Move Over Dr. Strangelove, It’s Men Who Stare at Goats
Goats delivers some gut-busting sequences, and first-time helmer Grant Heslov shows the comic timing of a big screen pro. The laughs arrive without warning, but they start to thin as the movie trudges on to its wan conclusion.
The film as a whole feels like a lost opportunity, from the starry cast to the juicy premise.
Goats gets plenty of mileage out of the notion that the psychic warriors called themselves Jedi warriors, especially given the choice to cast the erstwhile Obi-Wan Kenobi, McGregor, in the lead.
McGregor and Clooney make an agreeable team, their disparate comic sensibilities blending nicely with the material in play. But McGregor’s character remains a cipher of a shell of a shadow. We’re given his personal statistics, but the actor can’t fill in any other blanks. And the duo’s trek across the Middle East becomes tiresome; it’s hard not to wonder midway through where all of this is going.
Kevin Spacey’s appearance as a Jedi warrior gone sour adds to the Oscar winning actor’s recent run of weak performances.
Even dyed-in-the-wool conservatives might wish Goats took a harder political stance, or any position that gave this rudderless enterprise some focus. Goats goes so far as to include a news snippet of President George W. Bush without turning the moment into a cheap laugh.
That’s more amazing than trying to psychically off a goat.
We do get a late anti-torture lecture, a quick reference to the dark side which is handled clumsily, and an astoundingly immoral moment where our so-called heroes take enormous pity on some prisoners. The film also includes a fire fight between two security squads, sort of like Blackwater vs. Blackwater, played for chuckles, of course.
The best bits in The Men Who Stare at Goats are the silliest. Hearty soldiers run straight into walls thinking their psychic powers will let them glide right through the dense material. A psychic true believer trying to stop the heart of a hamster to impress a reporter.
But the film loads up on such moments, either unwilling or unable to use them as a jumping off point for more pointed commentary or richer character development.
War is hell, and a movie mocking the military via extrasensory maneuvers is a fine way to score some quick anti-war points.
The Men Who Stare at Goats starts with that bright premise but lacks a battle plan for blending laughter with smart social satire.
I hope they sent you a screener so you didn’t have to shell out a dime.
Call me hardheaded, but I’m still not enriching George Clooney’s pocketbook.
It doesn’t bother you at all that this is just another portrayal of our Military as incompetent/violent/stupid? In this case stupid and incompetent. Sometimes, I swear to God, you’re as thick as two planks stuck together with stupid glue.
You have to read the book to understand own UN-funny the original premise [mkUltra/psychic-soldiers etc.] for this movie really is.
In other words, the author of the same titled book was being serious about this lunacy in our military.
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“..understand how Un-funny..”
Where in the frick did ‘own’ come from? Yeah…I’m awake.
Sometimes our government/military IS incompetent & stupid. I’m very rightwing but don’t have a problem with mocking silly premises our government previously explored.
If we can learn to laugh at the laughable we’ll gain more credibility when defending the worthwhile.
Forgive me if I’m turned off by a cheap comedy that mocks our military at a time when they are coming home in body bags, or with missing arms and legs. Or, with their faces and hands burned beyond recognition. (Cdr Salamander has a story.)
This is not the time for a movie like this, when we actually do have soldiers smashing through doors to save one another’s lives, and fighting a contest of wills with the enemy, with life and death consequences.
But I’m glad Clooney thinks it’s hilarious that soldiers who would take a bullet for his worthless carcass can be depicted banging into walls because they think they can walk through. Anything to pump up his ideological street cred with his Hollywood buds.
If there had already been a movie made about the heroics at Fallujah, or the courage at Mazar-el-Sharif, or the searing battles in Ramadi, I wouldn’t have as much of a problem with it. But all we’re getting is sanctimonious ideological rant movies like the Valley of Elah, or comedies that begin with the assumption that the military’s stupid.
