The Men Who Stare at Goats
Overture Films | Release Date: November 6, 2009
6.4
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 197 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
99
Mixed:
62
Negative:
36
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User Reviews

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5
ChadS.Nov 10, 2009
The New Earth Army manual is all theory; it's never put into practice. If it did, then maybe this anti-war satire would get out of first gear. "The Men Who Stare At Goats" wastes a golden opportunity to expound on the famous "Dr. The New Earth Army manual is all theory; it's never put into practice. If it did, then maybe this anti-war satire would get out of first gear. "The Men Who Stare At Goats" wastes a golden opportunity to expound on the famous "Dr. Strangelove" line: "Gentleman, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room," which was delivered by Peter Sellers(as the president) in the 1964 Stanley Kubrick classic. There's no payoff to Bill Django's conceit that such countercultural ideals of his could accomodate the millitary's predilection for sanctioned violence. In the hands of a more daring filmmaker, one who was willing to rewrite war history(ala Quentin Tarantino), all that "hippie crap"(what Larry Hooper, played by Kevin Spacey, Django's teachings) would be a lot more potent as satire if the special unit's peace and love played a part(positive or negative) in the outcome of our country's skirmishes. The New Ageism that defines the psy-ops program is funny, but one-note in its presentation, because the New Earth Army soldiers never use their special training in a real world situation. The movie is much too preoccupied with the power struggle between Django and Hooper. Lyn Cassady(George Clooney) needs a more dynamic mission than the one the film gives him. "The Men Who Stare at Goats" could have explored the idea of a peace movement as being more than symbolic. For example, a soldier, not some hippie chick at an anti-war demonstration, could stick a flower in the barrel of a gun. But Cassady and Bob(Ewan McGregor) are nowhere near the war. The film needs a second gear. Django needs a venue for his "hippie crap".… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful
5
BenNov 7, 2009
It's strange, because as dull as this movie got, at times...it really captures something. It captures this spirit and a sense of time and place. I don't know, I can't really explain it, but it kind of gives off a sense of It's strange, because as dull as this movie got, at times...it really captures something. It captures this spirit and a sense of time and place. I don't know, I can't really explain it, but it kind of gives off a sense of whimsy, especially as Boston's More than a Feeling plays on the soundtrack. It's a really interesting film. That said, it's a comedy...without the laughs. At best the movie wins a few slight chuckles, but it's not really laugh out loud funny, ever. And it's not serious or dramatic either, so what is it? Really, REALLY weird. By the end it just totally goes off the rails...which would be good, if the movie was funny. Without being funny, it sinks into a pretty tedious story that takes forever to get....really, what was that ending?… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful
4
JeffAMar 12, 2010
I was looking forward to this, due to clooney, etc. but it was so disappointing I stopped watching at 38 minutes. It's just dumb. I didn't laugh once, just a rather dull, unfunny movie.
0 of 1 users found this helpful
5
JeffTNov 6, 2009
Some funny moments but not enough. Even suspending disbelief is not quite enough to make it happen for me.
0 of 1 users found this helpful
4
NormG.Nov 8, 2009
What I saw was one long steady fast paced unrelenting one-premise stream of goofiness that in the final analysis just isn
0 of 1 users found this helpful
4
ChasePNov 23, 2009
Boring, Painful, and about as funny as a Jerry Bruckheimer action movie. I felt as if the movie would never end. The only funny part of the whole movie was the LSD dosing, and it could have been a lot more funny. I would have rather seen Boring, Painful, and about as funny as a Jerry Bruckheimer action movie. I felt as if the movie would never end. The only funny part of the whole movie was the LSD dosing, and it could have been a lot more funny. I would have rather seen Twilight, which my girlfriend was begging me to do, at least I would have gotten pussy for seeing her movie instead of mine.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful
4
billanschellFeb 11, 2011
The cast and premise are great, but the scriptwriting falls flat. It should have been much funnier, but it was well acted and had some good moments. You can't help feeling that the talent was largely wated.
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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6
RickANov 11, 2009
Not A Great piece of entertainment but not bad either.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
TyranianOct 29, 2019
Reasonably entertaining with good performances but the ending is a stuff-up.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
SpangleJun 1, 2015
The critics may have been a touch harsh here, but generally, I cannot fault them too hard here, as this one is pretty middling as an overall film. Pretty funny at times, The Men Who Stare at Goats manages to be a satire that takes itself aThe critics may have been a touch harsh here, but generally, I cannot fault them too hard here, as this one is pretty middling as an overall film. Pretty funny at times, The Men Who Stare at Goats manages to be a satire that takes itself a touch too seriously and goes a little too deep into the "bad weird" territory for me, in that it goes weird, but is not funny in doing so, just weird. At those moments, this one is off-putting. However, luckily, the moments where it is some quality satire and quite funny outnumber them. Also in the "pro" corner for this one is the great cast. I really liked George Clooney and Ewan McGregor here. Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey were not quite as good, but still turned in assured performances here. Ultimately, the moments where this one struggles mightily is when it takes itself too seriously and thinks it is being truly profound. As I said, these moments are not many when compared to the strong scenes, but those strong scenes are also short of being great. Overall, this one is an above average film that hits "pretty good" territory at moments, but is largely middle of the road.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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4
wiiy71Dec 30, 2017
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5
RobertHowardMay 14, 2022
The Men Who Stare at Goats has a great cast, but the mixture of sheer absurdity and narrative incoherence make it a less memorable satire about the army.
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