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.
Directed by Grant Heslov
Starring:
George Clooney as Lyn Cassady
Ewan McGregor as Bob Wilton
The Review
I've done some homework on this movie and I have discovered that most critics have been less than impressed with it. It's satire is dry, or so they say. I generally do not agree with movie critics on a lot of things, but I did happen to agree with this bit. The satirical elements in this film are quite weak. It's funny, though not in a ha-ha sort of way. A lot of people seem to be bugged by the fact that this didn't make them laugh. Then again, those same people didn't find Ocean's 13 entertaining, either. So I would say that the funniness is really in the eye of the beholder on this one.
What really bugged me, though, was the fact that this made me think too much of Burn After Reading at times. I happen to think that Burn was a fantastically awful movie. So to be reminded of it every so often isn't exactly a good thing. I am inclined to blame Mr Clooney's performance, which bore many of the elements Burn's Harry Pfarrer had. Maybe he's getting tired of putting up new acts, so he's recycling some of the others. As a Clooney admirer I think I am allowed to not praise him, just this once, so try not to stone me. I do think he's a very talented actor, there's no denying that but he is, after all human and prone to error. I am willing to consider this performance as one of those errors and to forgive him for it.
Now, speaking of actors and performances, there was also Ewan McGregor. He is our narrator throughout the movie, as well as the only character who actually develops as the story progresses. He's the unbaked cookie. Everyone else is ready to be served. Unfortunately, McGregor's character is also, quite frankly, the weakest one. Soon after I figured out what was going on the plot I found myself wondering why the hell I should care about Bob Wilton (McGregor's character) and his broken marriage. Unfortunately, and this is probably why I didn't like the entire movie as a while, by the end I found myself wondering the same thing. What did I discover about him that was so interesting? So he found himself, big deal! Many movies are about people who find themselves, so I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that basic premise. But those movies make you, as the audience, care about what happens to those characters. Men Who Stare at Goats failed miserably in that regard, which is why I envision it getting buried deep in movie history and never resurfacing. At least I hope that's what will happen, anyway.
