The Men Who Stared at Goats is filled with potential, but falls short. Instead of a story about the absurdity of war & what gets funded or a supernatural discovery as bureaucracy pierces the veil between our world and the unknown, it becomes a journey of self discovery for a poor schlub (why are people casting Ewan McGregor as the every man) and a quirky way of arriving at the conclusion that each of us are dreamers who can do anything if we just let go of our inhibitions, overcome past hurts & take risks. Sure it is an uplifting take that tames a strange real life story, but I found it disappointing & ultimately minimizes the real life story which I found really interesting. Guess that I’ll have to read the book. I think the major mistake was having a villain in the movie, played by Kevin Spacey. It forced the story to take a traditional turn that I found more absurd than anything quirky that happened in the movie. Clooney does a great job & is at maximum handsomeness despite the facial hair.