The Men Who Stare at Goats is one of those films that you won’t be disappointed you saw. However, you may not be wildly excited about having seen it either. The trouble is that this blending of action-adventure, political thriller, and dark comedy is never really brilliant nor is it just plain awful. It’s the cinematic equivalent of Baby Bear’s porridge – a very middle-of-the-road film that gets lost quite a few times but not badly enough to make it a waste. An intriguing story (which is apparently based on actual facts, then again isn't everything in a way?) and a better than average cast help this mishmash of genres to entertain, despite its shortcomings. If you think of it as Coen Brothers Lite (sort of like Burn After Reading with a slightly more coherent and cathartic plot but without the bluntly sardonic humor of the Coens) you should have a pretty good idea of exactly what you’re in store for. But, you may also find yourself trying to remember what exactly the movie was about a few hours after you’ve seen it. In short, it’s just not that memorable.

The film follows the misadventures of sad sack reporter Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) as he heads off to cover the war in Iraq to escape a failed relationship. While waiting for clearance to enter the war zone, Wilton befriends the mysterious and extremely odd Lyn Cassady (George Clooney). Cassady claims to be an ex-member of an experimental military unit – the New Earth Army – specializing in the use of psychic powers (such as reading the minds of enemies, passing through solid walls, finding kidnapped VIPs, and even successfully killing a goat by simply staring at it – hence the title of the movie). The soldiers serving in this army are called Jedi (which allows for more than few jokes at the expense of McGregor’s history with the Star Wars saga – which is initially rather funny, but eventually the joke gets a bit tired). As the new friends make their way across Iraq, ostensibly on a classified “mission” that unfolds as the movie moves briskly along, Cassady recounts the history of the New Earth Army and its founder Bill Django (Jeff Bridges) as well as its end at the hands of Lyn’s nemesis Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey).

These flashback scenes are where the film works best, but they're usually brief and interspersed with lesser stuff. (Doesn’t it seem that most movies having to do with the military are better when the soldiers are training than when they’re in actual battles?) McGregor and Clooney deliver decent performances, McGregor probably more so as Clooney is often not as involved as he should be (though that may be a trait ascribed to his character that was taken just a bit too far). The supporting cast is fine, but the real standout of the film is Bridges who is perfect as the New Age-Hippy Army Commander Django searching for a way to fight while simultaneously not actually fighting as he has grown opposed to the traditional concept of warfare.

That dichotomy is precisely what hinders The Men Who Stare at Goats from being anything more than a passable Coen rip-off. Too often you get the feeling that the film is being quirky just to be quirky. There’s also a disjointed balance between scenes that unsuccessfully straddle the line between thriller and absurd comedy. But, it’s not that it’s not an entertaining and fairly well-made film. For the most part, it is. Director Grant Heslov does an admirable job of making Peter Straughan’s adaptation of Jon Ronson’s best-seller much easier to follow than perhaps it has a right to be. No, the only problem here is that you may find yourself thinking how very much like a Coen Brothers movie it is and how much more you would probably like it if it had actually been a Coen Brothers movie. Or, if you’re simply not a fan of their films, you may find it more entertaining than I may be giving it credit for being. The again, you may also agree with me that it’s simply a generic and slightly entertaining film that is far too easily forgettable.

Rating: TWO BONES

Reviewed by Mike Tyrkus (MovieRetriever.com Film Critic & Editor)