My Review: Trainspotting (8/10)

"Choose life. Choose a job. Choose a starter home. Choose dental insurance, leisure wear and matching luggage. Choose your future. But why would anyone want to do a thing like that?"

I have no idea what Trainspotting actually means, but this 1996 Danny Boyle film is truly an entertaining cinematic experience. It's about a group of friends in a small Scottish town who spend their lives getting stoned and having fun. The film isn't afraid to show how exciting their world is when getting high, but at the same time it shows the devastating effects that drugs have on them. It is this balance that Boyle manages to achieve, between the brutal portrayal of drug addiction and the fun and relaxed life these friends seem to be experiencing, what has made audiences worldwide enjoy this film for decades. The energetic 80's soundtrack, the great performances from McGregor, Miller, Carlyle, Bremner, and McKidd, the clever screenplay adaptation by John Hodge from Welsh's novel, and the visual style that Boyle uses is what have turned Trainspotting into such a classic and memorable film. There isn't much going on plot wise in the sense that the film focuses on these five friends who spend pretty much every day getting high and partying, but at the same time there are so many engaging and funny moments that allow for the viewer to relate to these characters. Some of the best moments are the simple ones where we see these characters interact with each other speaking about what toxoplasmosis is, how important it is for them to mess up their job interviews, what their favorite James Bond films are, and what the unifying theory of life actually means. There are so many entertaining moments in the simple dialogues that an actual plot isn't really needed.

The film takes place sometime during the late 80's in a small Scottish town named Edinburgh where five friends spend most of their time getting stoned and having no other cares in the world. Renton (Ewan McGregor) seems content with his life the way it's going despite his parents concern for him to get clean and give up his heroin habit. He realizes it's about time for him to try getting himself together and so he decides to quit his addiction. This decision won't have a lasting effect because he still surrounds himself with his friends: the naive and sincere Spud (Ewen Bremner), Sick Boy (Johnny Lee Miller) who's obsessed with James Bond, the jock Tommy (Kevin McKidd), and the psychotic Begbie (Robert Carlyle). Tommy and Begbie aren't junkies, but Renton's closest friends (Spud and Sick Boy) share his addiction. Despite wanting to clean up, Renton doesn't want to abandon his friends which ultimately lead him back to his addiction. Renton also happens to fall in love with a girl he meets at a club. After spending a night with Diane (Kelly Macdonald) he realizes the next morning she's only fourteen. Trainspotting is about the struggle Renton faces to quit his addiction while trying to maintain his relationship with his friends and not letting them affect him.

For some people Trainspotting has a little too much fun with drug addiction, but I would have to disagree. There are some very brutal and terrifying scenes about the effects of heroin and Boyle manages to balance both these elements. It may not be as dark as Requiem for a Dream, but it does feel more authentic and real in its treatment of drug abuse. It shows the pleasure that the drug gives at first, but the devastating consequences it has after the effect is over. These guys have to get involved in criminal activities in order to fund their addictions and neglect pretty much everyone around them. Their only ambition in life is to get stoned and they could care less about anything else. The film is also pretty sincere in its portrayal of how difficult it is to give up the habit. Through some stylized visuals and a great performance from McGregor we see how devastating and depressing it can be to get cleaned up. Ultimately drugs destroy their lives and the pleasure lasted for only a moment. Trainspotting is authentic and realistic in its portrayal while at the same time never ceasing to entertain the audience. A lot of credit has to be given to a relatively unknown then, Danny Boyle, and to the breakout performance from Ewan McGregor. Trainspotting boosted their careers and deservingly so. 

My Review: Jack the Giant Slayer (3/10)

"Why is it that people always scream before they die? Do they think it's gonna help them?"

Jack the Giant Slayer is yet another forgettable Hollywood film that should have remained in our memory as the fairy tale we always imagined. This film makes the Snow White one look like a masterpiece, but the truth of the matter is that these films don't really work on the big screen, and much less when you try making a darker version of the known tale. The effects might be interesting, but they don't do anything for a fairy tale which has much more power in the imagination of a child. I really hated every minute of this movie despite it having some great actors and cool visual effects. The story is just terrible and I was never drawn into it. Kids might have a great time, but adults will certainly have a hard time enjoying this action tale. It is a shame because Bryan Singer is a great director who probably is responsible for the super hero boom in Hollywood for his work in X-Men and X2. He also directed one of my favorite films, The Usual Suspects, but lately I've been having a hard time enjoying his movies. I hope he returns to his roots soon and gets back on course because he is a talented director. This film just felt lazy and I was really bored with its action pieces. I wasn't impressed at all.

