The Men Who Stare at Goats follows reporter Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) while he accompanies former U.S. Army man Lyn Cassady (George Clooney) on a secret mission in Iraq. Wilton finds out that Cassady belonged to a psychic unit called the First Earth Battalion. Wilton reveals Cassady’s past through a series of flashbacks and present-day conversations, explaining why the members of the First Earth Battalion stare at goats.Wilton narrates the film through the article that he wrote about Cassady and the First Earth Battalion. Reporters, or students in media writing classes, know that in a typical newspaper article all the important information goes at the beginning and all the extra “stuff” goes at the end. The first half of the article draws a reader in, giving them the basics, and the second half satisfies their need for more. In The Men Who Stare at Goats, the basic plot is interesting, and the beginning draws me in; but somewhere along the way, between the various laugh-worthy lines, I began to wonder where the story was going because I felt bored. The cast is great, the plot is interesting, but in my opinion, the story still needs some work.
Check out this film and others at the Red River Theatres in Concord, NH.
