'The Men Who Stare at Goats' review

They probably have more fun than you will at this comedy

By Matt Pais

Posted November 5, 2009

Metromix

While trying to report any story he can find in Iraq, journalist Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) latches onto Lyn Cassady (George Clooney), an eccentric retired soldier who claims to have psychic powers. Along the journey Wilton learns of military vet-turned-hippie Bill Django (Jeff Bridges), who aimed to create a force of soldiers with superpowers dubbed Jedi Warriors. Testing involved some very unusual challenges, such as controlling animals with the mind.

The buzz: The film, adapted from Jon Ronson's book and directed by Clooney's production partner Grant Heslov, begins by stating, "More of this is true than you would believe." As the movie jumps around in time from Django's early days to Cassady's training, hopefully any facts become clear from the fiction—or this comic farce at least prioritizes funny over odd.

The verdict: In this rhythm-free desert the scattered laughs vanish like sand through your fingers. Actually, the whole movie doesn't leave a lot to hold onto, perhaps because McGregor can't do dry humor, Heslov doesn't provide the proper momentum and the material spends more time going backward than forward. Knowing exactly what really happened would be a lot more provocative than what we get: an offbeat jumble that feels like Coen Brothers-lite.

Did you know? Apparently soldiers are more willing to shoot a goat in the leg than they are to shoot a dog. Cute animals have such an unfair advantage over the ugly ones.