The Men Who Stare at Goats 2009

     This film is based on a novel written by Jon Ronson.  A reporter in Iraq might just have the story of a lifetime when he meets Lyn Cassady.  He is a guy who claims to be a former member of the U.S. Army's New Earth Army?  This is a unit that employs paranormal powers in their missions.

     Although this film is inspired by John Ronson's Book The Men Who Stare At Goats, it is a work of fiction.  The characters Lynn Cassady and Bill Django are based on actual people.  Sergeant Glenn Wheaton and Colonel Jim Channon plus all other characters are invented or are composites.  They are not portrayals of actual people. The filmmakers ask that no one attempt walking through walls, cloud bursting while driving, or staring for hours at goats with the intent of harming them but invisibility is fine.  

     This offbeat war comedy could be a magnet for teens intrigued by both the loopy humor and the stars George Clooney and Ewan McGregor.  There is drug use and it is presented in a humorous context.  This plays a key role in a couple of significant scenes.  If your children see it, a good talk about using drugs might be in order after viewing.  There's also drinking and smoking, some fighting and war-related violence, a fair amount of swearing and brief partial nudity with topless women and men's bare buttocks.  3* (This movie is OK)

94 min, Comedy directed by Grant Heslov and written by Jon Ronson and Peter Straughan with Ewan McGregor, George Clooney, Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges, Stephen Lang, Robert Patrick, Waleed Zuaiter, Stephen Root, Glenn Morsower, Nick Offerman, Tim Griffin, Rebecca Mader, Jacob Browne, Todd Lawson LaTourrette, Brad Grunberg.

Note:  Imdb 6.2* out of with 127,224 reviews, Metacritic 54 out of 100 with 33 critic reviews 6.4out of 10 with 191 user scores, Rotten Tomatoes 51% with 217 critic reviews 39% with 100,000+ audience scores, Roger Ebert 3 1/2*, The Guardian 2* out of 5* Peter Bradshaw, Common Sense Media S. Jhoanna Robledo, age 16+, 3* out of 5*, 1* consumerism, 3* violence, sex, 4* language, drinking, drugs & smoking, collider.com rating B, Amazon 4.3* out of 5* with 1298 reviews, Letterboxd 2.9* out of 5* with 22 fans.

Special Note:  Jeff Bridges’ character Bill Django is based on Army Lt. Col. James Channon, who wrote the First Earth Battalion field manual.  In the mid-'70s Channon took a leave of absence (with pay) from the army to go on a fact-finding tour of the New Age Movement.  He come back and wrote the First Earth Battalion manual.  This movie combines two or three separate programs: the Army's Remote Viewing program (run by the army's Intelligence and Security Command), the "Jedi" program run by the Special Forces, and Channon's First Earth Battalion (which was a concept and a field manual rather than an operational unit).  George Clooney’s character, Lyn Cassady appears to be based partly on the US military's top Remote Viewer Joe McMoneagle and also on RV Project Database Manager Lyn Buchanan.  A scene where information on a missing general is provided by Cassady in a Remote Viewing session is likely drawn from McMoneagle's partly successful attempt to kidnap US Brig. Gen. Dozier's in Padua, Italy (1981).  The scene where computer systems are destroyed seemingly by Lyn and resulting in his initial recruitment by Gen. Hopgood, is very closely tied to facts.  The "Evolutionary Tactics" field manual shown is the actual one created by James Channon in 1978 for the U.S. Army.

Mistakes:  In the 1980 Ft. Bragg scene, portraits of President Reagan and Defense Secretary Weinberger are hanging on the wall.  Reagan was elected in 1980 but took office in 1981 and appointed Weinberger soon after.  The two songs used in the dancing scene at Ft Bragg in 1980 (by Billy Idol and Billy Squier) were both released at least two years later.  Norm Pendleton shoots at his fellow soldiers on the courtyard at Ft. Bragg.  After each shot, a shell casing drops on the tarmac.  During the last shot, Norm stands on a grass patch, where the falling casing would not make a sound?