George Clooney and the men who stare at celebrities - Hollywood reporter story from 2009

George Clooney is either really charming or really dorky, perhaps a little bit of both.

14 Sept 2009

The actor/People magazine pinup was in his usual form Friday as he held forth at a Toronto Film Festival press conference on behalf of his military satire "The Men Who Stare at Goats" for the myriad reporters eager to hear the latest details of what he'd "do" for a woman, whether he'll ever get married and other questions of interest to people with an IQ number under the minimum Social-Security age.

"I didn't want to say it here because it seems like a strange place to announce it," he said, to that second question, as the audience sat forward, attentive. "I'm going to get married. Tonight."

That joke was kind of typical, either a clever deflection from a guy tired of all the questions or a guy who, like most actors put on the spot in the contrived setting of a press conference, simply doesn't have that much to say.

Clooney did give a little hint about his career plans, saying he won't be rushing back to the action pics of his early big-screen career, instead preferring to keep with the quirky passion projects of "Burn After Reading" or "Leatherheads."

"If you looked at the past few years, we (he and producing partner/"Goats" helmer Grant Heslov) haven't focused so much on the economics," he said. "We just want to make our money back so we can keep making" those movies.

He added, "They loved it when they said we wanted to do 'Good Night and Good Luck' in black and white. Next movie is silent. And no picture either."

Clooney did say he still enjoyed comedies, particularly playing characters who are never as smooth or smart as they think they are, as he does in "Goats" and has done in several Coen Bros. pictures. "The idiot syndrome?" he said. "Those characters are funny to me. Nothing is as funny as someone who takes himself so seriously."

As for that role as executed here, "Goats" doesn't pack nearly enough satiric bite -- it should have gone all out with the "Naked Gun"-ish absurdity or developed more character texture a la "Catch-22" (though bonus points for an afterparty with real live goats wearing T-Shirts asking 'Why are you staring at me?').

As it is, "Goats" is one more well-meaning but flawed Iraq movie, only the comedic version--too worried about remaining a semi-serious effort to be truly outrageous, too politically nervous to be provocative, and too much a product of modern Hollywood to create living, breathing characters along the lines of anything Mike Nichols would have done. "The Men Who Stare at Coats" might have been a more interesting film.

From Hollywood reporter

Dexterdidit wrote:I must admit I haven't been able to make it all the way through Goats. I have only watched the first 20 minutes or so. I just can't get into it! The moustache is just offputting. Gotta admit I really only wanted to see the goats when do they come into it?