Question: Who was the director of the 2009 British-American war parody comedy film starring the actor who won an Academy Award for Best Actor for midlife crisis-themed drama "American Beauty"?

The Men Who Stare at Goats is a 2009 British-American war parody comedy film directed by Grant Heslov.  It is a fictionalized version of Jon Ronson's 2004 book of an investigation into attempts by the U.S. military to employ psychic powers as a weapon.  The film stars George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey, and was produced by Clooney's and Heslov's production company Smokehouse Pictures. <SEP> Tom Cruise is an American actor and producer who made his film debut with a minor role in the 1981 romantic drama "Endless Love".  Two years later he made his breakthrough by starring in the romantic comedy "Risky Business" (1983), which garnered Cruise his first nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.  In 1986, Cruise played a fighter pilot in the Tony Scott-directed action drama "Top Gun" (the highest-grossing film that year), and also starred opposite Paul Newman in the Martin Scorsese-directed drama "The Color of Money".  Two years later he played opposite Dustin Hoffman in the Academy Award for Best Picture-winning drama "Rain Man" (1988), and also appeared in the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Picture-winning romantic drama "Cocktail" (1988).  In doing so Cruise became the first and only person as of 2014 to star in a Best Picture Oscar winner and a Worst Picture Razzie winner in the same year.  His next role was as anti-war activist Ron Kovic in the drama adaptation of Kovic's memoir of the same name, "Born on the Fourth of July" (1989).  For his performance Cruise received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama and his first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. <SEP>  He gained critical acclaim in the early 1990s that culminated in his first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the neo-noir crime thriller "The Usual Suspects" (1995), and an Academy Award for Best Actor for midlife crisis-themed drama "American Beauty" (1999). Kevin Spacey Fowler, KBE (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, and singer.  He began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s before obtaining supporting roles in film and television. <SEP> "American Beauty" is a 1999 American drama film directed by Sam Mendes and written by Alan Ball.  The film stars Kevin Spacey as Lester Burnham, a middle-aged office worker who has a midlife crisis when he becomes infatuated with his teenage daughter's best friend.  Released in North America on September 15, 1999, "American Beauty" was positively received by critics and audiences alike; it was the best-reviewed American film of the year and grossed over $350 million worldwide.  Reviewers praised all aspects of the production, with particular emphasis on Mendes, Spacey and Ball; criticism tended to focus on the familiarity of the characters and setting.  At the 1999 Academy Awards, the film won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (for Spacey), Best Original Screenplay and Best Cinematography (for Conrad Hall).  The film was nominated for and won numerous other awards and honors, mainly for the direction, writing, and acting.