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George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey, Stephen Lang ... see more see more... , Robert Patrick , Waleed F. Zuaiter , Stephen Root , Glenn Morshower , Nick Offerman , Tim Griffin , Rebecca Mader , Jacob Browne , Todd Latourrette , Brad Grunberg , Elsa Villafane , Fawad Masood Siddiqui , Samuel Gates , McCaleb Burnett , Sean Phillips , Matt Newton , Minh Tu Van , Robert Curtis-Brown , Hrach Titizian , Shafik N. Bahou , Christopher Maher , Drew Seltzer , Donn Lamkin , Sean Curley , Michael David Aragon , Morse Bicknell , Terry Serpico , Wiley M. Pickett , Diego Serrano , Regi Huc , Kevin Geer , Kevin Wiggins , J.J. Raschel , Aaron Shiver , Jaime Margarida , Steve Witting , Hunter Bell , Edward Holley , Christopher Robinson , William Sterchi , J.K. Simmons

Loosely adapted from a nonfiction book by Jon Ronson, Grant Heslov's directorial debut The Men Who Stare at Goats begins as heartbroken reporter Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) heads off to imbed himself w... read more read more...ith troops as the Iraq War starts, but Wilton can't get himself into the country until he chances upon Lyn Cassady (George Clooney). It turns out Lyn spent decades as part of the New Earth Army -- a platoon of men, led by Bill Django (Jeff Bridges), who lived a new-age lifestyle in an attempt to cultivate extrasensory perception that would allow the U.S. army to win wars nonviolently. Bill now has a secret mission in Iraq, and allows Bob to come along. As the duo gets into a series of misadventures, Lyn shares with Bob the colorful history of the New Earth Army and chronicles the nefarious machinations of Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey), whose jealousy of Lyn's remarkable skill brought an end to the group. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

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43% liked it

230,452 ratings

Critics

52% liked it

201 critics

R, 1 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: Grant Heslov

Release Date: November 6, 2009

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DVD Release Date: March 23, 2010

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Stats: 12,986 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (12,986)

  • jmanard52
    July 24, 2010
    jmanard52
    A very strange movie but with a cast of actors that I love. So I fought through it and well it wouldnt surprise me if OUR MILITARY DID do stupid things like this.
  • MrMarakai
    March 30, 2012
    MrMarakai
    Grant Heslov is mainly known for his producing and writing collaborations on some of George Clooney film's. However, on this occasion he takes the directorial reigns leaving me wondering what might have come of this film had someone with more experience been behind the camera.
    ... read moreIn the 1980's, reporter Bob Wilton (McGregor) stumbles onto the story of the 'New Earth Army', a bold, experimental unit formed by the U.S. It's purpose is to train so-called 'Jedi' warriors to use paranormal powers, including mind control, for the use in battle and to help in the interrogation of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. Then he meets one of the unitâ(TM)s major players Lyn Cassady (Clooney), now supposedly retired, and tags along for a series of misadventures in Iraq.
    Amazingly, this is based on a true story and with this prior knowledge and superior cast, you'd expect something quite special. Sadly, it doesn't provide it. It starts off, looking very good indeed but after the half hour mark I started drifting when the realisation came, that it wasn't going anywhere. The cast are excellent as you'd expect; Clooney, once again shows nice comic touches and expressions, Spacey is under-used but still manages scene stealing moments and Bridges is absolutely brilliant as the spaced out, hippie commander Bill Django - which is a little reminder of his iconic portrayal of "The Dude" from "The Big Lebowski". McGregor also does well, amongst these heavy hitters and has nearly developed a decent American accent. It's just a shame that their performances were not helped with something that resembled a script. To be fair though, there are still some nice comedy moments and there are many interesting components to the story but it lacks drive. Maybe it's because the assembled cast is so impressive that more is expected. Or maybe, it's because it's in the hands of a novice director - punching above his weight. Either way, it disappoints. This is a film that the likes of the Coen brothers could have taken to great heights. It has a similar sense for the brothers' off-beat humour but lacks their creativity.
    A passable comedy, that amuses sporadically but relies too heavily on it four performers. It's them that maintain your interest but the material should have been delivered with more confidence.
  • aquateen2
    February 1, 2012
    aquateen2
    The humour and plot aren't really on the same page throughout and there's no way of telling whether an act is supposed to be serious or comical. But it'll entertain most people and it's faithful to it's source material.
  • moonrivers
    December 23, 2011
    moonrivers
    Sort of a modern take on Catch 22, wherein military aesthetics are lampooned as contradictory to life aesthetics, that falls flat from a lack of direction. You'll want to be very bored to suffer through this.
  • ironclad1609
    October 24, 2011
    ironclad1609
    This military satire claims that more aspects of it are true than you'd expect and maybe that's even the case, the story is still pretty crazy. While a reporter (McGregor) teams up with an undercover psychic soldier (Clooney) in Iraq, we learn about the history of the so called F... read moreirst Earth Battalion in Lost-esque flashbacks. The two leading men make a great team and considering that acting heavy weights like Bridges and Spacey join the mix, the cast is all you could wish for in a film. If you thought Clooney made fun of himself in "Burn after reading" you have to see his mustache and hippie hairdo of the flashbacks. The result is really funny most of the time, but admittedly pretty damn silly too. There are glimpses of deepness at certain points, but mostly one should just take this film as what it is: a fun and entertaining, goofy parody on war films and parodies of war films. No more, no less. Then it's a pretty damn entertaining and often hilarious ride.
  • blkbomb
    October 23, 2011
    blkbomb
    Lyn Cassady: Once you understand the linkage between observation and reality then you begin to dance with invisibility. 
    Bob Wilton: Like camouflage. 
    Lyn Cassady: No, it's not like camouflage. 

