The Men Who Stare At Goats: A Plot in Search of a Movie

Grant Heslov's movie The Men Who Stare At Goats is a good premise stuck in a mess of a movie. Based on a stranger-than-fiction book about paranormal research within the U.S. military, it should be a black comedy about the lengths to which our army will go to kill people. Instead, it's a collection of tonally tin-eared, quirky setpieces that strain believability and almost completely ignore the human cost of the Iraq War during which the movie is set. In particular, it pales in comparison to George Clooney's previous Middle Eastern dramedies, the brilliant Three Kings and fitfully brilliant Syriana.

The cast of Goats is a mixed bag. George Clooney is terrific playing a character convinced he's always in control, all circumstances to the contrary; Ewan McGregor is a complete zero as Clooney's straight man, a journalist unsure of what to make of all the supernatural stuff Clooney is talking about. Jeff Bridges is fantastic as the hippie founder of the Army's psychic warrior squadron; Kevin Spacey isn't nearly gleeful enough as the antagonist who subverts them to his own ends.

Heslov has many talents, many of which were on display when he cowrote, coproduced, and appeared in Good Night, and Good Luck, and was nominated for two Oscars on that movie. He's a fine actor and fine producer, along with his production partner George Clooney. Indeed, for Goats, Heslov the producer was much more impressive than Heslov the director, as evidenced by the muddled work done by a terrific cast, and the fact that the opening weekend grossed more than half the film's production budget, putting the movie well on the way to making a tidy profit.

For all its flaws, it's not a terrible movie, simply a mediocre one -- and it's already one of the highest-grossing movies ever made about the Iraq War. It avoids many of the most egregious sins of prior Iraq War movies, leaden political screeds far less interested in storytelling than preaching to the choir. This movie simply wants to be a light comedy about weirdness in the Army. Far better that it's too light than too heavy.

Rating: 50

Crossposted at Remingtonstein.

 

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Comments

[mikebarden]

When is: The Men Who Stare At Breasts gonna come out?

[CAMBEL]

It's gotten to the point where I now see "Starring George Clooney" and know to avoid the movie. He was in a great movie ages ago called "Out of Sight" but in recent years his choices have been scattershot.

[GoingApricot]

"it should be a black comedy about the lengths to which our army will go to kill people"

"completely ignore the human cost of the Iraq War"

Sounds to me like you should write, produce, cast and direct a movie yourself.

The movie addresses the "human cost of the Iraq war" as a satire of how absolutely stupid the military can be.

Of what happens when witch doctors, soothsayers, and astrologists (or, alternately, Christians who believe in the divine right of kings and use words like "crusade" and "we will prevail with God's help") get their hands on the machinery that takes us to war.

Of the googobs of cash that the Pentagon has funneled into the hands of private contractors regardless of their ability actually to produce anything worthwhile.

Notice how sincere Lyn is in his belief in utter foolishness. It's charming, silly, and dangerous. Much like a recent American President.

The reporter gets sucked into his delusions much like our own media's in the runup to the war. Did the filmmakers intend that? I dunno, but I liked the parallel.

The most cynical of the dingbats becomes a war profiteer. Direct commentary? Likely.

The movie has a flawed narrative, IMHO, but that has to do with the nature of plot and establishing an audience's expectations for what comes next, suspense and surprise, and not my own lofty ideas of what the movie should'a-w­oulda-coul­da been. Not to mention I laughed my a** off.

doitinpriv­ate.blogsp­ot.com

[Alex Remington - Huffpost Blogger]

The thing is, it's not a satire -- it's based on a true story, for heaven's sake!