Not Approved

The Men Who Stare at Goats

In this quirky dark comedy inspired by a real life story you will hardly believe is actually true, astonishing revelations about a top-secret wing of the U.S. military come to light when a reporter encounters an enigmatic Special Forces operator on a mind-boggling mission.

Reporter Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) is in search of his next big story when he encounters Lyn Cassady (Academy Award® winner George Clooney), a shadowy figure who claims to be part of an experimental U.S. military unit. According to Cassady, the New Earth Army is changing the way wars are fought. A legion of "Warrior Monks" with unparalleled psychic powers can read the enemy’s thoughts, pass through solid walls, and even kill a goat simply by staring at it. Now, the program's founder, Bill Django (Oscar® nominee Jeff Bridges), has gone missing and Cassady's mission is to find him.

Intrigued by his new acquaintance's far-fetched stories, Bob impulsively decides to accompany him on the search. When the pair tracks Django to a clandestine training camp run by renegade psychic Larry Hooper (two-time Oscar® winner Kevin Spacey), the reporter is trapped in the middle of a grudge match between the forces of Django's New Earth Army and Hooper's personal militia of super soldiers. In order to survive this wild adventure, Bob will have to outwit an enemy he never thought possible.

"The Men Who Stare at Goats" was inspired by Jon Ronson's non-fiction bestseller of the same name, an eye-opening and often hilarious exploration of the government's attempts to harness paranormal abilities to combat its enemies.
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Negative Rating
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SexLanguageViolenceDrugsNudityOther
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Positive Rating
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Dove Review

“The Men Who Stare at Goats” is a semi-believable tale of a US military program gone awry. Ewan McGregor plays a reporter who wants some action in his life when his wife leaves him for his editor who lost an arm while covering the war. While trying to get into Iraq to cover the war, he runs into Lyn Cassady (Clooney) a man on a secret mission to find his old mentor by projecting his thoughts.

Although funny at times, this comedy/satire is marred by some rather extreme and profane language. Other negative elements include some nudity, drug use, the intentional drugging of others and the experimentation with several new age beliefs. Unfortunately, this is not a family-friendly film.

Dove Rating Details

0
Faith

None

0
Integrity

Several dead soldiers with some blood; man shoots at others after having been given LSD before committing suicide; car crashes; car flipped when it hits an IED.

2
Sex

Naked hot tub parties with men and women but no physical activity.

5
Language

F-25; S-14; D-3; H-2 J-9 GD-2; G-2

2
Violence

Several dead soldiers with some blood; man shoots at others after having been given LSD before committing suicide; car crashes; car flipped when it hits an IED.

4
Drugs

Alcohol, marijuana, LSD use, cigars; a man injects himself with a shot - we later learn that he is dying from cancer.

4
Nudity

Rear male nudity-4 times; female upper nudity-4 times.

3
Other

Psychological warfare and training involving several new age beliefs.

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