Ever faced off with a grass-chewing, knobby-headed billy goat? Let's hope not, because you might do something you're not proud of. Director Grant Heslov's "The Men Who Stare at Goats" is based on a nonfiction book by the same name penned by journalist Jon Ronson, and the ridiculous movie is more truthful than you might believe. It's a satirical but hopeful story about a secret facet of the US Military called The New Earth Army who, back in the '60s and '70s, researched alternate, non-lethal warfare strategies, including psychic powers.

In the film, we follow a modern-day reporter, Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor). On a quest to find self worth, Wilton embarks on an unexpected adventure through Iraq as he foolishly tags along with Lyn Cassady (George Clooney), an ex-"Jedi Warrior" (the army's name for their psychic operation soldiers). In between flashbacks that uncover the history of The New Earth Army, Wilton chases the big story he's always wanted but has no idea what he's getting himself into, and neither do we.

Staring at goats in order to kill them isn't the half of it. While the odd title is central to the facts behind the movie, it's just one example of the absurd tactics that The New Earth Army tried to master and how it all went wrong. The group's original leader, Bill Django (Jeff Bridges), is a free-loving, LSD-dropping, pro-peace hippie. He teaches the other characters skills like reading minds, "remote viewing" (traveling in your mind to see far off places) and walking through walls-or at least he tries to teach them. The antagonist, Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey), is an overachieving, jealous solider bent on abusing Django's techniques. The film touches on the notion of how one bad apple can ruin a good thing, but it also comically notes the unlikeliness and sometimes absolute impossibility of the Jedi's methods, despite his good intentions.

The comedic elements carry the film from start to finish. Though Wilton is the central character, Cassady and Django bring the most laughs. Bridges' Django is a welcomed reincarnation of the easy-going burnout of "The Big Lebowski," the Dude. And Clooney's super serious but dedicated Cassady is a naively optimistic black sheep who's relatable and sweetly amusing. McGregor has his moments, but his feigned American accent is distracting. His character could easily have been British without disrupting the story.

"The Men Who Stare at Goats" isn't all fun and games. There are some sad and poignant moments that reflect on our current state of international affairs and warfare in general. At one point, Wilton, Cassady and a friendly Iraqi who had been kidnapped with them apologize for their fellow citizens' behavior and try to assure each other "we're not all like that." There's a silence filled with shame, both sides acknowledging the price of war and globalization and the selfish irresponsibility of everyone's excuses.

But the film does rest on hope-well, comedic hope. The climax of the film hilariously resolves the conflict with nonviolent simplicity. The movie asks us to hold on to that little glimmer of optimism and goodwill that's left inside us. Although there are some cheap-shot jokes, a few loose ends in side stories and an ending that should have been cut off two seconds earlier, the all-star cast is funny and endearing. The unbelievable story that "The Men Who Stare at Goats" is based on is perfect fodder for the satirical, road-trip, flashback adventure comedy it becomes on the screen. Oh, and you'll just have to go see it to find out what happens to the goats.