So what do you get when you cross "Ishtar" with "Catch-22"? Perhaps you would get something along the lines of "The Men Who Stare at Goats", the first genuine goofball farce that anyone has managed to squeeze out utilizing the generally unfunny Iraq War, Mark II as a backdrop. Whether that is a good or a bad thing is a matter of personal taste.
Ewan McGregor stars as Bob Wilton, a recently cuckolded Michigan newspaper reporter who, desperate to break out of his self-pitying reverie, decides on a whim to become a freelancing Iraq War journalist (circa 2003). As he tarries in Kuwait City, uncertain about how to actually go about getting himself into Iraq (he hadn't quite thought that part through before heading overseas) he comes across a mysterious, intriguing fellow named Lyn Cassady (George Clooney) who "happens" to be heading that way. Initially playing it coy and denying that he is any kind of spook (in spite of veritably oozing Eau de Black Ops), Cassady does a 360 and opens up to Wilton, spinning him quite a wild narrative.
Before he knows it, the reporter is tagging along with Cassady on his nebulous "mission", too gob smacked by tales of top-secret U.S. military programs involving the development of "psychic warriors" who liken themselves to Jedi knights, devoted to honing their mastery of various psychokinetic arts, to realize that he could be heading into the middle of the Iraqi desert with a man who is completely delusional and dangerously unhinged (it's sort of like a Hope and Crosby "on the road" flick-except with insurgents and IEDs).
The fact that Ewan McGregor was the young Obi-Wan in the Star Wars prequels is not lost on the filmmakers, who provide him with opportunity for (perhaps too much) self-referential spoofing reminiscent of Ryan O'Neal's classic deadpan in "What's Up, Doc?" (when he responds to Barbara Streisand's "Love Story" quote, "Love means never having to say you're sorry" with "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard"). Jeff Bridges (hamming it big time up as Cassady's mentor) seems to be doing a nod or two to the Ghost of Lebowski Past; and Clooney's character definitely vibes the CIA operative that he played in "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind". Speaking of hams, Kevin Spacey is also on hand, playing a weaselly character as only he can.
There is some unevenness in the film's tone, but with a dream cast, who are all obviously having such a great time, it's pretty easy to enjoy the ride (I mean, c'mon-Bridges, Clooney, Spacey, AND a gifted "fainting goat" who knows how to pick up his cues? It all adds up to black comedy gold, my friend). In fact, the film is kind of a throwback to a certain style of quirky, unfettered, freewheeling satire that pervaded the mid-to-late 60s; totally-blown fare like "The Magic Christian", "Skidoo", "Candy" and "The Loved One". The film is directed by Grant Heslove (Clooney's partner in their Smokehouse Pictures production company) and written by Peter Straughn, who adapted from Jon Ronson's, uh, "non-fiction" book (all you have to do is tell the truth, and no one will believe you). BTW- There are two songs you will not be able to get out of your head for days: Boston's "More Than a Feeling", and the theme from Barney the Dinosaur's TV show. You have been warned!
Get more detail about The Men Who Stare At Goats [Blu-ray].
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