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The Men Who Stare At Goats |  | Director: Grant Heslov
Actors: George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges
Studio: Overture Films/Anchor Bay Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: $29.98
Buy Used: $3.24
as of 7/31/2010 12:34 MDT details
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Rating:  113 reviews
Sales Rank: 1830
Format: Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Unknown), English (Original Language)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Discs: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Running Time: 94 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.7
MPN: 013132137094
UPC: 013132137094
EAN: 0013132137094
ASIN: B002VECMAE
Theatrical Release Date: November 6, 2009
Release Date: March 23, 2010
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Reporter gets caught up in clandestine psychic army.
Amazon.com
Hard to define but easy to enjoy, The Men Who Stare at Goats is the preposterous yet more-true-than-not story of a small-town journalist named Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) who, trying to prove himself in Iraq, stumbles upon a man named Lyn Cassady (George Clooney) who claims to be a psychic spy for the U.S. Army. With dazzling cinematic efficiency, the movie bounces back and forth between the origins of the New Earth Army--a squad of American Jedi warriors--and Bob and Lyn wandering through war-torn Iraq, pursuing a mission that turns out to have been assigned by a vision. The movie shifts from giddy comedy to melancholy as a portrait of human pettiness, manifested in military paranoia and corporate greed, unfolds. The ending loses a bit of steam, but most of The Men Who Stare at Goats is a delight--unusual yet satisfying, funny and thoughtful in turns. Jeff Bridges plays--of course--the addled yet charismatic founder of the New Earth Army, while Kevin Spacey plays--of course--the weaselly, manipulative psychic spy who turns what was meant to transform the world for the better into a mechanism for propaganda and worse. Adapted from the bestselling nonfiction book of the same title by British journalist Jon Ronson, The Men Who Stare at Goats niftily balances surface lunacy with serious undercurrents, buoyed by excellent performances from all involved. --Bret Fetzer
Stills from The Men Who Stare At Goats (Click for larger image)
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 113
 The Best of the Best March 31, 2010
Phoebe Saffold
15 out of 17 found this review helpful
Realizing that I am not a typical viewer, I don't expect everyone to fall madly in love with this movie. But I did. The first time I saw it I loved it. The next day I watched it again and fell even more deeply in love. I had tears in my eyes at the end. It is smart, well made, light and deep at the same time. If you are one of the people who fall in love with this movie, you will know that, like the Jedi warriors in the film, you are part of a self selected group, a group with a certain mission in life, however vague that may seem to you. Just by loving the movie you are doing your part. The last movie I loved this much was "Groundhog Day."
I am already making plans to watch the movie over and over until I have memorized all the dialog. It's that kind of movie, and I'm that kind of psychic nerd.
Five if you are former CIA or SOF, rest of world will not get it May 7, 2010
Robert D. Steele (Oakton, VA United States)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
An extraordinarily talented and experienced international law enforcement officer watched this on loan from me before I saw it, and hated it. Now that I have watched it myself, I understand--if you have not been deeply engaged with CIA and all of its idiocyncrasies including remote viewing, acoustic-kitty, the pigeons that came before Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), and then over to SOF (Special Operations Forces) where "unconventional" had to go covert to survive the straight-leg generals with no clue, you will simply not appreciate this movie.
DanD nails it--this is satire and also a brilliant documentary of what can only be decribed as a well-intentioned long-running Goat F..k. The movie is a collage of several different real initiatives including the First Earth Battalion (I knew a couple of the principals, decades ahead of their time); the Peace Warrior initiative, and of course Remote Viewing, the CIA's notorious MKULTRA and LSD for unwitting victims, and so on.
At one point in the movie the two principal actors are discussing the remorse--the angst--over having used his power to actually killing a goat with his mind, and the other guy pops in with "Silence of the Goats." That just about sums it up--this is, for someone steeped in the well-intentioned lunacy of the past--a perfect five, and I have to believe that the world-class actors that decided to do this did it knowing that it would be misunderstood by many, but a real hoot among the veterans of the seventies and eighties.
