humor, satire

Plot synopsis:
The movie opens with Brigadier General Dean Hopgood (Stephen Lang) staring intently at his wall from behind his desk. He tells his secretary that he will be going into the next room and charges into his wall, hoping to phase through it. He hits the wall hard and says shit.More of this is true than you would believe.Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) is a reporter at a local newspaper in Ann Arbor Michigan. He opens the film with a narration about how his story doesnt begin where he thought it would. He wanted it to start when he married his college sweetheart, Helen (Rebecca Mader), but he acknowledges that his story started when he interviewed a local man who he heard on talk radio claiming to be part of a secret government initiative. He meets with Gus Lacey (Stephen Root) and Lacey tells him about the psychic spy initiative and tells Bob that he killed his hamster with his mind. Lacey shows Bob a video of his hamster, staring intently at a wheel and then keeling over. Bob is wowed, despite thinking that Lacey is crazy, but then the hamster gets up. Bob asks why it isnt dead and Lacey replies that his mother didnt want him to show the hamster dying so he put in a video if it acting strangely. Lacey mentions that everyone in his unit had different methods and that the strongest Psi-warrior was a man named Lynn Cassady.Bob writes a small piece on Lacey and forgets about him. A year later in 2003, one of Bob and Helens fat coworkers has a heart attack and dies, which serves as a catalyst for Helen leaving Bob. Helen tells Bob that life is too short to spend not looking for true happiness and leaves to be with Bobs one armed editor, Dave. Bob grows increasingly aimless, and decides that he will go to Iraq in order to get the perfect scoop.Bob goes out to the Middle East, but he cant get into Iraq. He lounges around hotels and calls Helen to tell her about his tour in Iraq. When he realizes that shes still with Dave and not missing him, Bob hangs up and goes to get drunk in the hotel lobby. He starts doodling in a notebook and notices a man sitting at the table next to him works for a company trying to make a sales pitch to the newly appointed Iraqi government and decides to talk to him. The man (George Clooney) introduces himself as Skip, but when the power goes out and he lights up a candle, Bob sees the mans nametag says Lynn Cassady.Bob asks Lynn if he knows Lacey, and Lynn runs away. As Lynn runs away, the power in the building fluctuates and Bob pursues him until they arrive at the kitchen. Lynn is on edge and asks Bob who sent him, but Bob tells him that hes just a reporter from Michigan looking for a story. Lynn brings Bob up to his room and tells him about the New Earth Army.The New Earth Army was founded by Bill Django (Jeff Bridges). A Vietnam Vet, he was shot during a mission and had a vision of his attacker which told him that Love would be the winner of wars. Perplexed, Bill offered to research a different way to wage war, and the United States government founded his research. Bill returned years later, after experimenting with numerous drugs. He created a manual which established the New Earth Army as a branch of psychic warfare, supported by Brigadier General Hopgood. Hopgood had read that the Russians believed that the US was researching psychic warfare, so he suggested that the US actually start researching it to prevent the Russians from developing a way to beat them first. Lynn, who made the computers in Area 51 crash and go haywire, was transferred over to the New Earth Army unit to harness his psychic abilities and become a Jedi.Bob is fascinated by the story and convinces Lynn to take him with him into Iraq. Lynn tells Bob that he is retired and doesnt want to have to deal with Bob, but notices Bobs doodling of an All Seeing Eye from the dollar bill and changes his mind. Lynn takes an injection of steroids for what he says is Crohns disease and Bob goes to sleep.The next day, the duo head out into Iraq by car. They drive all day until its lost. Lynn tries to cook some hamburgers with a strange solar cooker made by the New Earth Army. Hours later, the meat is ruined and Lynn is pissed. The pair go to sleep in the car. The next morning, Bob wakes up alone in the car and flips out, thinking Lynn abandoned him to die in the dessert. However, Lynn was just on the cars roof saluting the Sun. Lynn starts driving them toward Baghdad, but as he practices his cloud bursting, crashes the car into a large stone on the side of the road.Bob and Lynn