Men Who Stare At Goats

This 2009 BBC and Overture film was written initially by Jon Ronson, screenplay adapted by Peter Straughn, and directed by Grant Heslow, was a lovely story about starting again and being literally warriors of peace. Despite the absolute comedy within the film, it undoubtedly dealt with some hard-hitting ideals and issues armies and soldiers have had to deal with throughout the beginning of time. It teaches us what Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela tried to teach us, that we should use non-lethal weapons so that we do not repeat the cycle of violence, because the more we use it, the more we in fact harm ourselves.

Our actors George Clooney, who plays Lynn Cassidy, Jeff Bridges as Bill, Ewan McGregor as Bob Wilton and Kevin Spacey as Mr. Hopper, played the main characters that gave the already hard to belief truth an un-tamed hilarity which the audience I'm sure enjoyed the ride. Funny phrases and moments like when George Clooney and Ewan McGregor says to an Iraqi man, "We're Americans we're here to help you!" right before knocking him over; or the dance number with George Clooney and Jeff Bridges in the company of other 'New Earth Army' officers, or the fact that they kept calling the Iraqi fellow Mohammed, although several times he exclaimed that his name was Maud. There was always something to make you laugh out loud.

The main messages throughout the film though were what made the film special beyond all the mirth because it's always the message that filmmakers hope the audience will take away. It taught us that there are no accidents in life that everything that happens, happens for a reason. That there are always bad apples in the bunch; be it American, Iraqi, or any other nationality. That if your marriage doesn't work out, there are other plans for you; and that now more than ever we need the power of the Jedi (whatever it is that Jedi means to you).

Both Paul Lister and George Clooney where the producers on this film, and I am certain they had a wicked time making it! I find that people are so lucky to be able to partake in such an exquisite thing as working and engaging and helping to bring the story/vision/message to the world, through film. And wonderful too, to be able to dance to music like "More Than a Feeling!" J