The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009)

Director:

Grant Heslov

Writers:

Peter Straughan (screenplay)
Jon Ronson (book)

Release Date:

6 November 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | War

Tagline:

No goats. No glory.

Plot:

A reporter in Iraq might just have the story of a lifetime when he meets Lyn Cassady, a guy who claims to be a former member of the U.S. Army's First Earth Battalion, a unit that employs paranormal powers in their missions.

Plot Keywords:

Goat | Animal In Title | Psychic Power | New Age | Staring Contest

US Showtimes:

Culver Plaza Theatres

2:40pm | 5:05 | 9:20

(personalize)

Cast

George Clooney	...	Lyn Cassady
Ewan McGregor	...	Bob Wilton
Jeff Bridges	...	Bill Django
Kevin Spacey	...	Larry Hooper
Stephen Lang	...	Brigadier General Dean Hopgood
Robert Patrick	...	Todd Nixon
Waleed Zuaiter	...	Mahmud Daash
Stephen Root	...	Gus Lacey
Glenn Morshower	...	Major Holtz
Nick Offerman	...	Scotty Mercer
Tim Griffin	...	Tim Kootz
Rebecca Mader	...	Debora Wilton
Jacob Browne	...	Lieutenant Boone
Todd La Tourrette	...	Dave
Brad Grunberg	...	Ron

MPAA:

Rated R for language, some drug content and brief nudity.

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #45563) | Ireland:15A | Finland:K-13 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | Norway:15 | Netherlands:12 | UK:15 | Singapore:NC-16

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Company:

BBC Films

Trivia:

The one-sheet (advertising poster) for this movie is a spoof of a frequently used style for movie posters in which, instead of trying to communicate anything about the plot or content of the film, the poster just contains multiple stacked faces of the stars. On this poster, the last face visible in the row is a goat's, and the billing line above their photos reads, "George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey, and Goat."

Goofs:

Factual errors: You cannot get a Dishonourable Discharge from a Investigation Board. Only a Courts Martial can give a DD. Furthermore, DD's can only be given to enlisted personnel. Commissioned officers are given a 'dismissal' from the service, which carries the same penalties and social stigma associated with a Dishonorable Discharge.

Quotes:

Bob Wilton: [from trailer] What are you doing?
Lyn Cassady: [while driving the car] Cloud bursting, it keeps me sharp.
Lyn Cassady: [clouds over head dissapear] and it's gone.
[crashes the car into a rock]
Bob Wilton: Gees, you had like the whole dessert to drive in, Lyn.

Movie Connections:

References Star Wars (1977)

Soundtrack:

More Than A Feeling

Brilliant, quirky, laugh out load funny and believe it or not based on a lot of truth!!

We were lucky enough to be invited to a LoveFilm preview screening of this new film in London last night and more unusually to get the unique chance as a movie goer to interact with the British author Jon Ronson, on whose book the film is based. The film follows a reporter, Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor), who stumbles onto the story of a lifetime when quite by chance he meets a self confessed Special Forces Operator, Lyn Cassady (George Clooney)in a Kuwait hotel. As they embark on a new mission, Lyn reveals his twenty-year involvement in a Top Secret, black ops military unit and shares details of their activities, each more bizarre than the last (including staring at goats).

This is a wonderfully funny film, with quirky characters that develop as the story unfolds, characters that will have you laughing out loud and as the credits begin to roll as you get up from your seat at the end of the film you will leave the cinema still talking about the story on your way home.

After watching the film you would certainly have questions you would love to ask were you to have the chance - well we had that chance and did just that. Jon Ronson took questions from the floor and the first was how much of the story is based on fact - he said that the US Military under the support of several President's including Ronald Regan received significant funding to develop a psychokinetic fighting force that could be used against America's enemies using skills such as Remote Viewing and the power of the human mind to eliminate the other side. Where did the name for the book come from? Jon told us that his wife Elaine, came up with the title The Men who Stare at Goats as they were chatting about the story over a bottle of wine. Was it true that he lived next door to Naomi Campbell? This was true, he said, they were neighbours in a quiet London street and that Naomi had mentioned it during one of those Red Carpet interview's at the film's recent premier. In the film, Jon Ronson's part as the reporter is played by Ewan McGregor - so what you are watching is the author's own personal take on the story. What came out of the questions from the audience was that the US Military actually took this psychic weapon idea seriously enough that they secured significant funding for this off the wall program so to conclude it makes you realise just how crazy the people that govern us truly are!

Go see it - on general release November 6th 2009.