wait for rescue and Bob learns more about the New Earth Army. The unit was not officially recognized as a branch of the military but was dedicated to invisibility, psychic remote viewing and Bill helped Lynn reach his full potential and trained his unit to be the best that they can be. Lynn went from an uptight awkward soldier to a great remote viewer; able to locate whoever he needed to, using his mind. Bob is starting to think that Lynn is insane, and his suspicions are seemingly confirmed when Lynn hurts him with an object in several different ways. After a while, a truck pulls up and picks the pair up.The men on the truck pick up the two and immediately go through their bags. Bob asks Lynn if theyve just been picked up by terrorists and Lynn confirms it as a gun is cocked in their face. They are kept in a holding cell and Bob freaks out after Lynn tries to tell him more about the New Earth Army. Lynn explains that Bob was destined to be with him in this cell because of the drawing Bob had in his notebook of the All Seeing Eye. Lynn shows Bob his All Seeing Eye Tattoo on his chest, which calms Bob down a bit. Lynn tells him that they have been kidnapped by lower level gangsters and that they cannot allow themselves to get traded off to real terrorists.The next morning, at the swap, Lynn refuses to move, and the standoff gets tense. The terrorists are ready to shoot when Bob screams I Am a Reporter! in Arabic. They immediately begin shooting at him, but Lynn tackles the shooter and takes him out. A third hostage runs away into the dessert and Lynn takes the terrorists gun and truck and drives away with Bob. They try to pick up the third hostage, Mahmood, but end up running him over. They are surrounded by White Jeeps, owned by a private defense contractor named Todd Nixon (Robert Patrick). He takes the three into the city, exposing his plans to bring franchises to Baghdad and westernize the region. As hes bragging, a firefight breaks out between his contractors and their rivals (both claiming to have been fired on by Iraqis). The trio escapes and heads to Mahmoods house.At Mahmoods house, he finds that his wife is missing and no one knows where she is. Hes depressed and Lynn apologizes to him for how Nixon acted in the car, saying that not all Americans are like that. That night, Bob watches Lynn inject his last bottle of medication and Lynn pretends he doesnt notice. Mahmood lends his car to Bob and Lynn and the pair continues their journey. They drive to a crossroads and Bob ridicules the fact that Lynn doesnt know where to drive. He takes a right and their car does a backflips when a hidden mine explodes.The pair survive and Bob is carried from the wreck by Lynn. Bob is upset that hes still chasing Lynn through the jungle and asks about Bobs mission. Bob tells him that he was reactivated by Bill. He got a message through astral projection to come to Iraq and find him. Bob realizes that Bob is truly insane and starts yelling at him. Lynn tells him that its something he needs to do because it was his fault the New Age Army was destroyed.Lynn had excelled in remote viewing and was able to locate people at will. This pissed off Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey), a psychic who wanted to be number one. Lynn continuously defeated Hooper in testing, so Hooper sought to use psychedelics to even the playing field. He tricked a green lieutenant into taking LSD and the lieutenant went insane from Hoopers experiments. Naked, the lieutenant went into the training yard and started firing at soldiers. Bill approaches him and asks him to surrender the gun, but the lieutenant just shoots himself in the head instead. Bill is brought before a military oversight committee and Hooper buries him by accusing him of miss using funds to hire prostitutes and buy drugs (the hooker thing is a lie!). Bill is dishonorably discharged and says goodbye to Lynn. Soon after, General Holtz (Glenn Morshower) takes over the New Earth Army and Hooper tells him that there are offensive applications to thier psychic abilities. Holtz orders Lynn to psychokinetically stop the heart of a goat. Lynn stares at the goat and it dies after a few minutes of intense staring. Lynn finished the remainder of his tour and leaves, but not before Hooper gives him the Death Tap. Ever since he used his power for evil, Lynn has been cursed.Lynn and Bob go to sleep and when they wake up, Bob sees a goat. He follows it to water and Lynn and Bob drink it as a helicopter appears overhead. The two pass out and come to in a hospital beds. Lynn