    "No goats. No glory."

    The Men Who Stare at Goats is an odd, offbeat comedy that you... read more will either find hysterical or find to be the stupidest piece of shit you have ever seen. I found it hysterical, but not in the typical way. The whole experience is very atypical. It isn't a standard comedy by any means and that is why it divides people so much. 

    The best thing about it is easily the cast. Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, George Clooney and Kevin Spacey are all great. I especially found George Clooney to be hilarious. The story is that of a journalist who ventures to Iraq in search of a story, after his wife leaves him. What he finds is a man by the name of Lyn Cassidy who takes him into Iraq and teaches him the way of the Jedi warrior. He can disperse clouds, tell you what is behind a locked box and pick what side a coin flips on hundreds of times in a row. He learned it from Bill, a hippy army soldier who decides to use peace as a weapon. That is about as far as the movie goes plot wise. 

    I can't really stress how stupid this movie is enough. I liked it and I found it to be one of the stupidest movies I have ever seen. But it isn't stupid in an unwatchable way, but in a likable way. I laughed at every moronic joke the movie threw at me, like Clooney trying to cook with a solar cooker at night. "Well it is officially night. Piece of shit." 

    It is easy to tell that all the actors are having a lot of fun with this material and how could they not. The basis of their acting is staring at stuff and saying the most absurd dialogue thinkable:

    Lyn Cassady: Dear Mother Earth... I will drink your blue waters... and eat your green skin. 

    I really enjoyed this movie, but I really wouldn't recommend it to anyone because more than likely they would hate it. 
  • fb733768972
    September 10, 2011
    fb733768972
    With such an all-star cast and such an odd story, I was expecting something brilliant, but all this film is, is a rehash of many films throughout the years, tied together to make a decent story work. I was drawn in for the full 90 minutes, but nothing that I was watching felt mor... read moree than mediocre. The acting is great, the idea is creative, but the overall impact of the events and the unbelievable "Jedi" non-sense just makes portions of this film laughable. Sure, it is filled with sly and subtle humour, but that doesn't hide the fact that you laugh at parts that are not meant to be funny. The Men Who Stare At Goats is just another average film, with the perk of having an all-star cast to hold it together. Many of these actors are award-winners, but it seems like they wanted a break. Would I watch this again? No, but it was interesting the first time around!
  • itsjustme2004
    August 8, 2011
    itsjustme2004
    Strange movie...and not in a good way. I just didn't get the point of it all. Such a waste of a stellar cast.
  • fb732260458
    July 31, 2011
    fb732260458
    A witty, light-hearted satire about psychic Army soldiers... it not only makes fun of the Army some - which is always great - but the movie is rather hilarious and features great performances from Clooney and Bridges. It is slightly uneven though, and the ending isn't fully reali... read morezed.
  • imrealgod
    May 2, 2011
    imrealgod
    If only the second half was as good as the first half... George Clooney and McGregor entertained the most, especially in the first half. Anyways, worth a stare; sorry, I mean worth a watch for what it is.

