Loosely based on British writer Jon Ronson’s book of the same name, The Men Who Stare At Goats follows Ewan McGregor - taking on Ronson’s role as frustrated journalist Bob Wilton, somewhat unnecessarily rewritten in the film as an American. As a result of various farcical events and coincidences Wilton finds himself in Kuwait, anxiously hoping to make it over the border into Iraq, until he meets former solider - or ‘Jedi Warrior’ as he refers to himself - Lynn Cassady, suavely played (as ever) by George Clooney, who introduces Wilton to the potentially bigger story of the secret division of the army he used to belong to which researched the possibilities of psychic warfare.
Photographed by Robert Elswitt who won the Oscar for There Will Be Blood, the film is definitely one of the best looking comedies in recent memory, even managing to make Middle Eastern Desert (although it was actually shot in New Mexico) look beautiful. However, unfortunately the same care isn’t paid to the film’s script, the main problem of which is that it feels like a collection of sketches – none of the characters are given room to develop beyond being amusing and whacky. As a result the film has to rely on fairly extensive voice over from McGregor to tie the plot together, so it doesn’t help matters that his character is little more pleasantly bland. Ultimately the film offers a lot of laughs, but falls down wherever it tries to introduce anything more meaningful, such as Cassady’s fears about his own mortality, or the sad fate that befalls the divisions leader Bill Django (portrayed by Jeff Bridges in full on Dude mode) and as a result ends up being little more than amusing, yet forgettable entertainment.
