We all keep hearing from the media that times are getting increasingly stressful. The cost of living is constantly rising, while wages never seem to be. On a daily basis we are caught in the middle of ongoing political battles, where we are viewed as nothing more than poll numbers and leverage. So what else can we add on to the list of things to worry about? Well, there’s tax increases, global warming, terrorism, the H1N1 virus, children floating away in giant weather balloons, parents lying about children floating away in giant weather balloons and Kanye West trying to steal awards from little girls, just to name a few. So what’s my point? It’s always nice to see a movie that will just make you laugh, and forget about the latest impending disaster.
Friday night I saw “The Men Who Stare at Goats,” and it did not disappoint me.
Ewan McGregor stars as Bob Wilton, a journalist, whose wife leaves him for his editor. Distraught, Wilton heads to Kuwait to become a combat journalist. As he is waiting to get into Iraq, Wilton meets a man named Lyn Cassady, played by George Clooney, who claims to be a psychic-or “Jedi”-warrior, reactivated by the United States military, post 9/11. Intrigued that there must be a newsworthy story surrounding Cassady, Wilton follows him on his mission.
During their travels, Wilton learns of the origins of the New Earth Army, a secret military program started in 1979 at Fort Bragg, N.C., to train recruits into psychic warrior monks. The program began when the United States received botched intelligence that stated the Russians were training their own group of psychic soldiers. In charge of the New Earth Army is the spiritually enlightened Bill Django, played by Jeff Bridges. Monks of the program are trained to use the power of their minds to make themselves invisible, pass through walls and even kill a goat by just staring at it. The goats were chosen after many recruits refused to hurt the previous specimens, puppies.
The film, based on the book by Jon Ronson, was directed by Grant Heslov and produced by Smoke House and BBC Films.
The thing I really enjoyed about this movie was that there were jokes throughout the entire movie. Although some of them fell short, the movie kept me laughing the entire time. While there was a very loosely put together plot, the movie was able to avoid many of those “nothing’s happening” dead spaces. While Clooney and McGregor were the main focus of the movie, I felt that Jeff Bridges stole the screen. His performance in this movie reminded me of a continuation of his previous role, The Dude, from “The Big Lebowski.”
The movie, set in the Middle East, was filmed in parts of Puerto Rico and New Mexico and featured some great cinematography. One of my favorite jokes of the film was how the men in the New Earth Army kept telling Ewan McGregor that they were “Jedi” warriors. I’m sure no Star Wars fan missed that reference to Ewan McGregor, who played the young Obi Wan Kenobi. Overlooking its shortcomings, this was a good movie. If you want a movie with substance, there is not much here. However, if you are looking to laugh for an hour and a half, this is the movie to see. Personally, I would recommend you see it at least once. After that, I think you will want to see it again. I know I do.
