Review of The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009) by Donnie B — 13 Nov 2011
I am not sure where I stand in regards to The Men Who Stare at Goats. It is a serious film turned sideways -- one that wants to make you laugh and also leave you speechless over what you are watching. The entire reason the movie is over-the-top is because the story itself (supposedly based on a true story) is over-the-top.
I mean -- VERY much so; but considering the source and who the story is about it doesn't really surprise. The movie is about men (or at least one man) who stare(s) at goats. It is a crazy little story retold by a flailing, just-dumped journalist played by Ewan McGregor.
By chance he meets up with George Clooney while on assignment in Kuwait City. McGregor wants to enter Iraq and Clooney is his ticket. Through this meeting Clooney tells the journalist of a secret pyshe experiment ran by the military/government that he was once a part of.
Jeff Bridges appears in these flashbacks as a new-agey military man who wants to find a way to fight without using weapons. Clooney was his main protege. The backstory gets even more twisted and bizarre and also introduces us to a mucho-jealous Kevin Spacey who appears to want to be the new shining star of the unit.
It is convoluted and under a more-seasoned director I think it could have been pulled off much better. The result is kind of messy with too-much voice-over by McGregor and Clooney at different times. I still enjoyed watching it -- any movie with 20 or so references to Jedi wins me over -- but I wanted it to be a better piece of work.
I don't think there was anything wrong with the story, it just needed a better structure; which would have been difficult to achieve under any direction. The movie does boast 3 Oscar winners so the acting is quite good.
The story is too and it did make me laugh many times; but it would have needed to imploy some of its own mindtricks on me to make me enjoy it more. It just didn't happen ... perhaps I was simply immune or the entire thing might have been a farce.
This review of The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009) was written by Donnie B on 13 Nov 2011.
The Men Who Stare at Goats has generally received mixed reviews.
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