The Men Who Stare At Goats [DVD] [2009]

I absolutely adore this film. I’ve watched a couple of Jon Ronson’s TED talks, and The Psychopath Test (one of his books), is one of my favourites; I love the way he writes. This film does a fantastic job at incorporating his humorous finesses and factual additions. Of course, not all of it is completely in-line with the book, but I found it VERY entertaining, and George Clooney’s role was just added eye-candy. They’ve changed a lot of names, but that’s to be expected (e.g. the New Earth Army was actually called the First Earth Battalion, but they did seem to use the real manual in the film). A bunch of soldiers holding flowers and doing yoga is a hell of a lot funnier than you’d think! Fantastic actors, for a fantastic story.

This film is actually based on facts, just check CREST - the CIA Report Search Tool - and you will see for yourself how important the powers that be considered the field of psychic research. Typing in 'psychic powers' for instance, reveals pages of documents on just this sort of thing.Anyway, back to the film. It's basically a black comedy dealing with the formation of a special forces unit commanded by various nutballs, represented by the actors you see listed. George Clooney hams it up, convincing wet-behind-the-ears reporter Ewan McGregor that he has special powers, and so the pair of them decamp to Iraq, where they manage to find the remnants of the old unit holed up in the desert. Very well made and extremely funny, it is surprisingly watchable.

This is one of the funniest films I've ever seen.It's heart well and truly in the right place, Ewan takes us on this gloriously daft adventure into the more 'interesting' elements of American military history. Both Jeff Bridges and George Clooney give epic performances. There is so much to love about this film, I don't know where to begin. Often original and laugh out loud funny, it actually to some extend reminded me of the military school I went to plus all the drugs.Just one point of nerdism from me: The all seeing eye is not 'the symbol of the Jedi'. PMSL.Wonderful film, and gives me faith in mankind.

The Men Who Stare at Goats is a seriously under-rated film with mental chuckles almost every second of the way. Those looking for banal belly laughs should probably avoid this flick, but anyone with a relative or friend who was (or still is) affected by flower-power, or who has served in any of the armed forces is in for a good time from the second scene on. (The first scene helps set up the second scene, so don't worry. You'll catch on pretty quickly).If you have never experienced military discipline, just use a parallel path: was school routine full of serious nutters in charge and your class mates included some odd-balls, weirdos and eccentrics who provided light relief? If so, this celluloid on a DVD will suit you too.The Men Who Stare at Goats has a cast list that provokes the question: why? The answer: they must have been lining up to take part in this cerebral adventure-cum-comedy. The plot involves a time warp that brings together Hippy-dom and Psy-Ops to fight a war that is definitely current. The mix brings humour to the Iraq-Afghanistan conflict the way M*A*S*H brought chuckles to the Korean (and even Vietnam) experiences. The movie provokes thought too. Politically "correct" behaviour is put under the microscope. How do we view conflict and conflict resolution are subjects that come under scrutiny, so the audience will have something to ponder for quite a while. But that is not the point: this flick is for fun.Yes, it works. But it helps if the viewer is aware of his/her "other" side... if this explanation is beyond you, there's a good chance the film will be as well. (Fans of Mr Bean might prefer a different product).

A pleasantly amusing film to whiter away an evening. A smart little script with a lot of good laughs and an excellent cast. Its a bit of a film that seems to have passed most people by and in fairness its more of a rental/purchase movie that probably comes across better than it would in a cinema.Switching between the training of hippie commando's in the 80's and a current mission in Iraq the film passes nicely and brings you into the characters story. Clooney is fantastic as the paranoid psychic Lyn Cassady equally matched by McGregor's earnest reporter Bob Wilton. Bridges and Spacey who play the hippie commander and snake in the grass bad apple get less screen time but make their presence felt.All in all nice little film and recommended.

A disappointment with such a huge star cast. Someone please tell George Clooney not to work in comic roles. Stick to heist movies or maybe do some serious roles. Kevin Spacey....why did you ever accept this role? Bad decision. Jeff Bridges - nice try but ......no. Movie was good in parts but couldn't end properly and left a bad impression. On a positive note, I would say that this movie can be fun to watch on DVD because there are a few scenes which were funny and you could press the 'rewind' button. "Hail the Jedi!"... heh heh heh.... Maybe it is just me, but do not watch this movie with people who have little patience with slow screenplay. In fact, I can't recommend it at all, sorry.

Would you believe this is a true story, or based on 30 years worth packed into the time of the film but even the character that lynn is based on likes it! (think his real name is Glyn though)

It's a great story with touches of humour. It also says you would not believe how close this is to the truth. Very interesting.