Taking the main absurdities from Ronson's book based on true events and adding a daft storyline to link it into some sort of flow, The Men Who Stare At Goats is decent and vaguely funny but misses serious potential. The draw to the book is that everything written is true (at least in certain people's eyes), whereas the film is mostly fictional, with true examples sprinkled in. Reading the information is far more entertaining and unbelievable than what is presented on screen. Although it wouldn't have been as traditional in cinematic values, following closer to the source material would have provided a more interesting film. Examples such as Barney the Purple Dinosaur torture are a lot more powerful than what is presented, and the film lacks any real impact. Acting is fine by all, a good cast and nothing can be faulted outside of the screenplay, which is still half-decent because of the absurdity involved, but overall it's quite lacklustre.

All this Psychic Warrior/Psi-Ops stuff in this cutting-edge Satire is a fact. It has been documented that the Military spent 20 years and over 20 Million Dollars funding and exploring the reported abilities of self identified Remote Viewers. Controversial and often ridiculed by those who have not done their homework or are close minded, this program had many successes.

This Movie is based on a book about such participants and is a wacky, satirical take on these mind-bending facts. It is done with a sort of reverence that at the same time pokes fun at the subject. It is, in reality, unconventional, mysterious, and on the fringe. That can lead to some bizarre and remarkable situations.

It is a light-hearted and quirky romp, full of interesting situations and dark, deadpan humor, mixed with some slapstick and over the top titillation. Not for everyone's taste and it does help to have some background on the topic exploited here to enjoy completely. Casual viewers will probably find it mildly entertaining but the enlightened may enter Nirvana.