Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) finds himself wandering around in the Middle Eastern desert, followinga Special Forces Jedi Warrior named Lyn Cassady (George Clooney) on his mission to use his psychic abilities. Yes, you read that right, the military "supposedly" used taxpayers' money to front an experiment to see if soldiers could use their minds to kill the enemy. And the rest is history. Or something like it.

Wilton is the perfect pawn in what might have been a complete hoax but seems to have been confirmed by multiple sources. His wife runs away with their mutual editor at the newspaper, and he goes searching for the story to resurrect his career and his life. A string of seemingly unrelated events lead him to Cassady, who tells him stories about the legendary New Earth Army and its founder, Bill Django (Jeff Bridges). For his part, Bridges plays his role to the hilt, or to The Dude, making this seem like just another movie in the Cohen Brothers' filmography, even though they are not involved. But yes, Bridges, Clooney, and sometimes McGregor play this one out like they are all high or at the very least intoxicated.

There are twists and turns throughout, but the most amusing parts circle Clooney and McGregor and their jaunt through the desert. Like the rest of the movie, things happen that could be played off as coincidence (if you're dealing with your expectations) or divine action/psychic power if you're thinking along the lines of Cassady and what Wilton comes to understand is true. I'm not sure completely what to make of it (like the goat?) but the truth is that this is quite earnest in a sometimes slapstick sort of way. Clooney's Cassady believes completely in his powers, and he seems undeterred by years of failure.

I wonder (with great trepidation) what kind of study one would have to perform to accept this movie (and it's interpretation of the book of the same name) as reality. If you compare this to something like Dan Brown's The Davinci Code, or to the Bible, one which I would say is fiction and one which is true, then when do you get to the point which you say, "Now, I have enough evidence" and go about your business? If you walked a few miles in the shoes of the storyteller, you might consider it, but if you lived their life for awhile, wouldn't you be convinced?

But I think that might miss the basic point of the movie and specifically the New Earth Army. Built upon the characteristics and mindsets of the New Age movements of the 1970s, the men who participate come to the decision that they are not living out the "love" that came with that process. It's an awakening of sorts, and not the psychic kind; the men realize that their mantra, their gospel, their code requires a change in their attitudes and their actions. Sometimes, believing something enough means you have to change yourself...

And the way Wilton tells the story, because he "has to get the word out." Like the rising up of Jesus in the ascension, and his guiding words to the apostles, Cassady puts the message in the mind and heart of Wilton, who passes it on, even if he's ridiculed mercilessly. Sometimes, believing leads to change, and change leads to accepting your stance against what everyone else thinks to be true. Yes, this movie, strangely enough, in an abstract way, provides an illustration comparable to the outpouring of the Gospel through the words of the disciples.

And it's just funny watching McGregor in a movie where Jedi Warriors are mentioned in casual conversation.