The Men Who Stare at Goats
by: Paolo Sardinas

Most political and war satires are generally funny. Most of these satires take on subjects which tend to be way over the top for the average comedy but most do a fine job. The Men Who Stare at Goats, directed by Grant Heslov, is one of those political/war movie satires. Only its one of the few which fails to make their mark.

The story, based off of the novel by Jon Ronson, follows a reporter named Bob Wilson(Ewan McGregor). Bob is looking for his next big story and finds it in a special forces agent who reveals to Bob the existence of a secret, psychic unit in the military. What follows is a quirky, weird, wacky, and, at times, convoluted satire of war. Though there aren't enough adjectives to describe the dumbness of Men Who Stare at Goats, there are plenty of word in general. The film works of off the original novel and an adapted screenplay written by Peter Straughan. The movie starts off well and then gets lost in its own mind-numbing weirdness somewhere throughout the second act. The third act picks it up, sort of, and manages to be both funny and weird. All the films wonderful actors do their best with the given material but none of it truly accentuates the true gift of these actors. That is quite a shame. From the look of the posters, trailers, and ads, this satire seemed to be a great spoof. It turns out to be a little spoof which could've used a more complete story. One which didn't bounce back and forth between the present and past and didn't confuse the living hell out of the viewer.

The film stars, McGregor as the hopeful reporter. You have George Clooney as the snitch Lyn Cassidy, Kevin Spacey as the "evil genius" Larry Hooper, and Jeff Bridges being, well, Jeff Bridges. These four main actors actually save the film from being a total mess while delivering plenty of laughs which should keep you focused on the funny rather than the brains. George Clooney, with his weird looking mustache, is quite a pleasant sight to watch as he plays this military man who believes, with all his heart, he can do stuff with his mind. Which later on becomes less Sci-Fi and just plain Fi. Kevin Spacey is the scene stealer, as always, with his awkward toupee and comedic brilliance. His timing is always right and his incredible acting abilities are relevant all throughout the film. And Jeff is Jeff.

Director Heslov, a producer who has never really directed his own film before, has worked with Clooney in the past. Good Night and Good Luck ring any bells? But with this outlandish comedy, Heslov does nothing more than just slap together images and hope that they work out well. More could've definitely been done on his part. His actors take over the front of the camera while he does nothing behind it. Though Heslov's budget was small, he could've added more flair to the film. Making it seem less like a shamed and floppy political satire and more of a brilliant comedic spoof. Which is really what Men Who Stare at Goats truly is. A spoof movie which could've been better.

All in all, The Men Who Stare at Goats features an absorbing and hilarious cast but it fails to offer a story which stand out on its own and manages to create some logical and entertaining. Though the director is a first timer he has had plenty of experience working with some of Hollywood's biggest names. The film features plenty of these big A-listers but fails to take advantage of them. Overall the movie features plenty of laughs but never any true comedic brilliance. The Men Who Stare at Goats features plenty of questions which, sadly, never get answered. Grade: C+

Rated R for language, some drug content and brief nudity