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The Men Who Stare at Goats

User Reviews

6.1
User score
Generally Favorable
positive
43(40%)
mixed
54(50%)
negative
11(10%)
Showing 13 User Reviews
Jan 21, 2026
10
famfacat
The rhythmic machinery of a psychic battlefield: A 5.0-star sensational surge of high-tension absurdity.2012(5.0)I watched "The Men Who Stare at Goats" in 2012, and it delivered a visceral revelation that stands as a definitive 5.0-star pillar of "chewy" satirical genius in my archive. This experience **** the fourth wall of the stagnant military thriller by infusing George Clooney and Ewan McGregor’s raw, eccentric chemistry into a narrative rhythm that felt 100% sophisticated and sensational. The narrative rhythm was far from stagnant; instead, it offered a rhythmic journey through the pathetic delusions of "New Earth Army" hippies and the raw, high-stakes insanity of psychic warfare, leaving me in a state of absolute hororong at the sheer brilliance of the "cloud-bursting" and "wall-running" segments. Seeing the vivid, deadpan intensity of Jeff Bridges and the raw, unhinged energy of Kevin Spacey provided an emotional payoff that felt both authentic and sensational, proving that a war story could be a vivid act of storytelling rebellion against the stagnant tropes of the genre. The 95% preservation of my memory is dominated by the rhythmic, raw shock of the "Jedi" philosophy and the vivid but pathetic execution of the goat-staring experiment, creating a permanent, sensational scar of cosmic irony on my soul. Unlike the stagnant 2.0-star drift of "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry" or the pathetic execution of "The Magic Hour," this encounter possessed a rebellious soul that turned a pathetic premise into a sensational masterpiece of wit. It stands in my 2012 record as a powerful 5.0-star testament to the raw power of surrealist satire—a high-tension encounter with the vivid rhythm of the impossible that remains one of the most chewy artifacts of my cinematic journey.
May 14, 2022
5
RobertHoward
The Men Who Stare at Goats has a great cast, but the mixture of sheer absurdity and narrative incoherence make it a less memorable satire about the army.
Nov 26, 2021
7
DawdlingPoet
[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
Apr 30, 2020
8
bfoore90
A quirky and funny satire with a great cast full of actors really giving it their all.
Oct 29, 2019
5
Tyranian
Reasonably entertaining with good performances but the ending is a stuff-up.
Mar 20, 2018
7
CameraBounceGod
[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
Feb 22, 2018
8
Mako28
Overall, this is a very good movie with great, Coen brothers like style and writing, that knows not to take itself too seriously. However, I wish some worked with Ewan Mcgreggor a little more on his American accent for his voice-over parts
Jun 1, 2015
6
Spangle
The critics may have been a touch harsh here, but generally, I cannot fault them too hard here, as this one is pretty middling as an overall film. Pretty funny at times, The Men Who Stare at Goats manages to be a satire that takes itself a touch too seriously and goes a little too deep into the "bad weird" territory for me, in that it goes weird, but is not funny in doing so, just weird. At those moments, this one is off-putting. However, luckily, the moments where it is some quality satire and quite funny outnumber them. Also in the "pro" corner for this one is the great cast. I really liked George Clooney and Ewan McGregor here. Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey were not quite as good, but still turned in assured performances here. Ultimately, the moments where this one struggles mightily is when it takes itself too seriously and thinks it is being truly profound. As I said, these moments are not many when compared to the strong scenes, but those strong scenes are also short of being great. Overall, this one is an above average film that hits "pretty good" territory at moments, but is largely middle of the road.
Aug 6, 2014
9
Harmonic
A little gem, as crazy as poignant!! You enjoy every minute !! Ewan McGregor and George Clooney give us a fantastic duo, full of surprises, emotion and, mostly, laughs... A good reflection on the importance given to our faith. I love this parallel between the wacky humour's side, and the serious side, at the end of the movie... Yes, after all, we all need Jedi Knights !!
Jun 16, 2011
8
arakaki77
I liked it and was touched by this story about beliefs, like winning a war with love instead of violence, the movie made â
Jun 4, 2011
7
tonyGreen
Apparently based more in fact than you might believe, this movie is by turns satirical, amusing and poignant. An original indie with a great cast. Clooney and Bridges do not disappoint
Feb 11, 2011
4
billanschell
The cast and premise are great, but the scriptwriting falls flat. It should have been much funnier, but it was well acted and had some good moments. You can't help feeling that the talent was largely wated.
Sep 19, 2010
8
txrangersfan72
I really don't understand why people hated this movie. It's hysterical! Clever, dry and flat-out nonsensical. Fantastic cast and extremely entertaining.
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