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“The Men Who Stare At Goats” is a comedy based on the true story of the U.S. military’s attempts to train elite psychic super-soldiers to kill with their minds. Yes, you read that correctly. I know, just bear with me for a moment.

The story follows journalist Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) whose life is coming apart at the seams.

The abrupt death of a coworker inspires his wife to leave him for his editor, which leads him to question whether his life has had any meaning at all. In an ill-conceived effort to bring her back, he volunteers to become a war correspondent in Iraq.

While there, he meets Lyn Cassady (George Clooney). Lyn claims to be a “Jedi Warrior,” a psychic soldier of a division of the U.S. Army called the “New Earth Army.” Figuring that anything Lyn has to say must be more interesting than what he’s actually doing, Bob follows him while he completes his mission.

The film, based on the book of the same name, claims that more of it is true than one would believe. Given that one of the milder assertions made is that the U.S. Army successfully trained psychic operatives during the Cold War, one begins to hope that this is an exaggeration.

However, whether or not you believe any of it is irrelevant to the film’s sheer entertainment quality. The story is engrossing and original, and the characters are easy to empathize with. 

Clooney is in fine form as the alleged psychic who takes himself very seriously.

Also delivering excellent performances are Jeff Bridges as Bill Django, founder of the New Earth Army, and Kevin Spacey as Larry Hooper, one of the Jedi Warriors eager to expand his own power by exploring more sinister psychic applications.

The tone of the film is a resounding success. McGregor narrates the film as though he’s reading from the book, but it comes across more as a friend telling you a story that you’re unlikely to believe.

The uniqueness of the story allows for a great deal of comedy that flows naturally from the situations the characters find themselves in. Nothing is forced or awkward.

It just works, and you could certainly do worse for the price of a ticket.