sees a man looking at them and follows him. They pass through a chamber full of goats and another full of prisoners forced to listen to Barney while being forced to watch strobe lights. They then find an older Bill, burnt out from booze and drugs, working for Hooper at Psi Securities, a psychology/psychic firm which focuses on overseas subliminal messaging. He offers Lynn a job, but Lynn is broken by seeing Bill in such bad shape.Bob walks around and finds Lynn in bed. Lynn tells him hes dying. Bob tries to explain that the death palm is nonsense, but Lynn tells him its his cancer that is killing him. Bob is saddened for his friend and Lynn gives him an old eagle feather Bill had given him to honor his psychic abilities. Bob finds Bill, but Bill shrugs it off. He and Bob find common ground and Bob convinces him to help Lynn get out of his rut. They go into the pantry to get ice cream. Bill then teaches Bob about how to embrace the Jedi lifestyle.Hooper pays Lynn a visit. He wakes him up on purpose, offers him a job and tells Lynn that he knows his abilities are a sham and that Lynn had gotten the location from a former New Earth Army soldier who had hinted that there was work to do. Hooper maliciously taunts Lynn, and Lynn goes back to sleep.The next morning, Lynn goes to join Bob and Bill in the mess tent for breakfast. Bob tells him not to eat the eggs since they laced them with LCD. The entire army is high and hallucinating. Unfortunately, Bill also spiked the water, so Bob, Lynn and Bill are also high. They run to the goat and prisoner storage barns and Bob convinces Lynn to get redemption by freeing the goats. They heard the goats and prisoners out of the camp without a hitch due to the drug induced chaos around them, until they are blocked by Hooper. Hooper points a gun at them, but then puts the gun in his own mouth (mirroring his test subjects suicide). However, before he can shoot himself, he succumbs to the munchies and goes to get food instead. The prisoners and goats leave.Bob sees Lynn and Bill get into a helicopter. He follows them and asks to come, but Lynn tells him that his job is to go and tell the world of their story. Lynn and Bill take off and vanish. Bob tells us that the official word is that they crashed in the desert (because thats what happens when you fly a helicopter while you're tripping on Acid). He wrote the story, but the public didnt even consider it. They just made a joke about the part where prisoners were tortured with Barney. Disappointed, he realized that life happens when you dont try to go against the current (something Lynn had told him personally). He becomes editor of his paper and stares at his wall. He focuses on it intently, smiles, then charges as he phases through the wall like a real Jedi.

Review: He offers insight into his mind and opinions on the things he says and of himself and Lyn as the story progresses.The Men Who Stare at Goats is a very hilarious movie, with many quotable lines and excellent acting by the entire cast.
I highly recommend it to any Ewen McGregor, George Clooney, Kevin Spacey or Jeff Bridges fan, for fans of those men will not be disappointed with the acting and mannerisms of the characters those actors portrayed.The Men Who Stare at Goats is a very fun movie to see in theaters and everyone in my audience were cracking up laughing many, many times.
Overall, however, I felt that some bits needed to be trimmed down - the constant Jedi references were funny the first time but quickly wear thin.The plot also needed a little bit of work: it started off with a promising storyline, and good editing I might add, but seemed to lose its way towards the end.
Very funny, but not outrageous like silly, lame, typical Hollywood movies.It stands right next to M.A.S.H.,and so.Interestingly, it is a serious comedy, sometimes I felt watching a Kevin Smith movie, sometimes Coens' movie, however, it is far different, and better than them.George Clooney is one of the most versatile actor in these years.
If you have not been convinced up until now, just watch this film.Kevin Spacey, and Jeff Bridges acts and support very well, but the great surprise is Ewan McGregor, who seemed to be lost in last years.
Still, he starts with a quite annoying character, but he turns to be the height of the film.Without mentioning anything about the story, it is really a sarcastic, strong, and very-close-to-the-truth viewpoint about humans, USA, and the army...Directing is OK, cameras too, the music is proper for the story.This is a real ACTOR movie, and worth to watch it.
