THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS [2009]

NO GOATS WERE HARMED IN WRITING THIS REVIEW


2009 USA
Grant Heslov
7 // 10




What do you get when you cross Yoda with Timothy Leary? Is George Clooney's transformation into Clark Gable complete yet? Were the goats paid accordingly? There's only one way to find out!

THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS seems to be one of those films, that come and go, and you promise yourself you're going to watch it one day, and then the years go by, the pile of films to watch one day grows higher and higher and suddenly you realise, that yes, you might have been promising it to yourself, but you were lying all along! Well, I might be a bit melodramatic about it, but you know, the film was released in 2009, it's 2013 now and the DVD has been waiting for its turn more than half of that time in-between. So, you may conclude, that THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS is also one of those films that when there's a nice evening and you think, oh, I could watch something, maybe it's time at last to have a look at that one...aaaait, I've got a better idea. And if this happened to you (or rather, if this is still happening to you), please stop. And watch it at last. It won't change your life, but it's still probably better, than what you think you'd rather watch instead. Just ignore the whole alleged controversy around 'a film based on a book based on something else'. There are people out there with too much hands on their time.

Personally, I don't even care if at the bottom of the story there are actually some real events or is it all just made up start to finish. I don't think that's the point here, you see. The point is, that it's a genuinely funny war comedy which is at the same time smart, ironic and occasionally even sarcastic. It's also blissfully unpretentious with some laughs maybe simple but never cheap and simplistic. In case I'm not clear enough about what I mean, just look out for the scene in which Kevin Spacey slaps George Clooney on the forehead and skulks away like a mischievous schoolboy. And the whole surreal and absurd mix of American Army and New Age-hippie-Star Wars magical nonsense is executed so beautifully that it already would be enough for me to enjoy the film, but add to it the subtle mockery of (certain, to be sure, not in general) war journalism and the contract grabbing by American firms in post-war Iraq and you get a film much, much better than expected. Plus both the cast and the acting are absolutely fantastic. It's not a must-see for everybody, but make no mistake, despite the title this film is not just about some men who stare at goats.

They can actually kill them buggers, with Jedi powers!