You will never see Clooney in a “hilarious send up” of jihad with scenes of a suicide bomber blowing up a mosque by mistake when he makes a quick stop to pray on the way to the target. Or jihadis hanging out in a strip club the night before the mission comparing the strippers to their soon to be seen virgins. That might make people think he loves his country. Instead he pumps out more anti-military propaganda. Even South Park has him covered.
Usually I ignore the political views of actors and other entertainers if I enjoy their work, but George Clooney isn’t one of those. Also, I’m not impressed by the bit about the goat. Ever hear of “fainting goats”? I think I can give this one a miss.
Although I doubt sincerely that I’ll be finding out for myself, I also doubt sincerely that Kubrick’s brilliant black comedy will have to move over for the likes of this.
Watch the HD trailer for this on youtube – it won’t cost a thing and you’ll get ALL of same laughs you’d get while sitting in the theater for an hour and a half. To compare this Hollywood fratboys romp to the sterling Stangelove is staggering abuse.
My favourite story from the psychic warfare corps was the one based on the premise that all matter is atoms and atoms are mostly empty space. The idea was seeing as we consist of mostly empty space and concrete also is made of atoms guys could be trained to walk through walls.
If ‘The Men Who Stare At Goats’ is supposed to be so gut bustingly hilarious, why does it have only a 55% critics’ review rating at Rotten Tomatoes, where anything above 65% is considered ‘Fresh’?
I’ve admired Jeff Bridges’ acting for more than two decades. There’s no one more laid back and at home in front of a camera. Nearly incapable of turning in a bad performance. George Clooney, on the other hand, has never been able to act his way out of a damp paper sack. Add Kevin Spacey to the mix and you have two strong, proven talents holding up a soggy center.
To consider even mentioning this film opposite Stanley Kubrick’s ultimate black comedy is absolute blasphemy!
Jack.
Dane Spotts, who claims to have been part of that military testing, sells people a training course, which teaches the art? science? of Technical Remote Viewing. (They’ve never yet gotten it right. They used to try to horn in on tragic cases, such as missing children. They would guess as to whether the child was dead, where the child might be, etc., etc. It would’ve been hilarious, had it not been so awful for the families of the victims.)
Gentlemen, you can’t fight in there; this is the war room!
But Mr President…he’ll, he’ll see the big board!
Mandrake, did you ever see a commie drink a glass of water?
This movie finally answers the question of why Clooney never looks any other actor directly in the eye during a scene. Really…watch any of his turns on ER. (H/T to my wife on that one)
I will not spend money to see a George Clooney movie.
I’m with Jim…not one penny for George.
Let his loon base support him.
And what’s with that mechanical smile, anyway? Did somebody staple the corners of his mouth to his ears?
I’m envisioning Mr. Clooney in the lead role in what you just know will be the upcoming bio-pic of Major Hassan. It’s got everything a Hollywood bleeding heart liberal could desire: downtrodden Palestinian, war-is-hell psychology, misunderstood and picked-on Muslim, a gory shoot-em-up finale, and what will doubtless be an anti-death penalty coda, which will be especially heart-tugging as the paralyzed murderer is rolled to his death in his pathetic state-issued wheelchair. George will just have to gain about 30 pounds, learn how to simper and shave off his glorious black locks, and he’ll be good to go. Maybe he can get pro-Muslim, anti-war director Spielberg to direct, and then it’ll be Oscars all around for everyone. Hoorah!
Liked Clooney in “Oh Brother” but it was the story/writing that made the movie. The best thing about “Leatherheads” was watching Clooney get punched repeatedly in the face. Can’t remember seeing him in anything else.
this movie is trash.
think about what the unwillingness to kill means for a society. are our enemies also unwilling to kill and/or die for what they believe?
people indeed need to start thinking for themselves, the very “gentleness is strength” premise is pure propaganda.
Sometimes our government/military IS incompetent & stupid. I’m very rightwing but don’t have a problem with mocking silly premises our government previously explored.