And/or buy it later...Really credible, especially in the grotesque scenes, and although it has a narrative style, splitting the film, it is quite enjoyable.And I was so grateful (and still I am) to bring back the JEDI, showing they are EXISTING, they are AMONG US, and yes, Ewan McGregor can be a JEDI again, without George Lucas...Just watch it, and feel the POWER!.
The film was more about how these drifters and lost souls managed to find something that they found worthy of pursuing and really devoted themselves to it, and I think this message is more admirable than any side-criticism of the USA.The film plays out mainly as a buddy movie with Geogre Clooney, who is doing his usual comic act very well, and Ewan McGregor as they head around Iraq not really knowing what they are looking for and getting into loads of hilarious antics along the way.
This sorts out another common criticism that the film is extremely unrealistic, but there are some key scenes saying that Clooney might not be telling the whole truth that I feel have been overlooked.It isn't going to be Oscar-fare or the greatest thing you'll ever see but with a good cast and a lot of laughs there isn't really going to be a much better way of spending a lazy Saturday afternoon with some popcorn and a buddy or two..
And when Bridges, Clooney and Spacey are all on screen, The Men Who Stare At Goats feels most alive — like a military version of Anchorman, with a more subtle sense of stupidity — while Heslov's bright, heightened colour palette adds the sense of an almost magical, distant summer.
Just as Superman came flying down to save the maiden tied to the train tracks, we find ourselves waiting for Cassady to swoop down and tie up all those tantalising loose ends.Though Heslov and writer Peter Straughan try their best, however, there just isn't a satisfactory end to this movie to be found, and the one they've come up with — as enjoyable as it is — is not only underwhelming, it feels like an obvious redeployment of everything we've seen, with a little sprinkling of sentiment that, though tongue-in-cheek, doesn't feel right.
For the most part, though, The Men Who Stare At Goats, like Inglourious Basterds before it, marks a return to the long-lost idea that there ought to be some fun in movies, and it's a testament to George Clooney's willingness to experiment that, at a time when he really ought to be prepping for his next Oscar, he's up for a laugh and happy to share the fantastic time he's having.
The film follows a reporter, Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor), who stumbles onto the story of a lifetime when quite by chance he meets a self confessed Special Forces Operator, Lyn Cassady (George Clooney)in a Kuwait hotel.
As they embark on a new mission, Lyn reveals his twenty-year involvement in a Top Secret, black ops military unit and shares details of their activities, each more bizarre than the last (including staring at goats).This is a wonderfully funny film, with quirky characters that develop as the story unfolds, characters that will have you laughing out loud and as the credits begin to roll as you get up from your seat at the end of the film you will leave the cinema still talking about the story on your way home.
Whatever way you look at it, this is one heck of a funny movie.Based on the outrageously true story by Jon Ronson, filmmaker Grant Heslov in his feature film debut brings to life this story about Bob Wilton (McGregor), a young reporter who goes to Iraq during the Gulf War to try and find a story worth telling.
I am giving the movie four stars because it was hard for me to give it one, or even non, while it has a really good group of actors who really know what they are doing, and able to give their best, no matter how bad or empty the script is.I was really disappointed.
Despite the presence of great actors like Ewan McGregor and Kevin Spacey, this is not a good film by any means.
It was directed by his business partner Grant Heslov who wrote the script for another Clooney project, "Good Night and Good Luck".The film is based upon a book by the British journalist Jon Ronson which tells the bizarre but apparently true story of a secret unit within the US Army called the First Earth Battalion which attempted to find military applications for "New Age" philosophies.
Lyn left the unit in a fit of remorse after killing a goat by staring at it, believing that it is wrong to use one's psychic abilities to cause death, even the death of an animal.Despite the presence of Gorgeous George and several other big names (Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey) and some reasonably good acting, this is not a very good film.
I was slightly disappointed by the title...there was only one man who stared at one goat...very misleading...The only semi funny part of the movie was George dancing...I still didn't laugh...well I guess the fact that they called Ewan McGregor Jedi throughout the movie was slightly funny as well...however if you're thinking about seeing this movie I suggest not watching it in the theater because you don't want to pay to see half a movie (you might want to leave half way through...I know I did)I have to leave ten lines of text...but the movie was so bad I have nothing more to say about it...bananas.
