Men Who Stare At Goats
Overture Films
8/10
Nearly every time I have seen George Clooney in a film, I think one of two things: “He was the WORST Batman” or “I wonder how E.R. ended.” Now was not one of those times. In Men Who Stare At Goats, Clooney and an accent-less Ewen MacGregor take a surreal journey through the borderlands of the U.S. military and the paranormal. I know, it’s fucking weird. However, with the help of a very despicable Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges being Dude-like once more, they pull it off in a hilarious series of subtle jokes and bizarre cut scenes.
Having gone into it without actually having seen any of the previews was probably the best thing I could have done, as having no expectations minimized the possibility of having them gone unmet. Interesting characters and well-written and performed dialogue mask the opaque plot and easily foreseen ending that detracted a bit from the film. I mean, sure, I love movies with little to no plot (Armageddon, Big Lebowski, most porn), but the endings you can call a quarter of the way in certainly make me feel like they could have tried harder in that aspect. So, should you care about things like “plot” and “acting” more than “funny” and “dying hamsters”, avoid Men, but, if you go to a flick to be entertained versus looking for a moving experience, go go go!
–Jonathan Yost