Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
A reporter in Iraq might just have the story of a lifetime when he meets Lyn Cassady, a guy who claims to be a former member of the U.S. Army's New Earth Army, a unit that employs paranormal powers in their missions.
The Men Who Stare at Goats has a genuinely quirky premise rooted in real declassified U.S. military paranormal research, which gives it some novelty, but the screenplay fails to fully exploit its satirical potential. The film meanders without strong narrative momentum, mixing Iraq War commentary with New Age military absurdity in a way that never quite coheres. The ensemble cast — Clooney, Bridges, McGregor, Spacey — brings undeniable charm and commits to the material, lifting the film above its script's limitations. Visually it's competent but unremarkable desert cinematography with little distinctive style. The ending feels deflating rather than satisfying, failing to deliver a meaningful payoff to the oddball journey. It's a curio with a great cast that squanders its fascinating real-world source material.