From the opening credits when we are told ''You wouldn't believe how much of this is true', the quasi-farcical approach works sometimes and falls flat at other time.George Clooney begins the film at his deadpan best, but the story is so convoluted, that even he doesn't know what to do with it after that.
The idea of conducting a war through the use of questionable psychic abilities could have been anywhere from laugh-out-loud funny to well-played dark comedy, and indeed, it seems that the movie tries for the entire range of comic effect, but it doesn't succeed in any.
"More of this is true than you would believe," reads the message and movie goers enter a world where the U.S. Army has trained psychics to be used to help with Army matters.Intrigued yet?Throw in a great cast of actors and scene after scene of quirky fun and it's almost impossible not be hooked on this "could some of this actually be true" story, and you might find yourself laughing a bit as well."The Men Who Stare At Goats," directed by Grant Heslov, stars Ewan McGregor (Star Wars Episodes 1-3, Big Fish) as Bob Wilton, a journalist who goes to Iraq to cover the war after his wife leaves him for his editor.
Also playing a large role in Cassidy's past is Larry Hooper, played by Kevin Spacey (American Beauty, The Usual Suspects), who is also a psychic for the Army and becomes a bit of a rival to Cassidy.The actors and the quirkiness of the story is what makes this film a must see for fans of the dark comedy genre.
I mean how could a movie starring George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey be bad?Well, it was.
A movie about superheroes that have no powers but think they do, with a few weird and unexplained phenomena to keep the viewer watching, just like making the least amount of effort to make the film interesting and believable.
...we shoulda' left as soon as we thought about leaving.It ran us $22.50 for two folks to see this "movie", and for the first time, I'd really like to find someone to write to so we can get our money back.I understand the "plot", and I understand that they're trying to make fun of the psychic research that the military did, but this movie is confused enough that it couldn't actually find "comedy".As the tag says at the beginning, more of this movie is real than you think.
Two hours of your life that would've been better spent watching paint dry.The fact that George Clooney, Kevin Spacey, Ewan McGregor, and Jeff Bridges signed on for this ridiculous borefest, makes me rethink my opinion of each of these actors.
Yes this movie was truly a mind boggling experience and by that I mean a complete waste of time, not only did it not have a plot but it had nothing else that would even remotely be depicted as interesting.Essentially this movie was about a man who made a "PsyOps" unit who's purpose was to use their powers to end war without confrontation, however this unit had no powers, it was just a bunch of people doped up on drugs and after watching this movie I wish I were as well, at least that way there might be a possibility of seeing a hallucination that resembles a shred of an honest to god plot line.Final thoughts, if you can skip this movie entirely, if not bring your cellphone or any kind of entertainment feature you will thank me for it!.
If you knew nothing at all about this movie- didn't know it was about psychic spies (aka "The First Earth Battalion") who trained to use peaceful means against their enemies, or that it starred three of the finest American actors working (Clooney, Bridges, Spacey) and a Scottsman (McGregor), or that it was a comedy "mostly based on truth believe it or not"- wouldn't the title just jut out at you?
I was laughing through most of it in some part because of the performances (Clooney as an ex "Jedi" who was one of the best and brightest of the First Earth Battalion is about as deadpan as we've ever seen him, and Bridges comes off like The Dude from the Big Lebowski with more spiritual discipline as a leader), how all of the major players worked off one another and made themselves truthful and honest even when saying or doing ridiculous things like yoga in a desert or gaining energy through the power of dance.But the other thing that makes the movie so brilliant is its style.
George Clooney is great at playing cool characters but his role in this film requires him to be a buffoon which he is neither funny or enjoyable to watch- It actually makes him look like a crap actor.
