The Men Who Stare At Goats (DVD Review)

Although this movie almost doesn't qualify as science fiction or fantasy, it has enough geek appeal by nature that I knew I would eventually see it and probably review it. And after a quick stop to a Red Box and an hour and a half on my couch, I'm wishing I would have seen this movie sooner!

"The Men Who Stare At Goats" is based on a true story of how the U.S. government funded an operation to create soldiers with psychic abilities. Ewen McGregor plays a journalist who travels with one of the program's most successful soldiers(George Clooney) and learns about this strange and secret world first-hand.

Like many unique movies, this film suffered from "in the box" marketing, which presented it as a comedy. And though it has a few laugh out loud moments, it is largely a light-hearted drama, though it does turn a little darker toward the end.

The performances are great across the board with Jeff Bridges truly shining as the psychic military program leader. Clooney is strange, yet grounded in realism. And Kevin Spacey is lots of fun to both hate and pity.

Part of what makes these characters so charming is their almost childlike willingness to believe that the fantastical is possible and that the absurd is real. There is a documentary on the DVD well worth watching after the movie that features interviews with real former members of the psychic soldier program. One of them says something very revealing when he establishes that if you are willing to believe in anything, without any limitations, you can discover some amazing things. This is undeniably true and is demonstrated well in the film. The film also demonstrates that if you keep your mind too open, your brain may just fall out.

The characters in this movie do seem to discover some incredible human potential. But they also end up believing some things that are ridiculous. The movie reminded me of how important discernment is and what can happen when we stop discerning between truth and falsehood. It's indicated in the script that these characters all wanted to believe they were special and that they had a purpose. (And this is very true of all humans.) But they ultimately chose a path to fulfillment of their purpose that involved believing some things that were not true and their trust in those things nearly cost them their lives at times. (It could be argued that in some cases it DID cost the lives of others.)

Many Christians choose not to discern and instead create "rules" that the Bible does not specifically teach. (Like avoiding fantasy fiction and abstaining from all rated R movies.) As a result they enslave themselves, despite guarding their hearts and minds, and miss out on the freedom Christ offers us. Other Christians choose not to discern in the opposite extreme, like the characters in this movie. They do and believe all things and embrace all ideas. As a result, they become enslaved to false perceptions of reality, despite gaining some valid insight to truth.

This movie made me imagine and hope for the day when Christians everywhere choose to discern consistently. Imagine the insight and truth we could discover and the kind of lives we could live if we chose to discern in every moment of our lives.

This movie may seem a little strange to some and won't appeal to everyone. But if a nerdy kid still lives inside you, imagining what might be possible if we dream big enough, you'll likely find a charming, thought-provoking movie here that you'll be glad you watched.

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

Quality: 9.0/10

Relevance: 9.0/10