Read the FBOTU Review of The Men Who Stare at Goats after the jump!
Before I talk about The Men Who Stare at Goats, I think it’s important to make a confession. Countless times throughout my childhood (and into my adulthood), I’ve made sincere attempts to call upon the power of the Force. I know I’m not alone in this. As a kid, I thought if I just concentrated and controlled my emotions, I could totally move an X-Wing out of a swamp. I tried this on action figures, pencils, the occasional bully. But as any gay boy who’s ever twitched his nose or crossed his arms and blinked can tell you, harnessing mystical forces isn’t as easy as it looks.
A few years ago, I found myself commuting an hour and a half to work every morning and afternoon. It was a long, grueling drive on the 101 and I quickly developed a debilitating case of road rage. After a couple of months, it was clear the rage was going to kill me long before the drive ever would. So I embarked upon an exercise. Some might call it meditation, but I called it my Jedi training, and by calling upon the Force, my rage dissipated, and the drive became almost pleasant.
I bring all this up, because at the foundation of The Men Who Stare at Goats is the longing for some control over our environment and our lives. In the military, where lives are in constant jeopardy, this is an especially tantalizing idea. What if we could prevent war with the wave of a hand or mind control? If you were recruited for Jedi training, how could you resist?
The Men Who Stare at Goats is about the US military’s attempt to create a company of psychically empowered soldiers, or Jedi Warriors, as they call themselves. Jeff Bridges is, of course, in charge of this project and recruits the likes of George Clooney and Kevin Spacey to be his Padawan learners. Speaking of Padawans…years later, a journalist (Ewan McGregor) embeds himself in Iraq, happens upon Clooney and soon learns all about the rise and fall of the Jedi.
It’s a clever concept, with a few good chuckles. Most of the humor, though, comes from seeing actors like Clooney, Bridges and Spacey invest themselves so seriously in the task of becoming Jedi Warriors. That McGregor is skeptical of all of this is played for laughs, and I must admit that, as a fanboy, I probably enjoyed this aspect more than the rest of the audience. Goats follows a long storytelling tradition where a journalist finds himself immersed in some adventure for the sake of a story, but then ultimately becomes part of the story himself. In those terms, it’s a rather predictable ride. However, the performances and in-jokes, as well as that universal desire for even a little cosmic control, makes this a pleasant enough comedy that should hold up well under multiple viewings. Plus, it provides the much-appreciated cinematic return of Ewan’s bare ass, so what’s not to like?
On the FBOTU Scale of Fabulousness, I give The Men Who Stare at Goats 3 out of 5 nudge-nudge/wink-wink emoticons:
Movie Review: Goat Wars
By Chance
November 10, 2009 at 3:12AM EDT
Before I talk about The Men Who Stare at Goats, I think it’s important to make a confession. Countless times throughout my childhood (and into my adulthood), I’ve made sincere attempts to call upon the power of the Force. I know I’m not alone in this. As a kid, I thought if I just concentrated and controlled my emotions, I could totally move an X-Wing out of a swamp. I tried this on action figures, pencils, the occasional bully. But as any gay boy who’s ever twitched his nose or crossed his arms and blinked can tell you, harnessing mystical forces isn’t as easy as it looks.
A few years ago, I found myself commuting an hour and a half to work every morning and afternoon. It was a long, grueling drive on the 101 and I quickly developed a debilitating case of road rage. After a couple of months, it was clear the rage was going to kill me long before the drive ever would. So I embarked upon an exercise. Some might call it meditation, but I called it my Jedi training, and by calling upon the Force, my rage dissipated, and the drive became almost pleasant.
I bring all this up, because at the foundation of The Men Who Stare at Goats is the longing for some control over our environment and our lives. In the military, where lives are in constant jeopardy, this is an especially tantalizing idea. What if we could prevent war with the wave of a hand or mind control? If you were recruited for Jedi training, how could you resist?
The Men Who Stare at Goats is about the US military’s attempt to create a company of psychically empowered soldiers, or Jedi Warriors, as they call themselves. Jeff Bridges is, of course, in charge of this project and recruits the likes of George Clooney and Kevin Spacey to be his Padawan learners. Speaking of Padawans…years later, a journalist (Ewan McGregor) embeds himself in Iraq, happens upon Clooney and soon learns all about the rise and fall of the Jedi.
It’s a clever concept, with a few good chuckles. Most of the humor, though, comes from seeing actors like Clooney, Bridges and Spacey invest themselves so seriously in the task of becoming Jedi Warriors. That McGregor is skeptical of all of this is played for laughs, and I must admit that, as a fanboy, I probably enjoyed this aspect more than the rest of the audience. Goats follows a long storytelling tradition where a journalist finds himself immersed in some adventure for the sake of a story, but then ultimately becomes part of the story himself. In those terms, it’s a rather predictable ride. However, the performances and in-jokes, as well as that universal desire for even a little cosmic control, makes this a pleasant enough comedy that should hold up well under multiple viewings. Plus, it provides the much-appreciated cinematic return of Ewan’s bare ass, so what’s not to like?
On the FBOTU Scale of Fabulousness, I give The Men Who Stare at Goats 3 out of 5 nudge-nudge/wink-wink emoticons:
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