MOVIE REVIEWS

The Men Who Stare at Goats

“More of this is true than you would believe”. This quote is flashed at the beginning of the movie, and holds its truth to the end. “The Men Who Stare at Goats” is the story of the U.S. Military’s attempts to incorporate psychic abilities into the army. Clooney stars as a retired psychic soldier, McGregor as a struggling reporter that gets the scoop of a lifetime, Bridges as an eccentric hippie commanding officer for the “Earth Brigade”, and Kevin Spacey as a man who wants to change the Earth Brigade’s peaceful ways.

The film’s title is derived from the attempts of the psychic soldiers to subdue enemies with their mind and an intense glare. The story of the Earth Brigade and their activities is the main draw. Back in the Cold War, as the Soviets and the United States tried desperately to out crazy one another, an injured Vietnam veteran, Bill Django (Bridges), begins a hunt that is funded by the military to find alternative means to fighting and embarks on a journey of spiritual enlightenment. Bridges is an absolute treat as Bill, and his hippie ways of teaching are hilarious to watch. From morning meditation with his troops, to full beard and hippie haircuts, he and his brigade of peace loving soldiers are some of the better scenes to watch and every time you see his bearded face, you know it’s going to be a fun bit. Retired soldier Lyn (Clooney) and journalist Bob (McGregor) embark on a quest through a war torn Iraq. Clooney and McGregor’s scenes are more hit and miss, as some had me laughing out loud, and others maybe brought out a chuckle. Their discussions on the training and application of the psychic techniques are the better of their scenes. Spacey is a jerk. He pushes the Earth Brigade away from peace techniques towards more lethal methods. He plays the part of a mean, self-centered soldier well, and his scenes bring out the laughs, most of the time at his expense.

The movie is definitely funny, but the real beauty of it is that it teases you with this unbelievable information about government funded “Jedi Warriors”. I felt the need to go home and research this more, and what I found both shocked and saddened me. Yes, a lot of this stuff is true. Yes, the government doesn’t always read the proposals that land on their desks. And no, our tax money has never been wasted.

The Men Who Stare at Goats gets 4 fallen goats, out of 5.

Notable Quotes:

“Wow…. I’m really hungry” - Kevin Spacey

“I’m liberating you…(rips off shirt) I’m liberating this base!” - Jeff Bridges

“Well, that’s what happens when you fly a helicopter tripping on acid.” - Ewan McGregor

“A Jedi? I don’t know what that is.” - Ewan McGregor

“I…Well the hooker thing isn’t true” - Jeff Bridges

“Intuition. The ability to decide on things instantly.” “Instantly?! We’ve been sitting here for half an hour!” - George Clooney and Ewan McGregor.

** Written by Mark Marquez