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The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009)

Director: Grant Heslov

Time Out rating

Average user rating

31 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

During the Bush era, it was pretty hard to make a military comedy. The armed forces tended to be presented as either noble or amoral but seldom as clowns. ‘The Men Who Stare at Goats’ is refreshing, then, for its knockabout approach to martial matters; its problems lie with its lackadaisical approach to narrative and structure.

The film is a dramatised version of Jon Ronson’s non-fiction book about a small pocket of the US Army given licence to experiment with non-violent and paranormal approaches to conflict resolution. American journalist Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) arrives in Kuwait in 2003 with a broken heart and something to prove. Stumbling upon Lyn Cassady (George Clooney), whom he recognises as having been involved in the so-called First Earth Battalion, he finds himself on what could well be a wild goose- (or goat-) chase inside post-Saddam Iraq. Meanwhile, he fills us in on the battalion’s history, from its instigation by Nam vet-turned-hippy visionary Bill Django (Jeff Bridges) to its undoing by bitter psy-op Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey).

There’s plenty to enjoy in the film’s outré set-pieces, insouciant tone and playful performances: Clooney keeps us guessing about Cassady’s abilities (and sanity) and Bridges gets to deliver lines like: ‘I’m your commanding officer and I’m ordering you to let out the dance!’ There’s also a running joke about Jedi warriors that bounces nicely off McGregor’s ‘Star Wars’ pedigree. But the film hedges its claims to veracity (‘more of this is true than you would believe’, indeed) and fails to make its characters or narrative dramatically compelling. The result feels less like a transcendental breakthrough than a bit of conjuring misdirection. Fun trick, though.

Author: Ben Walters

Time Out London Issue 2046: 5-11 November, 2009

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User reviews of this film

blib said...

Posted on Aug 16 2011 10:22 bob, nothing to do with "understanding the humour" You would have to have the inteeligence of a pigeon not to understand it. It just wasn't funny..there is a difference.

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pauge said...

Posted on Jan 10 2011 03:06 The best review this movie every got was the comment my 14yr son made on the way back to the car park. "I would hate to think that that was the last movie I saw before I died" I wholeheartedly agree son. It wasn't so much that it was a bad film, more that it could have been so much better. McGregor should take a leaf out of Connery's book, and stick with the Scottish accent, whatever the hell nationality he is playing. It's a lovely accent, and a thousand times better than the strangulated American accent he produces. Clooney was ok as was Bridges, but Spacey had one or those roles that makes you want to punch him. All in all, a waste of everyone's time.

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Sarah said...

Posted on Apr 28 2010 16:10 Dire isn't the word for this film. None of those actors could have read the script or they wouldn't have been seen dead in it..It's a collection of RARE ole line verbal jokes and 30 second visual jokes. There may be 3 --4 of each in the whole film. Bad..very very bad. It's even unfair to say that 14 year old unsophisticated youngsters would enjoy the slapstick element. Most 14 year olds would find it unfunny

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mark2you said...

Posted on Apr 03 2010 21:35 I've not seen it but I'ved read all the reviews and feel like i've already seen it so it's 5 stars for me..can't wait to be proved wrong

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trickydicky said...

Posted on Feb 05 2010 00:49 Mind-numbingly dull. I hung on til the end, just because I think some of the cast make for good actors - I was wrong to do so, it was consistently dire throughout. No stars - it really was that bad.

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Funnygirl said...

Posted on Jan 28 2010 14:51 Hysterical film! had us all laughing out loud! think some people have taken it far too seriously! its not supposed to be a documentary!

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Fabs said...

Posted on Jan 23 2010 23:18 Can't understand the low rating.. IT'S A BRILLIANT MOVIE, the performances are great, the story is really funny and ewan macgregor as a jedi warrior is a brilliant idea. I've just got back from the cinema and it was APPLAUDED in the end, so go watch it and see for yourself... funny thing is I nearly didnt go to see it because of the low ratings, am never reading a review in my life again 8-)

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drew said...

Posted on Jan 18 2010 18:30 This film is a wandering lost soul looking for some funny lines in a half decent script.

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bob bob said...

Posted on Jan 16 2010 08:19 Don't kid yourselves folks this film just totally sux; big time let down. I wish Clooney and co had just died out there in the desert, the film sure had by then.

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lauren pmt said...

Posted on Jan 16 2010 08:15 The guy that edited the trailer should have MADE this movie, maybe it would have been worth watching to the end.

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real katie said...

Posted on Jan 16 2010 08:09 I applaud the trailer makers for condensing ALL the best parts of the movie into 2 minutes and making a very dull film appear to be funny - I'd rather listen to an Alastair Darling speech!!

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violetta said...

Posted on Jan 16 2010 08:04 OMG a huge waste of time and talent in a single film has rarely been achieved to this level of boredom.

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katie said...

Posted on Dec 29 2009 16:43 btw usman khawaja- way to go giving the plot basics away - you're meant to REVIEW not RETELL

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katie said...

Posted on Dec 29 2009 16:40 AWESOME film!! so funny!!! I agree with bob on this one - the cultural gap might be a cause for so many english people not understanding or even registering the humour. If you're offended by that -go see it and prove me wrong!

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lauren said...

Posted on Dec 07 2009 17:10 I loved this film! It was so refreshing to watch something original and not to be spoon fed reactions e.g. 'laugh here', 'this is a sad bit'. Finally a film that lets me work it out by myself and respects that I have a brain and will find what is beyond the brush strokes. If you don't want to exert any effort don't go to this film you won't understand it, otherwise- go see it!

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