In case you've seen the title but have absolutely no idea what the movie is about, aside from the fact that Clooney is in it, it concerns down-on-his-luck reporter Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor), who decides to escape his cheating wife and dull day job at a Michigan paper by covering the war in Iraq. However, once he gets to Kuwait, he's pretty much stuck there without an assignment until he meets Lyn Cassady (Clooney), a name Bob recognizes from an interview he did with nutty psychic Gus Lacey (Stephen Root). In the '70s, Cassady and Lacey were part of a top secret military unit of psychic spies. They attempted invisibility, remote viewing and running through walls. They were led by the New Age-y Bill Django (Jeff Bridges), who wrote a guidebook for the New Earth Army after an epiphany he had in Vietnam. His training involves taking drugs, walking on coals, yoga and... drugs. Lots of drugs. However, their peace and love vibe was trampled by Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey) who really wanted more practical applications for their powers, such as stopping the hearts of poor little de-bleated goats.

When Bob and Lyn meet, Lyn's on a mission -- though he won't give Bob details -- from Django that somehow involves them driving into the desert, getting taken prisoner by Iraqi soldiers, starting a war between developers who are itching to take advantage of the war-torn country's depreciated situation and relying on the kindness of a stranger. All before they get to the actual mission, mind you, which involves getting rid of a curse that I can't explain too thoroughly without spoiling the ending.

But not that much actually happens to spoil any plot -- the film is a string of bizarre events, and flashbacks within flashbacks to even more disturbing events, and oddball moments. Whether you believe that this story is true or not is utterly beside the point. The characters in this film firmly believe in their powers, and Lyn even refers to them as Jedis. Which prompts Bob to query, "What's a Jedi warrior?" in such a deadpan way that it made this geeky girl laugh out loud (coming as it did from the mouth of Obi-Wan Kenobi). In fact, the New Earth Army had a truly delightful Jedi feel to it, considering that I wasn't expecting a slew of Star Wars references or for characters to be trying to use the Force, though in some ways it makes a lot of sense. Well, except for all of the hallucinogenic drugs, because I don't think that Luke or Anakin had to sample LSD in order to tap into their powers, though maybe that part just got cut from those movies. Hmm... Anyway, for the ladies out there, there's a lovely brief scene featuring the bare backsides of Mr. Clooney and Mr. McGregor, which some might consider to be worth the price of admission alone. However, squeamish folks might need to watch out for the explanation of the Echmeyer technique. Consider yourself warned.

The acting here is, as expected, very solid. Clooney brings out his perfectly quirky side (absolutely loved him demonstrating the "sparkly eyes" technique) and his commitment to his character is really the glue that holds this film together. If Lyn came off as too crazy or too jokey, then it would seem ridiculous to believe that Bob would buy any of this story, but that's never a problem. However, it's not like Clooney hasn't had roles like this before, while McGregor's character feels a lot like his Moulin Rouge role, where he was also easily swept up into a secret world. And if you like The Big Lebowski's The Dude, you'll likely appreciate Bridges' part here, since this laid-back hippie leader not only looks like The Dude, but has a remarkable amount in common with him. So while none of the leads are bringing much new to the table (and Spacey is basically playing the straight man), the film still manages to be an enjoyable excursion thanks to these actors turning what could've been excruciatingly dull material into something that passes for mostly fun, if slightly disjointed, entertainment.