Add a director with a solid reputation - he's George Clooney's producing partner and co-wrote the excellent Good Night, and Good Luck - and a stellar cast (Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey, plus terrific support from established character actors like Stephen Root, Robert Patrick and Glenn Morshower), and you've got all the right ingredients for a smart piece of entertainment.Based on Welsh journalist Jon Ronson's non-fiction book (a story "more true than you would believe", according to the movie's opening caption), the film focuses primarily on the misadventures of Ronson's on-screen alter ego, the American Bob Wilton (McGregor, doing his finest accent work since Big Fish), a reporter who has gone off to a war-ridden Iraq to prove to his ex-wife that he is, in fact, a real man.
The story is confirmed when Wilton meets the disgraced Lyn Cassady (Clooney), who was once the most promising element of said unit: the New Earth army, a covert division born from the idea of a Vietnam veteran, Bill Django (Bridges), who believed it would be easier to win wars by resorting to the power of the mind, hence the recruitment of soldiers who were supposedly able to accomplish such feats as walking through solid walls and stopping a heart simply by staring at the subject (the hilarious titular scene).
The satire, while never specifically aimed at one element of the US government (although Ronald Reagan is mentioned at one point, to good effect), follows the example of Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove in that it never paves the way for outright silliness, barring the final 20 minutes which appear to have been conceived as a mere means to end the film (this is most obvious in the final shot which, funny as it may be, leaves a bit of a sour aftertaste).The movie also works admirably as a straightforward comedy, thanks to instantly quotable lines (see Django's trial), clever cinematic winks (the New Earth Army men are called "Jedi warriors") and spot-on performances: McGregor, saddled with the seemingly ungrateful task of playing the "regular" guy, is a perfect vessel for the audience, enabling us to marvel at the sight of Clooney's terrific combination of smart and dumb, Bridges (sort of) resurrecting "The Dude" Lebowski via his hippie approach to warfare and Spacey adding a brilliant comedic shade to his traditional villainous persona.
I did however read multiple reviews that the confusing and hard to follow story was supported by a noble cast including Ewan McGregor, George Clooney, Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey.
Either way, I'm afraid they overdid the Jedi references, which were funny at most the first two or three times.These flaws notwithstanding, the movie is interesting because it really makes you want to jump on Wikipedia and check out what is known about the actual US Army Psy-Ops project (which I'm going to do after writing this review, I know I've heard that the staring at goats actually happened).
You would think with George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey some of it would have been funny.
When I viewed this title I thought to have such a line up of actors such as George Clooney, Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey the movie had to be extremely good.In my view the only funny parts of the film involved two events both including Clooney' character.
I have to say I was extremely disappointed, if this is the type of title we can expect from Messrs Clooney, Bridges and Spacey I don't think I'll bother to watch any more from them.The plot was poor, even though allegedly based on a true event, the acting was poor and to have such a very good line up of actors, I can only think this was for reasons of very clever publicity.There was one funny thing attached to this movie though and that was the reviews given by the national newspapers and media in the UK, some had the audacity to give it four or five stars and to even call it 'Uprorious fun'.
The Men Who Stare at Goats is a great movie with a really well developed and extremely unique and unusual storyline and a fantastic cast that all play characters that are different to what you would usually see them in.The best performance has to be George Clooney's, I'm seen him in several comedies but thus is the first time that I genuinely found him to be the funniest character in the movie,Ewan McGregor,Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey also deliver great performances.
Fans of both war and comedy movies should definitely check out the Men Who Stare at Goats.A journalist may have found the story of a lifetime when he meets a man who was part of the US Army who claims he has been professionally trained to gain super powers..
There is no big story, no special effects, no melodrama and the cast is performing above the average.With Clooney there are always some political references and his left winged attitude is something that can push away conservatives for watching his film, and that is +1 for Clooney.As for Spacey, he has already shown that his best performances are in the movies where he is playing an antagonist.As for McGregor, he is somewhat constant as he is not capable for stellar performance but he always delivers acting that is slightly above the average.Finally, Jeff Bridges has proved to be a fantastic actor, a true chameleon.
Acting is great; George Clooney steals the show throughout with a perfectly nuanced and humorous performance, while Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, and Kevin Spacey all do the best they can.