That being said, don’t go into “The Men Who Stare At Goats” with realism in the forefront of your mind. You won’t find it here. Solar-powered grills and psychic military units who use their superpowers for the good of America exist in this world.

The story line, based on Jon Ronson’s novel, sees Ewan McGregor star as Bob Wilton, a floundering journalist. In an attempt to revive his career and prove to his ex-wife that he isn’t a failure, Wilton travels to the heart of the Iraq war in an attempt to cover more dangerous stories.

There, he comes across Lyn Cassady (played by a beer-battered George Clooney), a man who claims to be a former “Jedi” — a name given to members of U.S. Army’s First Earth Battalion. The First Earth Battalion is a secret military force that was founded in the 1980s by Bill Django (played by Jeff Bridges), an earth-loving hippie and firm believer in psychic ability.

Throughout the film, we get glimpses into Cassady’s history with Django and the battalion, including the emergence of Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey), the man determined to bring down the psychic unit.

Sound confusing? It is a bit. But, because “The Men Who Stare At Goats” outwardly is a farce, there’s not a real pressure to understand everything. After all, we’re talking about supernatural powers here.

You won’t see Clooney smirking in a suit or sweet-talking co-workers with an unspoken elegance here; Clooney is gray and scruffy in this role, more closely resembling an over-the-hump renegade version of Charlie Chaplin.

McGregor and Clooney have chemistry, and watching them banter back and forth is a treat as both actors are at the top — or at least semi-top — of their game; however, Bridges delivers the best performance by far.

The film feels long at 93 minutes, which probably can be attributed to the never-ceasing chitter chatter and slight gags stuffed inside of Heslov’s film, but given the movie’s tone, I found it hard not to compare it to a Coen brothers’ film — which is unfortunately a downfall. When compared to “Fargo” or “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” — which also stars Clooney — “The Men Who Stare At Goats” simply doesn’t hold up.

Perhaps comparing Heslov’s film to the best of Coen satire isn’t fair. After all, he isn’t asking us to do so, and I enjoyed this more than “Burn After Reading.” Clooney doesn’t seem so fatigued in Heslov’s film.

Although it lacks focus and any substantial dramatic elements to ground it, there’s an energy and confidence in the whispy ways Heslov tells his story, and when energy and confidence join forces, there always will be worse things to spend your money on.

Watch the official trailer on YouTube