George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges

The story of a secret unit within the US Army called the First Earth Battalion, whose paranormal military ideas mutated over the decades to influence interrogation techniques at Guantanamo Bay.

Flixster Users

53% liked it

145,602 ratings

Critics

54% liked it

156 critics

R, 1 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: Grant Heslov

Release Date: November 6, 2009

Invite friends to see Get Showtimes

Stats: 5,052 reviews

Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Your Rating



clear rating

Flixster Reviews (5,052)


  • November 21, 2009
    So funny. George Clooney and Jeff Bridges both give hilarious, fantastic performances. Be sure to pay attention or you'll miss the witty dialogue.
  • November 17, 2009
    a film as silly as its title, clooney was fantastic and the script was witty and clever through most of the film, but in the end it still fell a bit flat. not that i expected it too, but the story didnt actually amount to much. good for a solid laugh but not quite as clever as ...( read more)the coen comedies that this seemed like it was trying to be.
  • November 17, 2009
    This is one of the movies that audiences and critics disagree majorly upon. For me, it was just a waste of talent. If there was something I was "supposed" to get, I didn't. When you have McGregor, Clooney, Spacey and Bridges in one movie, you expect it to blow you away. Instead I...( read more) was left unemotional, uninterested, and with many question marks. Sure, the acting is superb, sure there is great black humor in it, but the story couldn't be one I cared less for, and even so, the movie SHOULD make you care for it. It seemed random and marked by carelessness, and it was a movie that I'd expect to see 20 years ago - not today. I didn't enjoy it much, and hopefully if the four of the leading stars ever get to be in one movie together again, it will be a masterpiece.
  • November 13, 2009
    What a fantastic movie. It's smart, funny, original and very entertaining. A sharp and exhilerating piece of comic greatness. It's a flat-out hilarious great time at the movies that you will love. A clever, well-written, sharply directed and very well performend film with an A-Gr...( read more)ade all-star cast. George Clooney and Ewan McGregor are teriffic. Jeff Bridges is hilarious in so many ways. Kevin Spacey is brilliant. The cast has great chemistry together. A wonderful soundtrack and great set pieces. An outragious, enjoyable and outstanding film. A classic new comedy.
  • November 11, 2009
    There is a secret new age army who uses paranormal abilities to defeat the enemy instead of weapons. Bob (Ewan) is a reporter who follows Lyn (George) to write a story about the new army. Kevin Spacey plays the bad guy and Jeff Bridges a hippie / army leader. It is very funny esp...( read more)ecially the dancing scene. It has dark humour like Burn After Reading without the witty lines. If you liked Burn After Reading, this is a close second cousin in humour. Good cast. Bonkers storyline but entertaining.
  • November 21, 2009
    Hilarious, but not in the laugh-out-loud sort of way. If you're looking for some stupid, obvious comedy, this is not for you. If you prefer something a little more unexpected and kooky, look no further. Clooney is a master of this stuff and Jeff Bridges is also excellent here....( read more) By the end I wasn't really sure what the point was, but I still enjoyed the ride anyway. Solid little flick.
  • November 21, 2009
    I enjoyed this but, I will say this is not going to be for everyone (kind of a film)Excellent story based (loosely) on real life characters - the story of the Army's Paranormal "First Earth Batallion", with really fun and entertaining performances by Clooney, McGregor, Bridges a...( read more)nd Spacey. Aside from that - this offers a lot to bring to the table and discuss taken as is, or for all it's subtle (and not so subtle) philisophical undertones. Smart movie.
  • November 21, 2009
    Drive to your nearest farm and stare at the livestock. You'll have a better time.

    A great cast is wasted due to poor scriptwriting & poorer directing.

    When did Jeff Bridges get so old and out of shape?
  • November 21, 2009
    This is sexist! Can WOMEN not stare at goats these days!!!???!!!
  • November 21, 2009
    Watch this Movie Online Free here
    Watch The Latest Movies Online FREE
    http://MoviesWatch.info
    -Twilight
    - 2012
    - A Christmas Carol
    - This Is It(Michael Jackson Movie)
    - The Box
    - The Fourth kind
    - A Christmas Carol
    - The Men Who Stare At Goats
    - Saw VI
    - Paranormal A...( read more)ctivity
    - Where The Wild Things Are
    - Couples Retreat
    - Law Abiding Citizen
    - Couples Retreat
    - Zombieland way more!
    http://movieswatch.info/

Critic Reviews


November 9, 2009
A.O. Scott, At the Movies

Everyone involved seems to have had a pretty good time, but this one looks like it was more fun to make than it is to watch. full review

November 6, 2009
Kurt Loder, MTV

What went wrong with this movie? full review

November 6, 2009
Nigel Andrews, The Financial Times

The film starts hopefully, drifts into the desert, ends up starved of point, pith and pattern. full review

November 5, 2009
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

There's no doubt we need more movies for grown-ups, with jokes that don't hit us over the head, but The Men Who Stare at Goats doesn't fit the bill. At best, it might hypnotize you into a stupor. full review

November 5, 2009
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

The yarn unravels without ever identifying its satirical targets. Is it a lampoon of peace-and-love mysticism? A critique of militant war-for-profit privateers? Ultimately, it's a shapeless wad of goa... full review

November 5, 2009
Claudia Puig, USA Today

This is the anti-Hurt Locker experience: Where that Iraq War film was absorbing and deadly serious, The Men Who Stare at Goats is irreverent and lighthearted. full review

November 5, 2009
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

It's hard to resist a satire, even when it wobbles, that insists the most unbelievable parts are the most true. full review

November 5, 2009
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

It actually doesn't matter if the book is truthful. It doesn't claim the paranormal powers are real. Ronson simply says some officials thought they might be -- and that if they were, we had to get the... full review

November 4, 2009
Armond White, The New York Press

It's smugness -- unleavened by wit -- that makes Goats so offensive. full review

November 2, 2009
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker

Clooney gives it everything, but what does he get in return? A void where the story is meant to be. full review

View more The Men Who Stare at Goats reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • alemagico
    November 18, 2008
    I just want to see this film to celebrate the triumph of all my friends for being part of this film. We were on the set of the film on Puerto Rico, were we live, and we did enjoy the time watching the explosives and the neiborghs getting inside the arabian sute to be killed and the destruction of the nicest cars on our island, Chevvrolets and Monteros..it was a waste, cause they could give those cars to us, hehe. And I want to see it too cause my friend Carlos is going to die on that scene of the gasoline arabian store.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Official Trailer

More Like This


Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • War, Inc.
    War, Inc. (100%)
  • Evolution
    Evolution (78%)
  • Push
    Push (78%)
  • Police Academy
    Police Academy (100%)

Facts


Theater Showtimes


No showtimes found.

The Men Who Stare... : Watch Free on TV


The Men Who Stare at Goats Trivia


  • Which is the location of the film "The Men who stare at the Goats"?  Answer »
  • In The Men Who Stare At Goats several characters claim to be 'Jedi Warriors' Which actor can claim that outside of the movie, as he portrayed a Jedi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy?  Answer »

Movie Quizzes


No quizzes for The Men Who Stare at Goats. Want to create one?

Most Popular Skin


No skins yet. Interested in creating one?