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Critic Reviews

Rafer Guzman
July 6, 2010
Rafer Guzman, Newsday

All in all, Goats would have been groaningly familiar, even back in the 1960s. Full Review

Michael Phillips
November 9, 2009
Michael Phillips, At the Movies

It's a disappointment. Full Review

A.O. Scott
November 9, 2009
A.O. Scott, At the Movies

Everyone involved seems to have had a pretty good time, but this one looks like it was more fun to make than it is to watch. Full Review

Joe Neumaier
November 6, 2009
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News

The narrative flips and flops ruin the comedic flow. Full Review

Liam Lacey
November 6, 2009
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

If this is what a Hollywood liberal conscience looks like, it's a glib and useless thing. Full Review

Tom Long
November 6, 2009
Tom Long, Detroit News

This is grizzled, wild-eyed Clooney, not the suave sophisticate, and it's a nice change of pace. Full Review

Kathleen Murphy
November 6, 2009
Kathleen Murphy, MSN Movies

Caution: Staring at 'The Men Who Stare at Goats' may result in your falling down laughing, courtesy of a devilishly smart script, subversive japery and a flawlessly funny cast. Full Review

Lisa Kennedy
November 6, 2009
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

It seems too much a privilege to be chuckling in the theater about psychic warfare while the unfunny business of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan continues. Full Review

Kyle Smith
November 6, 2009
Kyle Smith, New York Post

Heslov directs for the first time in a career that, I pray, will consist of one movie. Full Review

J. R. Jones
November 6, 2009
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

Clooney and Bridges model an assortment of wigs and facial hair as they labor to put across their outsize characters. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Facts

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    • Bill Django: I just saw Timothy Leary.
    • Larry Hooper: We're not doing that one anymore, idiot!
    • Larry Hooper: (Twizzlers) God I love these things.
    • Lyn Cassady: I told you. I remote viewed you.
    • Larry Hooper: THis could be the new age for Psychic research.
    • Bill Django: I pray my boots will always kiss your face (earth).
    • Lyn Cassady: If the exact target of the mission was known, it wouldn't take a Jedi would it?
    • Larry Hooper: Well sir, we do have the Goat Lab.
    • Lyn Cassady: I'd used my powers for evil.
    • Lyn Cassady: the Death Touch.
    • Larry Hooper: Turns out there are certain people very interested in the New Earth Army.
    • Bob Wilton: I could hear the little man screaming inside me again. He was screaming like a little girl.
    • Lyn Cassady: I mean, we (too) have kidnappers in America, always a few bad apples.
    • Larry Hooper: I see a tin mug.
    • Larry Hooper: No, its a man sitting in a chair [true, Lincoln's Monument]
    • Bob Wilton: Only true human beings may carry the Eagle feather.
    • Bob Wilton: As Bill said, the truth truely was with this one.
    • Bob Wilton: Its been said he could do a tug of war with a dozen men and not move an inch.
    • Bill Django: And remember, no solid food this week!
    • Bill Django: Think cold, real cold. [as they walk on hot coals]
    • Bob Wilton: They would be a force for good and peace.
    • Bob Wilton: Then into the garden, a serpent did come.
    • Bob Wilton: Right from the start, he [Larry] made himself unpopular from the start.
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The Men Who Stare at Goats Trivia

  • Which is the location of the film "The Men who stare at the Goats"?  Answer »
  • In The Men Who Stare At Goats several characters claim to be 'Jedi Warriors' Which actor can claim that outside of the movie, as he portrayed a Jedi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy?  Answer »
  • What is the name of the organization Lyn Cassidy is a part of in The Men Who Stare at Goats?  Answer »
  • Ewan McGregor, George Clooney and Jeff Bridges have one movie in common. Which one?  Answer »
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