The Nevada Sagebrush

‘The Men Who Stare At Goats’
Release Date:
Nov. 6
Director:
Grant Heslov
Starring:
Ewan McGregor, George Clooney, Jeff Bridges
Genre:
Comedy, War
Rating:
R for language, drug content and brief nudity
Grade:
C-

What happens when you put some of Hollywood’s biggest male actors in an off-beat comedy about paranormal powers and goats? “The Men Who Stare at Goats” is a “comedy” about the journey of fate and those quirky moments of feeling like an outsider.

The film is a look at the adventure that journalist Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor, “Angels & Demons”) embarks on when he decides he wants to stop being a pansy, win his wife back and become “somebody” in this crazy world. His first action: Go to Iraq. While not the wisest decision, he meets some pretty enthusiastic characters on his mission, like Lyn Cassidy (George Clooney, “Burn After Reading”), a veteran from a new-age army (think “Inglourious Basterds,” only with hippies) that includes the peaceful leader (Jeff Bridges, “How to Lose Friends & Alienate People”) and the spoon-bender (Kevin Spacey, “21”). Believe it or not, this is based on a true story, although I’m sure the real story was a hell of a lot more awesome than this wannabe mess.

Photo courtesy Overture Films.

The cast simply didn’t fit in this movie. Telling the story of soldiers who think they have super-human powers and practice on goats in an effort for peace, these men can’t handle the comedic timing of the script. The dialogue should have been taken in a different direction. When dealing with such controversial and interesting material, you need the right players. Hollywood’s biggest hitters were not the right players.

This is not to say this movie wasn’t entertaining. In fact, some parts were especially laugh-worthy, but there are just too many misses instead of hits. Take, for example, scenes where Cassidy tries to throw enemies off by simply giving them the “sparkly eyes” technique.

Not only do the laughs just not deliver as often as they should, the movie can’t move at a swift pace. It just drags with each scene, making each last longer than it should with the absence of giggles and long monologues boasting about being an outcast.

We get it — you’re different, but don’t lecture about it for the whole film.

While it’s understood this is a “buddy” movie with few female roles, it wouldn’t have hurt to have some female interactions and maybe a little real action. Nothing really happens in this movie. It’s only glimpses of “funny” scenes that are supposed to hold us over. This piece has absolutely no point, no big climax — just flashbacks.

Alright, I’m done slamming

the movie.

Let’s look at the pros: Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey. Their characters had more complexity than the two leads and were far more entertaining. In one scene, Bridges frolics in a large field with hippies. Genius.

Ultimately, it was entertaining, even if there wasn’t a conclusion to the film. All the acid dropping is enough reason to rent it.

Caitlin Thomas can be reached at arts-entertainment@nevadasagebrush.com.

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