“The Men Who Stare at Goats”
Staring at goats proves to be fun

By Erin Wilds · The Mainstream
Published November 17, 2009

The premise sounds completely ridiculous: American soldiers – or Jedi knights, as they call themselves – from a special military unit are trained to use psychic powers in combat. Fortunately, not everything is as it sounds. This movie is much more than just your average stupid comedy, surprising the viewer with its quirkiness.

The story begins when reporter Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) from the Ann Arbor Daily Telegram is assigned to write a story on a local veteran. This veteran’s story is unique, because he claims to have worked in a Special Forces military operation, known as the New Earth Army. According to the veteran, soldiers in the New Earth Army were trained to use telepathic powers.

Wilton initially dismisses this story as lunacy, but his mind is slowly changed when he meets Lyn Cassady (George Clooney) in Kuwait. Cassady, who was also a part of the New Earth Army, fills Wilton in on the history of the operation, about its founder, Bill Django (Jeff Bridges), and about the organization’s disbandment due to a corrupt fellow soldier, Larry Hooper (Keven Spacey).

Wilton asks to accompany Cassady into Iraq, hoping the trip will turn into a story. Cassady initially refuses, but then agrees to allow Wilton to join him. Somewhere between getting kidnapped by bandits and stranded in the middle of the desert, Cassady fills Wilton in on the fact that he is actually in Iraq on a special mission, relating to the New Earth Army. Despite being misled, Wilton has no other option but to help Cassady carry out his mission.

The major highlight of the film would be the dialogue between Clooney and McGregor, which at times, can be very witty and hilarious, particularly when their relationship gets stressed like the scene where they are stranded in the desert.

While the movie is entertaining from beginning to end, at times, particularly during the middle, it seems like the plot is just meandering and not really going anywhere, besides informing the viewer about the New Earth Army’s exploration of the paranormal. However, the action eventually picks up, and the viewer can see that it all does come together in the end.

But in a world where there is such a huge focus on US-Iraq relations and the situation in the Middle East, I think some elements of this movie will bring needed comic relief, while others still seem too over-the-top to be at all linked with reality.

As movie trailers tend to do, it made the film look better than it actually was, leaving the viewer slightly disappointed. However, I think the entertaining moments overall still make it definitely worth the watch.