SunnyHello Nice effects though.

TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Calum Hutton It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

cricketbat The Men Who Stare At Goats is an entertaining film as you're watching it, but, after it's over, you really don't know what to make of it all. Most of the time I spent wondering how much of it is based on actual events. This movie dances between sharp political satire and Coen-brothers-style farce. It doesn't really go anywhere, but the ride is fun.

NateWatchesCoolMovies There's a scene early on in The Men Who Stare at goats where hapless General Dean Hopgood (Stephen Lang) attempts a platform 9 & 3 quarters style sprint towards a solid wall, in attempt to use 'psychic abilities' he is being taught at a hush-hush military base. He smashes headlong into it, and in the most deadpan drawl, mutters "damn" in all seriousness. This one moment sort of sums up the absurd vibe that thrums throughout the whole film. It's kind of like a Coen Brothers thing; you either get it or you don't. This film isn't quite as hilarious as it's sister, Burn After Reading, but damn if it doesn't try, and come out with some really weird and memorable stuff. It's colorful hogwash that the cast sells with the enthusiasm of a drunken used car salesman, and speaking of cast, wow there are a lot of heavy hitters playing in the sandbox here. George Clooney, in yet another of his patented lovable goof roles, plays Lyn Cassidy, a former US Army nutjob who claims to have been a part of a clandestine program called the New Earth Army, employing paranormal powers in their missions. Bemused journalist Ewan McGregor is shanghai'd into following him on a mad goose chase to find out if any of his stories are true, but mostly just to babysit him, as he's kind of a walking disaster. Ineptitude reaches a breaking point when we meet pseudo hippie Bill Django, played by Jeff Bridges who channels every other oddball role he's done for maximum effect. Bill headed up the program until he got stymied by opposing official Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey), a tight ass skeptic with no patience for such silliness. In fact, one must have a huge tolerance for such silliness to sit through this, and a sense of humour just south of normal to appreciate what it has to offer. I have both, and greatly enjoyed it, despite being thoroughly bewildered. Watch for Stephen Root, Glenn Moreshower, Rebecca Mader, Nick Offerman and good old Robert Patrick in a cameo as some sort of vague spy dude. A clown show to rival a high school play, no doubt, and I mean that as a compliment.

Rameshwar IN Its not new in Hollywood to present bland silliness and satire packaged with utmost seriousness, 'The Men Who Stare at Goats' comes off initially as a potential winner from this genre. While it had the necessary humor and a stellar star-cast capable of enacting that, the script neither reaches the edginess it should have nor pushes the boundary to make this movie memorable.Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) is a journalist by profession and going through a professional and personal crisis that he is so desperate to get out of. When he meets Gus Lacey (Stephen Root) and hears about the US Army's 'New Earth Army' that deals with parapsychology and psychic capabilities trained by Bill Django (Jeff Bridges), he knows that he encountered the story he has been waiting for that could get him out of his crisis. He meets Lyn Cassady (George Clooney) by chance in Iraq and tags along with him into wilderness to cover a 'mission' in action.George Clooney and Jeff Bridges have played goofy characters in the past - 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?' and 'The Big Lebowski' respectively, a little disappointed that they don't share enough screen space. However it was more than compensated with some crackling chemistry and impeccable comic timing between McGregor and Clooney. While the writers, director and editors succeed in setting up an interesting plot taking cues from disjointed real events, the audience would be stuck in a never ending wait for the stakes to go up. Kevin Spacey does a character he has done a thousand times over and seems to have sleepwalked it. The production values are excellent all thanks to the big cast it boasts of, though the quality of humor is great, the jokes are a little too few and far to get wholesome entertainment. Though the director Grant Heslov is not new to Hollywood, it is still his debut of directing a major Hollywood feature and does a decent job.Watch it for the satire, crackling chemistry and comic timing between Clooney and McGregor. Feels like a meal that finished with just the appetizers.

punishmentpark A good-hearted film; funny, witty, with some actual criticism that works undercover of a crazy, but (partly) true story. Clairvoyance and such have been much tried to put to use while trying to rule a kingdom at the same time all throughout history, so why shouldn't the Americans and / or the Russians have a go? But the point is that - beside the point of this intelligence being real or not - there are always forces that will take it too far, or simply abuse it. Here, this force is named Larry Hopper, fortunately with the Jedi on his tail.Though I found the story a little dull and easy at times, it's overall entertaining and in its better moments even surprising and touching. I'm beginning to think I'm not much of a fan of McGregor, but I can't say I think he's a bad actor - the same goes for Spacey, I suppose. Bridges, Clooney and Lang were my favorites here. Filmicly, it was not at all superior, but not bad either.A meager 7 out of 10.