Are You a Jedi Warrior? “The Men Who at Stare Goats are”. Review

Spoiler alert!!!!!!!!!!!!

George Clooney and Ewan Mcgregor star in this comedy about men who can do powerful things with their mind, based on a book by Jon Ronson. Spoons are bent and clouds are dispersed with the power of thought. But is it worth viewing even remotely like the spies do in the movie. Let’s see...

Our story opens with Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor), a reporter in Ann Arbor. Set around 2001, Bob thinks he is being all he can be. This theme which that much of the story is built around. Bob quickly finds out that is not the case.

After being sent to sent on routine interview. Bob meets a man (Stephen Root of Office Space) who claims to be a psychic spy or remote viewer as they prefer. McGregor thinks he is talking to a crackpot. He doodles on his notebook something that will become important later. About to dismiss Root, he is stunned by a video tape of Root knocking out a hamster with his mind. Intrigued, he asked if other people could do that? Root replies the only other one that he knows of is... Lyn Cassiday.

After returning to the office, all hell breaks loose Wilton’s (McGregor) life. A co-worker drops dead, which shatters the reporter’s life.  High school sweetheart wife and also fellow co-worker decides upon seeing this, that life is too short to be unhappy. She leaves her husband for a one armed man. Bob Wilton takes this badly, as any man who lost his wife to another man (especially one with only one arm). While boozing and crying, he decides he must go to war.

In a desperate attempt to still impress his ex-wife, Wilton tries to become an embedded reporter in Iraq. But he fails to be allowed across the boarder to Iraq to where the action is. Lamenting this in a bar, he spies a fellow American George Clooney sitting a the bar and tries to strike up a conversation.

After seeing Clooney’s badge that says Lyn Cassiday from the earlier story, Wilton tries to convince him to tell him more about his powers. Clooney says he is a Jedi warrior trained by the new world army. During an an argument on what can revealed to the public, Clooney spies the reporter doodling again and is stunned by it. The sign of the Jedi, A pyramid the an eye in the center. The reporter is one of the Jedi and must come with Clooney on his mission in Iraq.

Much of the story is told in flashbacks. We see how the rise of new world army conceived and lead by Jeff Bridges. He attempts to change the real army while events unfold in the present Iraq.

Clooney’s character has a knack for the paranormal but also for wrecking cars which leads to much trouble for the pair. During one flashback we are shown what causes the unlikely title. A rival played with evil by Kevin Spacey in the new world army deposes of Jeff Bridges character. Then forces Clooney to kill a goat with the power of his mind. Which he does much to his dismay. Clooney has gone to the dark side of the force. There is no recovery he thinks.

The rest of the story revolves around Clooney’s redemption for this one act and Mcgregor’s quest to understand his new found Jedi powers. Much laughs occur and whether the rest of the plot really makes sense is debatable. But you will find yourself on a path of discovery with the two men. This leads to very hopeful ending that leaves the viewer feeling good.

Clooney steals the show. This is must his fans or any Star Wars fans who will enjoy the Jedi references. While this is good movie, I feel it’s more of a rent later than a must see right now.