Centuries ago humans were in war with a race of giants, but that was a long time ago and now it is only a legend. A farm boy named Jack (Nicholas Hoult) grew up listening to these stories of how the Great King Erik defeated the giants and sent them back to their home in the skies. One day he is sent to the market by his uncle to sell his horse since they are going through financial difficulties, but Jack decides to help a monk and gives him the horse in exchange for some magic beans. Furious about the exchange, Jack's uncle throws the beans out, but that night Jack has an unexpected visitor. The princess, Isabelle (Eleanor Tomlinson), shows up at his door after having escaped the castle in search for adventure. While the two are talking it begins to rain and one of the fallen magic beans begins to take roots and transforms itself into a giant stalk carrying Jack's house to the skies. The King (Ian McShane) sends his men to climb the stalk and search for the princess. Along these men are his guards: Elmont (Ewan McGregor), Crawe (Eddie Marsan), Wicke (Ewen Bremner), and Roderick (Stanley Tucci) who clearly has a hidden agenda and wants to become King himself. These men are about to discover that what they thought was a legend is a reality they are about to face if they want to save the princess.

Stanley Tucci and Ewan McGregor are great actors, but I honestly don't understand why they accepted to make this project because the screenplay was really terrible. We even got to see Ian McShane and Eddie Marsan in yet another fairy tale after seeing them last year as the dwarves in Snow White. In all honesty I have to say that I hated this film and perhaps it may be due to the fact that this genre is really not working for me. I know several critics liked this film, but I felt it had a really weak script and depended entirely on the action sequences which I found boring and exhausting. I couldn't care less for Jack or the princess and really found the lead performances rather weak. Hoult does a much better job in Warm Bodies where he doesn't need too much charisma since he's playing a zombie. I will never be watching this film again.

My Review: The Impossible (8/10)

¨The most scary bit for me was when I came up and I was all on my own.¨

The Impossible is Spanish director, Juan Antonio Bayona’s, follow up to his 2007 hit El Orfanato (The Orphanage). He has decided to change the genre, but still manages to direct a great film. This is a very powerful and emotional family drama about the true story of the tsunami that hit the coast of Asia in 2004 and a family’s struggle for survival. The film is based on the main character’s story: Maria Belon and the screenplay was adapted by Sergio Sanchez who had previously worked with Bayona in The Orphanage as well. The story was really well developed although sometimes the film felt a little over the top with the melodrama. Films always add a few elements to spice up the story a bit so I can’t say how true this movie is to what actually happened in real life, but what I can say is that the Spanish family this film is based on is played here by a British one so there are some changes. Anyway, The Impossible works really well as a family drama and many people left the theater with tears in their eyes. This is a tear-jerker, so if you’re an emotional person this film will pull your strings, especially through Naomi Watts’s performance who gives a powerful and a very physically challenging one. Her Oscar nomination was very well earned although she probably won’t be the winner. The film also succeeds in the technical aspect as the tsunami is beautifully shot and one of the greatest scenes in the movie considering it is one of the worst national catastrophes of our time. The imagery will remain in your head.

Henry (Ewan McGregor) and Maria (Naomi Watts) travel to Thailand for their Christmas holidays alongside their three children: Lucas (Tom Holland), Thomas (Samuel Joslin), and Simon (Oaklee Pendergast). They are having the perfect family vacation in the beautiful coastline of Thailand in a lovely villa. Along with several other tourists they spend Christmas Eve together and the next morning the kids open their gifts. Everything seems to be going lovely, and then all of a sudden out of the blue a giant wave comes roaring across the entire coastline taking everything along its path. We follow the wave as it washes over the entire place, then the camera follows Maria and Lucas as the current has washed them far away from the villa. Maria is badly injured, but she is glad to have Lucas by her side. This is the story of their fight for survival and struggle to reunite with the rest of their family. The tsunami scene is terrifying as we see the terrible effects it had on the population, and isn’t an easy watch, but it is worth it because it has an uplifting story.

