If you're like me, you have already seen enough versions of A Christmas Carol to make you an expert. That was enough of a reason for me to see The Men Who Stare at Goats even if the trailer hadn't been so enjoyable. Though this film appears to be getting mostly bad reviews, I have to say it isn't as bad as others may claim.

The Men Who Stare at Goats tells the story of Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor, Angels & Demons) a recently divorced journalist trying to discover his purpose in life. Wilton believes he will have a breakthrough by finding a truly amazing story to tell the people of the world. The most likely place to find this story is in Iraq covering the war, which is where Wilton would like to go if he were allowed to cross the border into the country. Fear not, Wilton will find his story, just not where he thought.

At a hotel in Kuwait, Wilton meets Lynn Cassidy (George Clooney, Oceans 13) a mysterious gentleman who claims to be a retired psychic spy trained by the government in the 80's. Cassidy has been reactivated and is on a secret mission that requires him to cross the border into Iraq. Wilton convinces Cassidy to let him come along in the hopes of finding the story that could make or break his career. Little does Wilton know, he will become a part of the most unbelievable story anyone could imagine.

The Men Who Stare at Goats is told through narration recapping the adventure with Lynn and explaining Lynn's past through flashbacks that come up during low points in the trek across Iraq. This is an interesting method to choose, but I imagine it makes the movie feel more like the book on which it is based. The story alone is interesting and quite funny. The characters themselves as well as the situations they get into add to the humor, but also create some serious moments of reflection. This creates a great balance that makes you really question which parts were true and which were added by the studio.

George Clooney is terrific as Lynn Cassidy and plays the role in such a way that you don't know if he is crazy or if there is something to his stories. Ewan McGregor, on the other hand, is not so great. At certain moments it becomes clear that his character thinks Lynn is crazy, but the rest of the time he seems to be patronizing Lynn by just playing along even when there is enough evidence to lend Lynn's story some merit. It's difficult to tell whether or not he truly believes what is going on, even at the end when he decides to share his story with the world. I blame this on McGregor’s delivery that does not allow for much emotional variation or insight into the character. McGregor is the only bad thing I can find in this movie, but I don't think he is bad enough for the film to warrant the poor reviews.

The Men Who Stare at Goats may not be as funny as the title suggests, but it is funny enough to make an enjoyable film. The story is supposedly true, something I cannot verify because I did not read the book or do the necessary research, and is surprisingly believable considering the subject matter. If you really want to see A Christmas Carol again, I won't stop you. If, however, you are looking for an interesting film with the right amount of comedy and drama, then go stare at this movie for an hour or so.