Right. Sometimes they are. Tey are human ie not perfect. Now have you given a thought about how many movies have been made about actors/film directors who were college dropouts, never open a book (except perhaps Chomsky’s), who live a life of se, booz and alcohol, who side with a raper, who made possible a genocide (that is for Jane Fonda) or still have no qualms about acting with a genocider an d still feel themselves so well learned and moral to leacture us? About journalists who deliberately lie (ie Dan Rather), hide the truth (think in Obama’s campaign) or use tricks like photoshopping Consolezza Rice’s photo because they think the unwashed masses (that means engineerrs, doctors, programmers and similar peiople who have twenty pôints more IQ and read more tghan journalists) don’t desrve to choose by ourselves?
Until I see movies criticizing actors and journalists I refuse to see movies making fun of the military or of normal people. And I also have a blacklist of people I refuise to give cent and will not watch a movie of them until they are dead.
Why would a movie like this be reviewed on a site like this ? I will never again give any money to anything that might support clooney and others like him. And although I’ve not seen it, it sounds like a boring piece of trash even from this unclear review.
Once I knew Clooney only as an actor and I liked his performance (Oh Brother Where art Thou), but I have since discovered him as a person, not another penny or moment of my money or attention will ever profit him again, unless he “Changes” of course!!! For him nothing short of a total transformation (Thought beyond indoctrinated limitations) would be required!!! Why do they feel they must teach their theology?? The opposite of taught theology is untaught theology, the one I believe in which requires you to wake up, pay attention, realize common sense is still a vital instrument in the success of your life, let your mind wonder, be inquisitive, seek other sources of information??? “If one must lie to defend their truth, then their truth must be a lie”!!!! “If one must hide to defend their Honor, then their Honor must not be Honorable”!!!! COMMON SENSE, your best friend, if you’ll stop pushing it away, just so you can keep believing what you now believe, as you believe it to be true, it may prove to be indisputably false!!!!
It’s got Clooney in it I won’t see it. I can’t stand him.
Clooney? No go, no dough.
Don’t waste your money, it was not funny and I had a hard time staying awake!! It was stupid and I was taken!
Some of my lefty friends are so passionate that they boycott any movie with Mel Gibson in it. Both their and your conscience of your convictions and rigidity, cancel each other out in our culture. Onward.
I’m not opposed to laughing at the military, think Bill Murray in Stripes or Goldie Hawn in Private Benjamin. I myself was in the army (they showed stripes in Basic). I use to have an old First Sergeant with a speech impediment, when I got into trouble for not making a run he’d say, “Pwivate, wake the wocks”, (translation: rake the rocks), It was funny and we’d joke about it, however he was someone to be respected. Knowing Clooney’s politics I can’t laugh at anything he does regarding the military.
Sorry Dwight not the same thing. Certainly it makes sense for a leftard not to see The Passion of the Christ or some other religious movie. But why wouldn’t they see The Patriot? Or We Were Soldiers? I guess those movies do show American soldiers in a positive light so I guess I can see why a leftard wouldn’t like those.
I wouldn’t pee on George Clooney if he were on fire. The man is a traitor, just like his lefty friends. Not one cent of my money will support that Quisling.
The problem is that Clooney has built up such a reservoir of ill will with me over the years that I don’t think I could bring myself to see another movie of his even if every critic I respected said it was genius.
It could be the greatest movie since Gone with the Wind, I wouldn’t know because I’ll never watch anything Clooney makes. Ever.
I loathe Clooney as well as Matt Damon, Edward Norton and all the other millionaire Hollywood Marxists who crank out their smug, preachy and dull movies. I was glad to see Damon’s “The Informant” fail at the box office and I hope “Goats” loses money also.
Mr. Toto: Thanks for ruining the movie for me. I thought it was about Hollywood agents staring at their clients – looking for a sign of intelligence. In the case of Jim Carey and Clooney they are going to stare a long time. Norton is a real actor but Damon could be replaced with a mannequin. Clooney is only good when he plays himself – an egotistical doufus. I love knowing the people who financed theses movies lost lots of money.
I’ll forever pass on Clooney and Damon.
boycottliberalism.com is a good site.
Thank you, especially #7. My son is serving in Iraq and I don’t find anything funny about that.