Naomi Watts has been receiving a lot of recognition for her work in this film, and she is truly amazing, but I thought Ewan McGregor also delivers a great performance as well and many people have ignored him. The children in this film are also great here, especially Tom Holland who should have received a nomination for his work in this film. He shares a great chemistry with Naomi Watts and holds up his performance to hers. My only complaint for this movie is that it goes overboard with the melodrama and intends to have everyone leave the theater with tears in their eyes, but it truly is an uplifting story. It is worth the watch and I recommend it because it reminds us that with faith we can achieve impossible things, and that we shouldn’t take things for granted because things can change drastically from one moment to the next. Life is fragile, but love can conquer all.

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My Review: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (7/10)

¨When things get tricky in my life, I talk to my fish¨

Don`t be scared away by the title of this film or by the slow opening because this movie is really worth your time thanks to some strong performances and some interesting characters which are actually hard to find nowadays. This British film was brought to us by Swedish director, Lasse Hallstrom (Cider House Rules, What`s Eating Gilbert Grape, and Chocolat) and the screenplay was adapted by Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours) so there were a lot of talented people involved. I found this romantic comedy pretty charming and enjoyed the dialogue very much despite not knowing or carrying much about Salmon fishing. The heart of the film relies on the relationship between Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt`s characters who are so different from each other but have great chemistry together. The film was adapted from Paul Torday`s novel and some elements probably didn’t work as well in the movie as they did in the book but I still enjoyed this film considering most Hollywood rom-coms are overly sentimental and predictable. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen has some heart touching moments, but it never tries to be melodramatic and most of the dialogues and jokes are pretty well written without being raunchy or forcing the comedy. Fans of the actors won`t be disappointed as both Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt give strong performances and have great material to work with. They make what seemed as a boring idea turn into a good film.

Dr. Alfred Jones` (Ewan McGregor) life revolves pretty much around Salmon fishing. He`s a fisheries expert working for the British government living a dull life with his wife Mary (Rachael Stirling) who`s also dedicated to her job and always travelling. When the relationship between the Middle East and Great Britain gets tense, the Prime Minister`s press secretary, Patricia Maxwell (Kristin Scott Thomas) decides to search for a good will story that could help lessen the tension. She finds her story when she hears that a Yemen Sheik named Muhammed (Amr Waked) is trying to bring the sport to his homeland. When Dr. Jones is asked to help the Sheik he claims it`s impossible and foolish to try to take the sport to the Yemen desert. However, the government forces him to accept the proposition and come up with some plan to make the Sheik`s dream come true. The Sheik`s representative is Harriet (Emily Blunt) who is in charge of accommodating the doctor and putting the team together. Despite the doctor`s reluctance at first he discovers that the Sheik actually has good intentions for the project and that things might work out. He also befriends Harriet and despite the fact that at first they can`t stand each other and that she`s dating a military soldier sent to Afghanistan they become good friends.

Ewan McGregor has been choosing some interesting projects lately, although I wouldn’t say this one was as good as his character in Beginners, but he does some interesting things with his character once again. He`s obsessed with fishing but at the same time seems emotionally detached which makes us question really if he suffers from Asperger`s when he joked about it in one scene. He`s also very analytical, but he changes after befriending Blunt`s character who has great charm once again. The film seems to point out how sometimes we become so comfortable with our own routines that we forgive really to live and that was what was happening to Dr. Jones. Once the project was forced up his throat he had to change and ended up enjoying the process. Change can be difficult at times, but sometimes it can be good for us. Overall I enjoyed this film quite a bit and thought the characters had a lot of charm, I would definitely recommend it.

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My Review: Beginners (8/10)

¨Well, let's say that since you were little, you always dreamed of getting a lion. And you wait, and you wait, and you wait, and you wait but the lion doesn't come. And along comes a giraffe. You can be alone, or you can be with the giraffe.¨

Beginners is one of those movies that stands out due to the strong performance from the cast. The actors tell the story, and sometimes a look can say more than actual words. Ewan McGregor has this look in his eyes that constantly reminds us in this film that his character is a very sad and lonesome guy. There is no need for him to tell us, we just know it by the way he acts. From the opening scene you will also notice this isn`t your typical Hollywood romantic movie; it`s different and actually rings true to life. Beginners is a romantic drama with a strong and special chemistry between the two lead roles played by McGregor and Melanie Laurent (from Inglorious Basterds fame). In order for a romantic movie to work it`s a must for the two lead characters to have a strong chemistry between them, and these two have it from the start, from the very first moment they meet. Ironically when they first meet she can`t talk, but they say so much to each other with their eyes. That is true in life sometimes. From that moment I knew this film was going to be good, and it was. Their relationship is the center of the story although the movie is non-linear as we get to see McGregor`s relationship with his now dead mother and father. Those interactions with them shaped him and made him the man he is today. He witnessed how his parents respected one another, but lacked real love for each other. He doesn`t want to make the same mistake.

