Movie Review: The Men Who Stare at Goats

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With the early disclaimer, “More of this is true than you would ever believe,” Grant Heslov’s R-rated tale of a secret military operations group, starring George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey, is a trippy, funny, crazy ride; pure acid trip cinematic fun. The film is based on journalist Jon Ronson’s book of the same name, telling two stories: Michigan reporter Bob Wilton (Played by McGregor) who heads to Iraq to impress his philandering wife, and that of the men of a New Age military battalion, The New Earth Army, headed by Bridges’ character, the ultimate feel good stoner dude, with Clooney as the lead psychic (Jedi) warrior, and Kevin Spacey as the ultimate ass in the other wise groovy group.
The stories run parallel to each other, intertwining early on for a lot of far-out laughs in a typical military setting, that turns out to be anything but typical. The stars of the film are heavy hitters, and though the plot is not always crystal clear, it is amusing to see these guys act so silly in a film that floats, even without its audience knowing where the ride will take them. The parallel tales are laced together, then resolved in the final act, and don’t forget the goats—stare at them! In what is one of the craziest, funniest conclusions to a movie I have seen in a while, the audience finally understands what all the goat-staring fuss is about.
Though some won’t get this film’s humor (namely the guy in front of me who told his date he needed LSD to understand the movie), I enjoyed the idea of Army Jedi Warriors, the development of this wild tale, and found “Goats” to be a pretty cool way to spend a Friday night. Thanks for the laughs, fellows.