George Clooney proclaims to Ewan McGregor in the newest film directed by Grant Heslov.  The irony in the statement is obvious as McGregor is most well known for his portrayal of the Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The Men Who Stare at Goats, which is based off a book by the same title, is an account of the author’s investigation of the studies done by the U.S military into psychic abilities.  Therefore, “More of this is true than you would believe.”  The film centers around Bob Wilton, a reporter for a local newspaper.  Wilton, as played by the talented McGregor, has his life turned upside down when a coworker suddenly dies of a heart attack in the office.  Bob’s wife, a secretary for his editor, decides life is too short and promptly leaves him for their boss.  Alone and abandoned, Walton decides to go to Iraq, but finds himself sticking out like a sore thumb.  At the hotel bar, Bob has a chance encounter with Lynn Cassidy, a man who was aforementioned to Bob by a nutcase he had interviewed earlier.  During the interview, the interviewee claimed that both he and Cassidy were part of a secret government project that trained super soldiers with psychic abilities.  Walton approaches Cassidy and the two embark on a secret mission that involves traipsing through the desert to an indescript location known only to Cassidy.  Along the way, Lynn shares with Bob how he came to be the “Jedi” he is and what eventually happened that led him to the dark side.  

The Men Who Stare at Goats is a funny film.  The problem with it is that the jokes are too obvious and of the formulaic slap stick variety that guarantees a cheap laugh and nothing more.  Both Clooney and McGregor pull off their roles seamlessly.  And while McGregor’s talent is much appreciated, it almost seems like the film was indebted to his presence.  A lot of the jokes, which may not have been meant to be funny in the first place, were entertaining for the simple fact that McGregor’s most prominent role was as the very thing he wishes to learn so much about here.  It is also ironic that a lot of the “skills” Cassidy trains himself in, such as invisibility, remote locating people, and seeing through objects, were never part of the Jedi repertoire to begin with.

The film is very slow paced, and at times borderlines on being boring, frequently leaving the audience wondering whether what we are presented with is pertinent information.  The events that happen to Walton and Cassidy range from unfortunate to downright unlucky and unbelievable.  In fact, the main issue with this movie is whether or not we as the audience should take it seriously.  The perfect example to contrast this film with is the recent, Zombieland.  Here was a film that acknowledged its own ridiculousness and reveled in it.  Consequentially, Zombieland was an entertaining, fun movie to watch.  Whereas, The Men Who Stare at Goats purports to be about a serious subject, that psychic abilities really do exist, and yet at the same time shows us the most ridiculous of situations and events.  How are we to take anything it shows us seriously and still be able to enjoy the film?

Ultimately, The Men Who Stare at Goats fails to captivate.  The characters are too transparent and at the same time, unbelievable to make this film interesting.  The events that transpire are too coincidental and the plot riddled with numerous holes.  The film takes itself too seriously for it to be the comedic film we would like it to be, and that ultimately, makes it a failure.

Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1234548/