Oliver (Ewan McGregor) is the narrator of the movie in which he is telling the story of his life. It`s 2003 and his father, Hal (Christopher Plummer) has recently passed away. We get several flashbacks dealing with their relationship together. His mother, Georgia (Mary Page Keller), who he was closer with had died five years ago. After this, Oliver grew closer to his father who opened up to him and let him know he has been gay all his life. Hal really begins living after he comes out of the closet and has a relationship with a much younger man named Andy (Goran Visnjic). Oliver begins to see a version of his father that he never knew. At the same time he realizes his father has terminal cancer and therefore has to take care of him, but in a way they form a stronger bond with each other. Oliver is now on his own, working as a graphic artist who keeps to himself most of the time and spends time with his father`s dog, Arthur, but one day his co-workers invite him to a party and insist on him joining them. There Oliver meets a young French actress named Anna (Melanie Laurent) and despite the fact that she can`t speak at first due to laryngitis they spend the night together and the relationship grows from there. The two seem perfect for each other, neither of them is in a relationship, but Oliver is afraid they won`t last. The movie jumps back and forth from Oliver`s relationship with his father and his present relationship with Anna. We get to see how some things of the past have affected him and shaped him in the present.  

Beginners is not a movie for everyone; some might find it slow-paced, but it is a very smart film with a good script written by Mike Mills himself (this is his first film since the 2005 movie Thumbsucker) and it has some great performances. I already mentioned how strong McGregor and Laurent were together, but who really has been getting all the praise is Christopher Plummer for his supporting role. He plays an openly gay seventy five year old man who is enjoying life after trying to repress his feelings for so many years. Just when his life begins to look good he is diagnosed with cancer and has to deal with this as well without telling his young lover that he`s dying. He gives a terrific performance and will probably get nominated for the Oscars. I however found Laurent`s performance to be the true heart of the film. She is just so natural on screen and was so believable; she was just amazing. McGregor is a terrific actor as well and we`ve grown used to seeing him give strong performances. Beginners is a movie for film lovers, they won`t be disappointed. I recently saw New Year`s Eve and that movie had so many romantic stories going on that none of them really rang true, but this one is really authentic and worth seeing. The characters are really complex and you can tell it just by looking into their eyes. Great film.

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My Review: Big Fish (9/10)

¨There are some fish that cannot be caught. It`s not that they are faster or stronger than other fish, they`re just touched by something extra.¨

Big Fish is a beautiful film that truly captures our hearts by its brilliant storytelling; and it couldn’t have been directed by any other than the great and imaginative storyteller himself: Tim Burton. Daniel Wallace`s novel, Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions, could have been a disaster in the making if not put in the right hands because the novel is all about imagination and storytelling. Many movies have destroyed stories similar to this one because the effect that imagination has when we read a book isn’t translated in the same way when we see a film. Very few directors leave room for imagination in their movies, but thankfully Tim Burton is one of them. He creates a very beautiful, artistic, and imaginative scenery, and the cinematography in Big Fish is also brilliant. He can turn a simple story into an extraordinary one with his artistic sense. Big Fish is actually all about storytelling and teaching us how our lives can remain immortal through the stories we tell. People can remember us by the stories we`ve told and left behind in the minds of those we`ve touched. John August (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) did a magnificent job with the screenplay adaptation as well. The entire movie worked well as a whole thanks to the great scenery, great performances from the entire cast, and great dialogues. The movie is great from start to finish, it`s truly beautiful; the scenes and characters will stick in your head even long after you’ve seen it.

