The dialogue is sharp, witty, and smart.

The pacing, fast!

Most importantly, the material in - ”The Men who Stare at Goats” – is handled deftly (with aplomb) by three seasoned actors – George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, and Ewan McGregor – at the top of their game.

Jeff Bridges (who appears to be spoofing his “Big Lebowski” character “The Dude”) is a wild hoot; Clooney a revelation on his way to establishing an untouchable old-Hollywood-style persona (along the lines of greats like Gregory Peck and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. of filmdom’s golden heyday); and Ewan McGregor the  fascinating risk-taker a wonder to behold on screen (who has emerged as the king of the utterance, half-spoken word, the lofty realm of subtle nuances of character seldom caught on celluloid).

“Men” is a dark comedy with glimmers of brilliance that expertly walks a tightrope between high brow art  (begging for in-depth psycho-analysis by virtue of its reflective in ate nature and far-flung sensibilites) and farsical bill-of-fare that might otherwise teeter and freefall were it not for the skillful balancing act of an intelligent, insightful director at the helm (Grant Heslov).

In a nutshell, it’s a sorry tale about a lovesick reporter (bogged down in a failing marriage) who heads off  to a war-torn middle-eastern country,  in a bold-faced effort to bootrap his emotions – and thus – prove himself as a man to a disenchanted wife about to pack her bags.

Suddenly – without warning – our hapless hero is thrown into a wacko scenario when he uncovers a secret psychic military unit rife with a posse of clandestine Jedhi Warriors out to serve their own ends.

Bizarre stuff, in the wrong creative hands, sure to fail!

“Goats” succeeds because the big-budget feature is not only blessed with a tight well-crafted script with no excess fat – but also – wildly inventive well-thought-out schtick that is pure magic to behold when it flashes above the footlights onto the silver screen.

Clooney’s stand-out seamless performance gells spontaneously right before the eyes.

And, is dazzling!

Sight gags, hilarious quip, and deadly-earnest off-the-wall humor – joyfully propels rapt filmgoers along  with nary a hiccup or burp.

The underlying messages – not preachy, at all - resonate loudly!

“The (old wrinkly white) Men staring at Goats” is a metaphor - a stinging indictment- on Imperalism.

In the final analysis, though, what thought hits us smack dab in the face?

Oh, the folly of War!

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