The dialogue is sharp, witty, and smart.
The pacing, fast!
Most importantly, the material in - "The Men who Stare at Goats" - is handled deftly (with aplomb) by three seasoned thespians - George Clooney, Jeff Bridges and Ewan McGregor - at the top of their game.
Talented Jeff Bridges (who appears to be spoofing his "Big Lebowski" character "The Dude") is a wild hoot; handsome Clooney a revelation on his way to establishing an untouchable old-Hollywood-style persona (along the lines of greats like Gregory Peck and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. of filmdom's golden heyday); and, Ewan McGregor, a fascinating risk-taker and a wonder to behold on screen (fast emerging as king of the hesitant utterance resulting in half-whispered cut-off words and master in the lofty realm of subtle nuances of character seldom caught on film).
"Men" is a dark comedy with glimmers of brilliance that expertly walks a tightrope between high brow art (begging for in-depth psycho-analysis by virtue of its innate reflective nature and far-flung sensibilites) and farsical bill-of-fare - that might otherwise teeter and freefall - were it not for the skillful balancing act of an insightful director at the helm (Grant Heslov).
In a nutshell, "TMWSAG" is a curious tale about a lovesick reporter (bogged down in a failing marriage) who heads off to a war-torn middle-eastern country in a bold-faced effort to bootstrap his emotions - and thus - prove himself a man to a disenchanted (fish of a) wife about to pack her bags.
Suddenly - without warning - our hapless hero is thrown into a wacko scenario in which he uncovers a secret psychic military unit rife with a posse of clandestine Jedi Warriors out to serve their own selfish ends.
Bizarre stuff, in the wrong creative hands, sure to fail!
"Goats" succeeds because the big-budget feature is not only blessed with a tight well-crafted script with no excess fat - but also - brims with wildly inventive well-thought-out schtick that is pure magic to behold when it flashes above the footlights onto the silver screen.
Clooney's stand-out seamless acting (which gells spontaneously right before the eyes) is bang on.
The performance is dazzling!
Sight gags, hilarious quips, and deadly-earnest off-the-wall humor - joyfully propel rapt filmgoers along - with nary a hiccup or burp.
The underlying moral - not preachy, in the least bit - rises up (resonates boldy) and speaks volumes!
The (old wrinkly white) men staring at Goats is a metaphor - a stinging indictment - on Imperalism.
The message rings crystal clear.
Oh, the folly of War!
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