A friend of mine showed me this spoof trailer for "The Men Who Stare at Goats" yesterday, as we were on our way to see the movie. After seeing the film, it's actually not too bad of a depiction of the film...you know, if the goats were the focus of the movie, not the humans.
In "The Men Who Stare at Goats," inspired by Jon Ronson's bestseller with the same title, reporter Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) heads to the Middle East to find his next big story...and to prove himself after a devastating separation from his wife. He gets more than he's looking for when he encounters Lyn Cassady (George Clooney), who claims to be a "Jedi Warrior" and to have once been part of an experimental U.S. military unit - the New Earth Army. Founded by Bill Django (Jeff Bridges), the New Earth Army contained a group of soldiers trained to use psychic powers to read enemy's thoughts, pass through solid walls, and travel and find anyone with their mind.
However, the New Earth Army "turned to the dark side," according to Cassady, when Cassady was forced to - you guessed it - kill a goat just by staring at it.
Intrigued by Cassady and his past with the New Earth Army, Wilton tags along with Cassady on his mission to track Django.
So how was it? Well, I'm not sure it's going to be a hit, but it was certainly fun to watch the bizzare practices of the New Earth Army. What made the movie even more humorous was knowing that there actually was such a unit, called The First Earth Battalion, that attempted to learn these paranormal activities as a way to fight enemies. (For more on the fact and fiction of the film, see an interview with Jon Ronson on "The Men Who Stare at Goats" website.)
And much of the humor also came from Clooney. His character's strange antics and passionate belief in the New Earth Army and everything Django taught him make him a solid comical character, not one who is overly bizarre - Bridges took care of that, and he did it well.
While the film may not be as great as you were hoping for from the trailer, it's still worth a trip to the movies if you're looking for a laugh - and a good movie soundtrack (I personally enjoyed the classic 60s, 70s, and 80s songs featured in the film.)
And I wouldn't worry about a packed theater - when I went, at least, the crowd was light, despite the fact that it was 7 pm on a Saturday night (isn't that a prime movie time or something?) But don't let that bit of information keep you from going. You'll definitely have a good time.
In "The Men Who Stare at Goats," inspired by Jon Ronson's bestseller with the same title, reporter Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) heads to the Middle East to find his next big story...and to prove himself after a devastating separation from his wife. He gets more than he's looking for when he encounters Lyn Cassady (George Clooney), who claims to be a "Jedi Warrior" and to have once been part of an experimental U.S. military unit - the New Earth Army. Founded by Bill Django (Jeff Bridges), the New Earth Army contained a group of soldiers trained to use psychic powers to read enemy's thoughts, pass through solid walls, and travel and find anyone with their mind.
However, the New Earth Army "turned to the dark side," according to Cassady, when Cassady was forced to - you guessed it - kill a goat just by staring at it.
Intrigued by Cassady and his past with the New Earth Army, Wilton tags along with Cassady on his mission to track Django.
So how was it? Well, I'm not sure it's going to be a hit, but it was certainly fun to watch the bizzare practices of the New Earth Army. What made the movie even more humorous was knowing that there actually was such a unit, called The First Earth Battalion, that attempted to learn these paranormal activities as a way to fight enemies. (For more on the fact and fiction of the film, see an interview with Jon Ronson on "The Men Who Stare at Goats" website.)
And much of the humor also came from Clooney. His character's strange antics and passionate belief in the New Earth Army and everything Django taught him make him a solid comical character, not one who is overly bizarre - Bridges took care of that, and he did it well.
While the film may not be as great as you were hoping for from the trailer, it's still worth a trip to the movies if you're looking for a laugh - and a good movie soundtrack (I personally enjoyed the classic 60s, 70s, and 80s songs featured in the film.)
And I wouldn't worry about a packed theater - when I went, at least, the crowd was light, despite the fact that it was 7 pm on a Saturday night (isn't that a prime movie time or something?) But don't let that bit of information keep you from going. You'll definitely have a good time.
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