Goats, the Army and Jedi soldiers

What a pair: George Clooney, left, and Ewan McGregor practice psychic warfare in the wacky but uneven comedy “The Men Who Stare at Goats.” (courtesy photo)

“The Men Who Stare at Goats” is a comedy that takes appealingly goofy but frustratingly fuzzy aim at one of the loopier manifestations of modern U.S. military insanity: an attempt to develop a force of “psychic spies” able to use the mind as a weapon.

Such soldiers would be able to subdue an attacker by applying mental energy, or divine the whereabouts of a kidnapped leader, or employ clairvoyance to appropriate enemy war strategies, the thinking went.

Directed by Grant Heslov and based on Jon Ronson’s nonfiction book, the movie is both a military satire and a romp through the New Age movement, scoring credibility and amusement points when capturing the general nuttiness of its subjects.

But it doesn’t achieve crucial bite or clarity. Picture a mix of weaker versions of “Dr. Strangelove” and “Three Kings,” with some lightweight “Training Day” dynamics and sprinklings of “M*A*S*H” ensemble shenanigans tossed in.

Unseasoned Ann Arbor, Mich., reporter Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) arrives in Kuwait to cover the second Iraq war and meets Special Forces Agent Lyn Cassady (George Clooney), a “remote viewer” with roots in the New Earth Army. That was a secret U.S. military psychic-spy project run in the 1980s by New Age guru Bill Django (a Dude-like Jeff Bridges). 

Bill’s regimen, shown in flashback, involved dancing and developing mental powers by letting the sunshine in. Fond of “Star Wars,” Bill’s peace soldiers called themselves Jedi warriors.

The movie becomes a road flick, with Lyn on a secret mission, accompanied by Bob, whom he coaches in the ways of psychic warfare (intense eye contact’s a biggie).

The two wind up at a creepy lab operated by Lyn’s old rival, the jealous opportunist Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey). The Dark Side has usurped the hippie dream. Can Lyn, Bob and a now burnt-out Bill take it back?

As simple entertainment with novelty appeal and an occasional social point, the film, whose title refers to a psychic warrior’s purported ability to kill a goat by staring at it, mildly delivers.

It contains irresistibly wacky moments and interesting tidbits that, if not wholly true, seem pretty close. (Ronald Reagan, a “Star Wars” fan with an interest in the paranormal, gave his blessing to the psychic-spy project, we’re informed.)

Ultimately, however, Peter Straughan’s screenplay, like many a book adaptation, feels overstuffed and Heslov, who co-wrote (with Clooney) the screenplay for Clooney’s worthy “Good Night, and Good Luck” but shows less skill directorially speaking, is too hazy in terms of tone and purpose to deliver the piercing satire or captivatingly absurd comedy we’re hoping for. His darker material comes out of nowhere and doesn’t mesh with the wacky road tripping. 

Among the able cast, Clooney, in deadpan-nutcase mode, stands out. His demonstration of the “sparkly eyes” technique is a highlight.

MOVIE REVIEW

The Men Who Stare at Goats

2½ stars

Starring George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey

Written by Peter Straughan

Directed by Grant Heslov

Rated R

Running time 1 hour 28 minutes