IMDb > The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009)
The Men Who Stare at Goats
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The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 39 | slideshow) Videos (see all 19)
The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009) -- A reporter in Iraq might just have the story of a lifetime when he meets a guy who claims to be a former member of the U.S. Army's First Earth Battalion, a unit that employs paranormal powers in their missions.
The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009) -- Clip: I see a tin mug
The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009) -- Interview: Ewen Mc Gregor "On the cast"
The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009) -- Paranormal Goats TV spot teaser
The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009) -- Trailer for this comedy about psychic soldiers

Overview

User Rating:
6.9/10   6,004 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 73% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Peter Straughan (screenplay)
Jon Ronson (book)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Men Who Stare at Goats on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
6 November 2009 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
No goats. No glory.
Plot:
A reporter in Iraq might just have the story of a lifetime when he meets Lyn Cassady, a guy who claims to be a former member of the U.S. Army's First Earth Battalion, a unit that employs paranormal powers in their missions. full summary | add synopsis
NewsDesk:
(564 articles)
User Comments:
A good film, but not without its flaws more (92 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for language, some drug content and brief nudity.
Runtime:
94 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (DeLuxe)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
USA:R (certificate #45563) | Ireland:15A | Finland:K-13 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | Norway:15 | Netherlands:12 | UK:15 | Singapore:NC-16
Company:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The character of "Gus Lacey" is a fictionalization of Guy Savelli, father of Jennifer Savelli. more
Goofs:
Continuity: As they are captured by Todd Nixon (Robert Patrick) and his militiamen, Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) raises his arms to surrender and his t-shirt rises up exposing his belly button and midriff. 2 scenes later, and still wearing the same clothes as they escape from the ambush, the t-shirt is much longer as it reaches way past his waistline - it's clearly a different shirt. more
Quotes:
Bob Wilton: [from trailer] What are you doing?
Lyn Cassady: [while driving the car] Cloud bursting, it keeps me sharp.
Lyn Cassady: [clouds over head dissapear] and it's gone.
[crashes the car into a rock]
Bob Wilton: Gees, you had like the whole dessert to drive in, Lyn.
more
Movie Connections:
References Star Wars (1977) more
Soundtrack:
More Than A Feeling more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
12 out of 16 people found the following comment useful.
A good film, but not without its flaws, 7 November 2009
6/10
Author: Gareth Pontin from Leicester, United Kingdom

Well, I must say that I was looking forward to this movie - after reading the cast list and hearing a brief overview of the plot I felt that it had good potential. And whoever made the trailer did a very good job of making me want to see it.

Unfortunately, there seemed to me to be a certain amount of confusion about the film - were the directors entirely sure what type of film they were making? There are elements of comedy, satire, drama, action... but without having enough of each of these things to really give the movie a proper feel or direction. It veers close to being funny... and then veers off. It comes close to satirising American military tactics... and then goes off in another direction. I felt that a little more focus was needed overall to bring the film together.

In terms of acting, I think that generally the actors can be pleased with their work - I don't remember any specific cases of over or underacting, and the characters were about as believable as they could be in a film like this. As far as the comedy goes - this film was primarily marketed as a comedy - there are some genuinely funny moments! Overall, however, I felt that some bits needed to be trimmed down - the constant Jedi references were funny the first time but quickly wear thin.

The plot also needed a little bit of work: it started off with a promising storyline, and good editing I might add, but seemed to lose its way towards the end. It seemed as if the film-makers didn't really know where to go next. There were a few scenes that really didn't need to be included either - Robert Patrick's contribution to the film really added nothing, and could easily be removed. It was entirely forgettable and was simply a device to get the characters to the next place that they needed to be.

Overall I'd say this this is a fairly good film, certainly worth seeing. As for buying the DVD, that I'm not so sure about. If you're looking for a way to spend and hour and a half of your evening, while there are better films to see than this there are also considerably worse ones.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Sweat/stubble factor and longing for gayness ... VelvetBabe
Wow...I thought this was going to be good. icefireman54
What really happened in the movie? + story behind the story. (SPOILERS) insidethecourt
Beautiful forever_mclaren
Worst movie of all time blaine3-2
Audience members are the highest people I've ever seen in my life blankk23
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