By Eddy

Going into a George Clooney film is a bit of a gamble.  You really don’t know what you are going to get. 

Am I going to have some smarmy Ocean’s rip-off or big  budget block buster, am I going to have some kind of propaganda filled anti war film-(Syriana, Michael Clayton, Good Night, Good Luck) or a quirky weird performance (O’Brother Where Art Thou, Intolerable Cruelty).  Taking a look at his resume so far, I doubt anyone could have figured it out.  Unfortunately, the same could be said for his prospects of box office success. 

Watching the previews of the film on TV, I had a distinct feeling that this was going to quirky weird Clooney.  Of course, the title of the movie might have had a bit of an influence as well.  The movie is based on a book of the same name by Jon Ronson.  We learn first hand about the development of the so called "Jedi" warriors by the U.S. Army.  These "Jedi" use their training in various new age techniques to fight wars in a new way. 

 Clooney stars as Lyn Cassady on of these trained fighters and the most gifted to come out of the program.  Ewan McGregor is a down in the dumps small town reporter that happens across Clooney and is brought in the secret world of Psy-Ops.  Through flashbacks the audience is taken through the history of the New Earth Army created by Bill Django (Jeff Bridges). Whose revelation during the Vietnam War inspired him to find alternative ways to defeat the enemies resulting in the New Earth Army.  Concurrently we find McGregor and Clooney undertaking Clooney’s final mission for the now defunct group.

I found the movie to be kind of interesting.  It definitely is not for those who are into broad comedies, but rather fit in with more of the dark ironic comic styling of the Cohen brothers (of whom Clooney is certainly familiar with).  The most hilarious aspect of the movie is that it is basically a true story; the army really did most of this crap.  Of course, I am sure the movie had to crank up the volume regarding many of the characters and the hi-jinks that were actually perpetrated but most of it looked like it could have really happened.  The parts where when these groups were taking LSD and other mind altering drugs to reach higher levels of consciousness seemed pretty plausible considering that most of this research happened during the sixties and seventies. 

The performances by both Clooney and McGregor were pretty standard.  The only standout was Jeff Bridges who as Bill Django is the catalyst for all the wackiness that went on.  Playing a supporting roll is Kevin Spacey who provides a reliable but unremarkable performance as the Darth Vader of the movie.

On a more personal note, I found out that a good portion of the movie was filmed in Bayamon, Puerto Rico where my father grew up and where my grandmother and great grandmother still live.  I am hopeful that the filming provided the area’s residents with some jobs and security during these crazy economic times.

Like I said before, this isn’t a comedy for everyone.  While I found it funny I wasn’t tearing up with laughter.  But if you are fan of Clooney or McGregor you won’t be disappointed.  For you ladies out there, there is a butt shot in the movie of both Clooney or McGregor.  My mind blanked out when it happened so I am not sure if they were body doubles or not but for some of you out there that might be a reason to go see the film.  With that I am out. 

Till next time.