Colonnade

Issue date: 11/6/09 Section: Reviews

"The Men Who Stare at Goats" is "The Big Lebowski" of war in Iraq-based films. A lot of people (including myself) love the pointless Coen brothers' comedy for the simple fact that it has no point whatsoever, and anyone looking for a scape-goat of political satire and witty humor shall look no further. Grant Heslov comes off a little shaky in his debut as a director, but his Oscar-caliber reputation as a screenwriter clearly elevates him to a level of appeal that should help redeem any rookie mistakes made along the way.

The plot of the film is centered on a reporter named Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) who has just been through a rough divorce and is now hoping to get back on his feet by covering stories for the Iraq War. It's never quite clear what he's out to prove to his ex-wife or to himself, but all sense of logic goes completely out the door when he meets Lyn Cassady (George Clooney), a Special Forces operator who claims to be part of an experimental unit of the military.

"Experimental" is really a colorful term for Lyn's character, but it also goes a long way in the process as he shares the psychiatric details of this "New Earth Army" he so proudly represents. Apparently there is a mind-boggling mission in the works, and the leader of NEA (Jeff Bridges) has been kidnapped. It is now up to Wilton and his new found idiot of a friend to embark on a dangerous journey that will lead them to another psychotic super soldier (Kevin Spacey) who has plans of his own for this new form of combat where fighters can literally read the minds of enemy militia, pass through walls and kill goats by simply looking them in the eye.

The film never fully clarifies just what exactly goats have to do with anything, but as I said earlier, this is not a movie about politics, or foreign affairs for that matter. This is a classic example of a film that takes full advantage of a stellar cast, and then executes the vast range of talent in a way that somehow pays off when nothing else will.

Heslov and Clooney have worked together on numerous projects in recent years, and given the arrangement of occupations here, it would appear as though "Men Who Stare at Goats" is Clooney's way of returning the favor for Heslov's brilliant screenplay in "Good Night and Good Luck." Heslov knows how to pen his words on all the right notes, but his focus gets a bit shady when the humorous narrative hits an occasional dry spot. It's not so much a pause of boredom as Heslov keeps a tight grip on the 90-minute run time, but it's rarely a pause for the cause as we await the next good scene.

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