Ed Bloom (Albert Finney) has just been diagnosed with cancer and as he lays in his deathbed his son, Will (Billy Crudup), begins recollecting his past and trying to separate fiction from facts. Ed has always been a storyteller, and Will used to love to hear these fantastical stories about how his father caught an uncatchable fish, married the woman of his dreams, and set out to do big things in the world, but as he grew older he became resentful towards his father who always spent a lot of time away from home and making up stories that in his opinion weren’t true. Will`s wife, Josephine (Marion Cotillard), wants him to make up with his dad before he passes away. Ed however claims they shouldn’t worry because he`s seen the way he was going to die and it wasn’t like this. That was just one of his many stories and it`s exactly how Will begins recreating the story of his father. When Ed was a young boy he visited an old witch (Helena Bonham Carter) who showed him the way he was going to die through her glass eye. We later see Ed as a young adult (played by Ewan McGregor) trying to make a big name for himself in the small time he grew up in. He achieves many great things, but realizes the town is just too small for him so he decides to move on to a big city for greater things. He takes a journey that leads him into various interesting characters, such as Karl the Giant (Matthew McGrory), the poet Norther Winslow (Steve Buscemi), the Siamese twins Ping and Jing (Ada Tai and Arlene Tai), his future wife Sandra Bloom (Alison Lohman and Jessica Lange as the old Sandra), and a circus owner named Amos Calloway (Danny DeVito). Will tries to make sense of these stories in order to figure out what is fact and what is fiction so he can finally understand his father.

Several of the stories are unbelievable, but they are extremely funny and worth listening too. The performances from Ewan McGregor and Albert Finney as Ed Bloom are really heartwarming as well. Steve Buscemi and Danny DeVito are hilarious in their supportive roles, and Alison Lohman is breathtaking in her role as the sweet Sandra. This was also Marion Cotillard`s first American film and she has made quite a name for herself by now. Helena Bonham Carter also had a remarkable role and she is as strange as ever. Billy Crudup has the most serious role as his character is more of a fact sort of guy and is tired of listening to all the stories his father has told him for years expecting him to believe them. He is also very credible as Will Bloom. The entire cast is actually a delight on screen and Big Fish works in great part thanks to their performance. The artistic scenery also caught my attention and it played a huge part in the storytelling. No one could`ve done it better than Tim Burton himself. By the end of the movie I guarantee you will feel touched and moved by this great story which is also helped out by having a powerful ending. It is just one of those pictures that will be hard to get off your mind for quite some time so I really recommend this film because this is the way stories should be told. Just like an ordinary life can become extraordinary through great storytelling, this ordinary film becomes extraordinary through Burton`s storytelling

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My Review: I Love You Phillip Morris (7/10)

¨My whole life was nothing but a bunch of lies. Lies to make people give me their money, lies to make people love me, and lies to keep them from leaving me, and in the process I lost track of who I was.¨

Jim Carrey plays the love interest of Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor) in this romantic comedy/drama directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa. The directors have worked together in the past writing the screenplay for Bad Santa and Cats and Dogs, but this is the first time that they actually direct a film written by them. This is not your typical Jim Carrey goofy comedy, the performance is a little more serious and it is a different type of comedy that isn`t afraid of taking risks and being original. Carrey`s performance is more like the ones he did in Man on the Moon, The Majestic, or The Truman Show. The screenplay is adapted from Steve McVicker`s book which is based on true events about a gay conman who meets the love of his life in prison and will do whatever it takes to escape from prison to be with him. Carrey is a good actor, but I think who really steals this movie is Ewan McGregor who plays a very different kind of role than what we have seen from him in the past. This movie hasn`t been released in the US yet, although it was previewed in January 2009 at the Sundance Film Festival. I don`t know why it has taken so long for this movie to find a wide release in the US, but it is a very original comedy that may have a little trouble at finding a target audience. This movie takes a lot of risks and therefore probably was never meant to become a hit, but more of a small and quiet indie comedy. It is the Catch Me if You Can movie for gays.

The movie is narrated by the main protagonist Steven Russell (Jim Carrey) who is lying in his hospital bed and telling us the story of his life. When he was a young boy his parents let him know that he was adopted and ever since he becomes obsessed with trying to find his biological mother. He is a happily married man living with his wife Debbie (Leslie Mann) and working as a police officer in order to try to discover who his real mother is. Once he finds the information he needs, he visits her and discovers she wants nothing to do with him. Steven doesn`t understand why she gave him up for adoption, even more since he was the middle son. From that point on he decides to quit the police force and tell his wife about the secret he has been keeping from her: that he is gay and has been for a long time. This confession sets him free and he begins to live life to its fullest, although this lifestyle he`s living is pretty expensive. He moves to Miami and finds a boyfriend Jimmy (Rodrigo Santoro), but their luxurious lifestyle together makes him become a conman and it is not too long until the police catch up to him and arrests him. But fate has a funny way of doing things and it is in prison where he meets his soul mate Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor). Their romance blossoms in the prison and when they are released as well, but Steven continues to live a life of lies and sooner or later it will catch up to him again.

Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor are one of the reasons this movie stands out. They give some good and strong performances and impress us by doing something different. The movie has its ups and downs, it is not an excellent film or a laugh out loud movie, it is more of a romantic drama that will make you smile at some points. Carrey`s character is so buried in a world of lies and frauds that one would think he would be impossible to like, but he creates a difficult character because it is hard not to sympathize with him. We find ourselves rooting for him each time he escapes from prison, impersonates a lawyer, or becomes a chief financial adviser for an important company. These are the people everyone hates in real life, conmen, but Carrey makes his character a likeable one while at the same time not trying to sugarcoat him the way Hollywood does with most thieves. Steven Russell knows his flaws, but we identify with him because we see his actions as some sort of addiction and issue he can`t surpass. He knows it will affect his relationship and his life, but he can´t help from being a conman because it is what he is good at. The film works combining all these elements very well into this sort of romantic comedy/drama. It is not a film for everyone, but I found it entertaining.

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My Review: The Men Who Stare At Goats (5/10)

¨I did what so many men have done throughout history when a woman has broken their heart. I went to War.¨

The Men Who Stare at Goats is one of those movies that really seems funnier in paper than in the big screen; it is one of those rare films in which the black humor is more effective when read then it is when executed. I laughed more reading the quotes from the film then I actually did while watching this movie. It isn`t a terrible movie and it`s short enough to not wear the viewer down, and with low expectations it can be enjoyed because there are some good performances from great actors such as George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey, and Ewan McGregor. Director Grant Heslov worked in the past with Clooney in Good Night and Good Luck, but in that occasion they worked together writing the screenplay which was nominated for the Oscars. In The Men Who Stare at Goats the screenplay was written by Peter Straughan and it was adapted from Jon Ronson`s book of the same name. The film claims to be inspired on some true events which is hard to believe because the film is ridiculous, but I guess it is a spoof on the psychic activities that went on in the Army. I have to give some credit to director Heslov for making a different kind of film and it is original, but it just wasn`t funny enough to save the movie even though it had such talented actors. The movie had the potential to be so much better and that is what left me disappointed by the end of the film.

Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) is a reporter who has just had his heart broken by his wife that leaves him for a one armed editor. Bob is devastated and decides to go cover the war in Iraq in order to forget about her. He can`t get into Iraq so he covers the war from Kuwait where he meets a special forces operator named Lyn Cassady (George Clooney). Bob remembers hearing about Lyn from a report he did years ago on a man named Gus Lacey (Stephen Root) who claimed to have been trained by the US Army in paranormal and psychic activities. Gus mentioned Lyn to be the most powerful student of the group. Bob interviews Lyn and he tells him about the special Army Unit that he was trained in called the New Earth Army. The founder of the group was Bill Django (Jeff Bridges), a Vietnam veteran who travelled around the States studying the New Age movement and adapting it for the army. Lyn was the best student, but he had a rival, Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey) who had a different vision of the New Earth Army. The men were trained to become Jedi Warriors and the purpose was to manipulate the minds of the soldiers so they could put an end to war. The story is narrated by Bob and it has several flashbacks as he interviews Lyn while at the same time travels with him on a mission across Iraq having to experience these psychic abilities first hand.

The film has its funny moments but the pace of the movie doesn`t work very well. The performance from the cast is great, but they only remind you of the potential the film had with so many talented actors and how many other great films these actors have made. The movie also claims to be based on true events, but the film is more of a spoof and makes fun of these soldiers and it is really hard to make sense of what are the true events or what even inspired them. The funniest thing in the film is George Clooney`s hippie look with the long hair and the mustache, but you can laugh at that in the trailers. Jeff Brides also reminds us of his great character in the Big Lebowski, but as a soldier now. The movie really had some great potential, the material seemed good to work with, but the final product really didn`t deliver. The material is dark and sometimes you have to be very careful with it if you want it to work, and in The Men Who Stare at Goats it just doesn`t work.

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