Movie Review: The Men Who Stare At Goats. Not for goat lovers...

A few years ago Fight Club read a book called "Them, Adventures with Extremists" by British journalist Jon Ronson. I enjoyed the book and found it funny, scary and so incredulous it had to be true. I have not read Ronson's other book but based on Them, I was very excited to see the movie version of "Men Who Stare at Goats." Starring George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey and a host of others, I was sure the theater would be packed. Nope. Joe and I went with Charlie, Ben and Sarah. About 10 minutes in I could hear Sarah sighing and she looked at me and said "This isn't funny." At least I think that is what she said. I had a hard time hearing her because I was laughing so loudly.

The basic premise of the movie is that the US Government had a secret unit called the First Earth Army based on the New Age movement. The FEA trained a group of men to develop their psychic abilities, helping them "Be all they could be." The secret group of warrier monks would:

Seek your own personal path to God
Actively improve your physical condition.
Master mental self control for combat.
Understand others.
Reinforce team interdependence.
Actively serve people and planet.
Indulge in happiness and humor.

There were several levels of ability ranging from sparkly eyes and total observation to remote viewing, running through walls and the ability to stop the heart of an animal by staring at it, hence the movie and book title. The premise to the average person probably sounds a little far fetched, and that is the appeal of the movie. It sounds so ridiculous and yet I tend to think a lot of it probably happened!

George Clooney is fantastic in this role. He has a great sense of comedic timing and his facial expressions sell the role. Throughout the movie you know he is crazy and yet you grow to admire his belief system. There are so many layers of humor that I think I laughed pretty much non stop. The super spies are also referred to as Jedis and there are some great lines with Ewan McGregor saying things like "You really think I could be a Jedi?" Kevin Spacey plays a snobbish ass like no one else and overall the casting is perfect.

Sarah and Ben hated it and she said if she was on the aisle she would have left. Joe, Charlie and I liked it and Joe and I were laughing about scenes all the way home. Maybe the fact that we read "Them" helped Joe, Charlie and me like this movie so much. Ronson has a unique way of story telling and he has a dry, almost subtle sense of humor. I have talked to a few other co-workers who also saw it and most enjoyed it immensely. I am worried it is not going to do well, but I loved it and am interested in reading the book which apparently has a darker ending than the movie.

The Men Who Stare at Goats opens this weekend or you can check out the book by the same name by Jon Ronson. I'd recommend either for a story too good not to be true.

From the First Earth Battalion website (yes, this is real):

Between the crack of time and the fold of space there is an impulse to seek the fullness of life. Let there be the slipstream of knowing that penetrates in the flash of an eye to the core of the prize. Let that edge of knowing blaze a trail of pure magic for the spiritual warriors of the galaxy to rise again in the grist of the great surge forward and strike the banner of pure heart into the midst of the fury and bring her all — home again.