Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Goats Fun But Unfocused

Clooney turns in top performance in military farce

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 6, 2009 6:34 AM CST | Updated Nov 6, 2009 8:11 AM CST

(Newser) The Men Who Stare at Goats, a farce loosely based on a non-fiction book about the US military's '80s effort to form a psychic unit, is wildly uneven but often hilarious, say critics.

  • The "over-the-top, absurdist satire" will be "inevitably likened to Dr. Strangelove," Owen Gleiberman writes at Entertainment Weekly, "though a better comparison might be the fractious, madcap-incoherent film version of Catch-22."

  • Stars George Clooney, in one of his best performances, Jeff Bridges, and Kevin Spacey give it their all, writes Anthony Lane at the New Yorker, but "there just isn’t enough motion here to sustain a motion picture."
  • The movie "jumps back and forth in time so often you may need to stare at a goat just to maintain balance, Peter Travers writes at Rolling Stone. "But the go-for-broke performances help make all this paranormal activity too much fun to care."

George Clooney is shown in a scene from, The Men Who Stare At Goats.
George Clooney is shown in a scene from, "The Men Who Stare At Goats."   (AP Photo/Overture Films, Laura Macgruder)
 George Clooney, left, and Kevin Spacey are shown in a scene from, The Men Who Stare At Goats.
George Clooney, left, and Kevin Spacey are shown in a scene from, "The Men Who Stare At Goats."   (AP Photo/Overture Films, Laura Macgruder)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Trailer for "The Men Who Stare at Goats."   (elkioskomagazine)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next »
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 5 comments
cochiserocks
Nov 6, 2009 11:36 AM CST
my sentiments exactly mate.
NxBigmouthery
Nov 6, 2009 8:33 AM CST
It may well be uneven, but who can honestly say it's not worth a look? You get this kind of talent together along with a nice idea, there's going to be at least some fun to be had.
Mad
Nov 6, 2009 6:27 AM CST
Pass it to the left, Brother!

More Newser Stories

Sharp Cast Lifts Horrible Bosses

Coen Brothers' True Grit Is Pure Western Wizardry

Carrey at His Manic Best (or Worst) in Phillip Morris

The Celeb Voices Behind 15 Commercials

'Classy' George Clooney Voted for Jeff Bridges


NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne