George Clooney is blossoming into a great comedic actor (not including the dismal "Batman and Robin," because that's only funny because it's awful).
His five most recent films, including two yet to be released, all are comedies in one form or another: "Leatherheads," "Burn After Reading," "The Fantastic Mr. Fox," "Up in the Air," (not a total comedy, but he maintains his charm and wit in the trailers) and this past weekend's "The Men Who Stare at Goats." What is so amazing about Clooney is that three of the films are releasing between now and Christmas. Talk about a guy committed to acting. The flip side is that he had no other films released this year.
Anyway, back to staring at goats, instead of going on an awards season schedule rant; "The Men Who Stare at Goats" is based on a shockingly true story from the book by the same title. If you have yet to see a trailer or hear anything about the film, I would be surprised. Trailers and promotion littered television and the Internet in the past few weeks.
The journalist Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) embarks to tell the story of psychic warriors, as trained by the U.S. Army. Lyn Cassady (Clooney) is his connection to it all, sharing stories, techniques and firsthand encounters from the Iraq War. The title comes from a technique of killing goats by staring at them, but Cassady's powers go far deeper into the human psyche, dealing with statistics and trances. That's a very abstract plot line, that barely encompasses the friendship that wraps the story up, but I always intend to avoid spoilers.
In terms of acting though, the two leads are brilliant. Clooney steals the show easily, even if he is the supporting character. He has perfected the paranoid spy, the role he previously played in "Burn After Reading," but this time he has a meatier character with an even more absurd background. McGregor doesn't have a completely believable American accent, but his character's problems and plotline shadow that. At times the character is inconsistent, one moment acting childish and unintelligent and the next moment breeding his mind to be a "Jedi warrior."
The supporting cast excels as well, mainly with Jeff Bridges returning to a different version of the Dude from "The Big Lebowski." He is hippie Bill Django, enlisted into researching peaceful and psychic warfare. As the founder of the New Earth Army, he is hilarious at times as the baked Django, whose visions always are questionable. Also making praiseworthy appearances are Kevin Spacey and Stephen Lang as two of the Jedi recruits and trainees.
One of the key things this film does is use other films as a jumping-off point. There are references galore, the main one being a "Star Wars" reference. That in itself is hilarious with McGregor being in the film. The friend I saw this with managed to make this a prequel to "Lost" through a minor character. (I say minor in terms of screen time)
What these references and connections show is that culture and film build on what exists, making new entities that connect to everything else. It becomes increasingly more difficult to have seen every reference that the filmmakers put into a film. This film literate culture is fertile for great films like this one and I am excited for the future, especially if Hollywood recognizes that the public does not need to be spoon-fed every single studio film. I apologize for this week's rant.
Grade: A-
If none of that sounds intriguing enough for theaters, there are plenty of reels in the offering. There is still "The Box" from last weekend, which I have heard mixed reactions about, and "A Christmas Carol." Opening this weekend though is the apocalyptic disaster orgasm of a film "2012" starring John Cusack. If you only want explosions, it may be for you. "Pirate Radio" will take over the high seas and airwaves with 1960s rock and roll. Phillip Seymour Hoffman plays the lead, so there should be some good in store. Finally there is the stop motion Wes Anderson feature "The Fantastic Mr. Fox" with George Clooney and many others voicing. If none of these tickle your fancy, rent something. I suggest going back and finding one you have always meant to see. Until next week, get busy livin', or get busy dyin'.
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