The Men Who Stare at Goats
2009
**
Director: Grant Heslov
Cast: George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey, Robert Patrick, Stephen Lang, Stephen Root, Rebecca Mader
John Ronson's 2004 non-fiction book chronicled the history of paranormal techniques in the military. Peter Straughan's loose adaptation turns it into a fictional buddy comedy about a small town reporter who meets a former member of a secret U.S. Army unit, which specialises in psychological warfare. George Clooney's writing and producing partner Grant Heslov makes a ham-fisted directorial debut with this aimless and uninvolving story. The premise is initially intriguing, but the dull and unfunny film explains everything to death, either through the narrator or Clooney's psych wiz character. The title card claims that "more of this is true than you would believe", which is easy to forget when everything is played for goofy laughs. The cast looks promising on paper, but the performances are nothing to write home about.
