Imagine peace. Hug trees. Be like the eagle and soar.
This may not appear to be a sound military strategy, but this was the U.S. Army's idea in the 1970s.
It didn't quite work out.
The Men Who Stare At Goats is a nice attempt at tackling a bizarre chapter in U.S. military history. But much like the absurd ideas some of the characters follow, the film falls flat on its face. It doesn't have the right tone or satirical punch that makes great mock-epics like Dr. Strangelove work. And no one loves the bomb.
The Men Who Stare At Goats follows Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor, Amelia), a small-time journalist who goes to Iraq on the eve of the invasion to reinvigorate his life. He meets Lyn Cassady (George Clooney, Burn After Reading), the lead he's been dreaming of.
Cassady reveals to Wilton that he is a secret military operative specializing in psychological warfare. He's been sent to Iraq to find Col. Bill Django (Jeff Bridges, A Dog Year), his shaggy-haired former commanding officer.
Django is the founder of the First Earth Battalion, whose objective is to find paranormal and therapeutic ways to subdue the enemy. The men of the battalion have long hair, practice yoga and don't have to address their officers as 'sir.' The battalion thrived in the '80s, but was disbanded when their unconventional practices yielded bad results.
Wilton is fascinated by Cassady's story, but doesn't believe it, as their predicament in Iraq get worse. When they finally reach Django, they discover the First Earth Battalion's new goals.
Hint: they have to do with goats – and not in a nice way.
The film takes on material that doesn't need to be made fun of because it makes fun of itself.
Django and his supporters honestly believe that smoking pot and showing off dance skills are the best ways to combat global warfare. The battalion thinks it has mental powers, and although some of those powers more or less exist in the film, most of them are either failed psychological theories, misguided mysticism or ideas from LSD trips.
Django (who looks an awful lot like The Dude from The Big Lebowski) loses it after he gets shot in Vietnam. Cassady readily admits that they all believe in that stuff because it gives them a sense of identity.
Cassady feels he belongs somewhere – that he is important.
The problem with the film is that it also believes it's important. Make no mistake – the allotment of military funds to this program, as well as its lasting influence, is no small matter. However, the film's cute sense of humor goes against the horrible atrocities committed during war.
Instead of making fun of the men who make war, the film makes fun of the war itself. That's a fine line to walk, and only a handful of films have done this successfully.
The actor's performances are terrific, however, especially Clooney and Bridges. Clooney plays Cassady as a well-meaning loser who tries to do the right thing through ridiculous ways. Bridges's Django is hilarious; viewers can't help but like a mellowed-out Col. Kurtz.
Kevin Spacey is also great in the film, playing a scheming Lt. Hooper. Spacey has a knack for portraying satanic characters, and Hooper, with his mean snarl and evil mustache, is one of his funnier creations.
The Men Who Stare At Goats is a decent satire of gung-ho war films and the lunacy that often comes with military endeavor. But even an all-star cast and golden material can't save the film from its own ridiculousness.
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