The only thing not in here, certainly worthy of a sequel to this movie, is extra-terrestial encounters, leveraging extra-terrestial technologies, warnings from extraterrestials [humans now being in a state of quarentine for being stupid squared], and the exotic, wasteful, and generally hilarious methods used to keep Area 51 and related projects "secret."
See also:
Peaceful Warrior (Widescreen)
First Earth Battalion Operations Manual: Reprint of Original Manual from the 70's
On the Psychology of Military Incompetence
Psychic Warrior
Psychic Warrior: The True Story of America's Foremost Psychic Spy and the Cover-Up of the CIA's Top-Secret Stargate Program
Memoirs of a Psychic Spy: The Remarkable Life of U.S. Government Remote Viewer 001
Hidden Secrets: The Complete History of Espionage and the Technology Used to Support ItHidden Truth: Forbidden Knowledge
Disclosure : Military and Government Witnesses Reveal the Greatest Secrets in Modern History
Hidden Truth: Forbidden Knowledge
Underrated War Satire Delivers on DVD March 22, 2010
Cubist (United States)
17 out of 21 found this review helpful
After making serious political films like Syriana (Widescreen Edition) and Good Night, and Good Luck (Widescreen Edition), it's nice to see George Clooney starring in a political satire that is funny but still has something to say as it shows the absurdity of the war in Iraq. The Men Who Stare at Goats falls under the truth is stranger than fiction category as it presents a story populated by eccentric characters and tall tales, some of which might be true. Regardless, it is an entertaining film with a wonderfully oddball sense of humor. Don't be put off by the setting. Although it takes place in Iraq, The Men Who Stare at Goats is not weighed down by the baggage of this war.
There is an audio commentary by the film's director Grant Heslov. He points out certain characters that are composites but is quick to explain that what they say comes from Jon Ronson's book The Men Who Stare at Goats. He sometimes spends too much time telling us where certain scenes were shot which gets tiresome pretty fast. Heslov's focus is mostly on the nuts and bolts of filmmaking but done in a fairly dry and uninteresting way.
Also included is a commentary by the book's author Jon Ronson. He points out the scenes that are based on real incidents and talks about meeting the actual people that the characters are based on. He also explains who the composite characters are and tells all sorts of fascinating anecdotes. If you want to learn more the people and events behind the ones depicted in the film, this is worth a listen if only to find out how much is taken from his book and experiences.
"Goats Declassified: The Real Men of the First Earth Battalion" features some of the actual military personnel depicted The Men Who Stare at Goats. They talk about some of their intentions. We also learn about how this top secret unit's techniques were brought to light. It's great to hear from the actual people as they tell their fascinating stories.
"Project `Hollywood': A Classified Report from the Set" takes a brief look at the origins of the film and how it got made. Several of the lead actors talk about their characters and there's footage of them having fun on location.
"Character Bios" is a collection of trailer for the film emphasizing several key characters.
Also included is four minutes of deleted scenes. There is more flashback footage some of which should've stayed in as it's quite funny.
Finally, there is a theatrical trailer.
Laugh out loud funny stuff March 31, 2010
Lisa Chaddock (San Diego, California)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
The jedi jokes are only the beginning of this wild ride of a film. I'd send anyone on this trip through the mental desert of psi warfare. I am still chuckling over some of the lines, and the acting is top notch. Some folks may not get all the humor, but if you remember any of the first or second Star Wars movies, you'll enjoy this film. Any truth to it? Who knows exactly how much, but even without the 'true story' factor, 'goats' stands on it's own.
rarely, if ever, enjoyed a movie more April 1, 2010
jehren (houston, tx)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I adore this movie. I've spoken to others who agree that you either love it or think, "Meh, could've been better," or "I didn't get it."
My husband and I saw this in the theater and laughed and laughed throughout, later agreeing that neither of us had ever enjoyed a movie better. We walked in with no expectations and walked away in very high spirits.
On a side note, I agree with an earlier reviewer comparing this to a Bill Murray movie (not that there is any need to make comparisons, but I think its in line with that sort of humor).
Showing reviews 1-5 of 113
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