Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (2016)

hyped garbage

Don't Believe the Hype

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The war in Iraq is not going well and support for the war is fading. Billy Lynn (Joe Alwyn) is a 19 year old soldier from Texas. He is caught on camera in a heroic but failed attempt to save his sergeant Shroom Breem (Vin Diesel). He and his squad are brought back to America to do a hero's tour. Promoter Albert (Chris Tucker) is trying to sell their story for a Hollywood movie. Norm Oglesby (Steve Martin) is the war-supporting Dallas football team owner. He has invited the boys to join the patriotic halftime show. Billy falls for cheerleader Faison Zorn (Makenzie Leigh). In flashbacks, he spends time with his family and his older sister Kathryn (Kristen Stewart). The family is in medical debt after she suffered severe injuries. Her fiancée abandoned her due to her disfigurement which led to Billy vandalizing his car. In order to escape prosecution, he joined the Army. Anti-war Kathryn is guilt-ridden and desperate for Billy to leave the fighting.I can see compelling aspects of Flags of Our Fathers within this Ang Lee movie. First of all, casting newcomer Joe Alwyn has its appeal and accompanying pitfalls. He has that ah-schucks All-American heroism but his lack of star power makes him blend in with the rest of the squad. Lee fails to alleviate that by filming him by himself. He only stands out when he first gets together with his sister Kathryn. I really like their chemistry. The risk caused some problem but ends up with a good payoff. It could have been handled better.The other casting problem is Steve Martin. He doesn't fit this character. It's very fake and the fake Dallas Cowboys do not help. The fakeness devalues the serious message of the movie. They even have the fake Destiny's Child. It infects other aspects of the surrounding story. The clash with the roadies and the halftime PTSD could have been more visceral but everything is off. It's not quite real.There is also Lee's use of high frame rate. It doesn't look bad on DVD but I understand some complained about the theatrical viewing. There may be a powerful journey in the source material but the movie is off and it only achieves greatness in short little bursts. This is a misstep by award winning Lee.

Every generation has its own war and war heroes. Every administration has its own old men with hidden agenda in sending their youngs into battles in foreign lands (whether overtly or covertly). The American public has a chronic collective amnesia when it comes to the subject of wars. Ever since we started with the Independence War, we've entered numerous wars without learning any lessons from our past wars. History tends to repeat itself, especially when we as a nation are not even aware of our own history. The current wars that we are engaging are the direct results of old men with hidden agenda sending their young ones into hell while making political and business deals in order to keep themselves in power,at the same time enriching their friends.In wars, there are no heroes... rather, just ordinary men trying to stay alive while taking care of each others. Ask any Medal of Honor recipient. In the White House, there are no patriots... rather, just old men trying to stay in power while taking care of their friends. Really, ask any politician who is up for re-election... or any ex-politician.By the way, this movie reminds me of Courage Under Fire (Meg Ryan), and Casualties of War (Michael J. Fox). War movies with a real sense of truth to the situation.

First, the photography in this, having the camera bounce back and forth from 3d person to first person views, really made the story hard to watch as it kept changing perspectives in the worst times, too frequently, and in a way that made everyone looking at the camera (even GREAT actors like Steve Martin) look like they were really straining to get through the script.So, the script - the idea of the soldiers touring the nation on a public affairs trips to get support for the overseas war, isn't a bad idea. BUT this focused way too much on the soldiers' trying to SELL their story to Hollywood and others, so they can make a movie based on them and each of the soldiers get money.This movie is supposed to be about the internal struggles going on with Billy, but the script really went far off base from that and just has you all over the place, mostly focusing on the soldiers trying to make money off of their military service, the troops' sergeant that is really REALLY over-acting in trying to act like their sergeant and negotiator for more money for them all, and only a little bit focusing on Billy and his mental struggles.The struggles are highlighted a LITTLE, very fragmented throughout the movie, with bouncing us between present day on their publicity tour and to the past with fragments of his deployment and coming home with a family that is worried about him and a sister, played by an actress that STILL cannot seem to every find an ounce of emotion to project, trying to convince him to go AWOL, just to get some Mental Health help. But again - the movie is MORE about these guys making money off of their story sold to the movies...A 4 rating was generous, I think, and only because I recognize the ATTEMPT to tell a story about one of our troops coming home and facing internal struggle - but really, if I wanted to rate the movie based on what it was supposed to be about - it would be a big zero. POORLY done, nightmare photography skills, really really bad script and acting and fragmented script bouncing between many segments of the story with a WAY OVER THE TOP, unreal cheesy and very unrealistic ending that would made every one of us Veterans looking at it and all saying, "Oh please....!" and being disgusted by the entire time just wasted watching this.

A Cultural Contemplation on War, Religion, Commercialism, Hypocrisy, Heroism, and the U.S.A.'s Hedonistic Hubris. Ang Lee's Technically Impressive Film is a High-End Exploration of Americana as it Exists in the 21st Century.Sharp, but Not Biting, Satire is Expressed as the Movie Unfolds the sometimes Unsettling Story of an Iraq War "Hero" that becomes a National Celebrity (read commodity) along with His "Bravo" Squad as They are Paraded Pathetically in Front of 40 Million Viewers at a Half-Time Show on Thanksgiving in Dallas.What goes on is a Spectacle that should have Thinking, Feeling, Patriotic Americans "Up In Arms" at the Exploitation, Political Hackery, and Hoodwinking by the Country's Elite.The Movie is about "Life During (and after) Wartime". America's Invading Involvement in Iraq (the movie takes place in 2004) and its Political Motivations are Touched but by No Means Explored In Depth, either Philosophically or Economically.The Thrust is a Personal Story of One Man's Inability to be Mature Enough or Intelligent Enough to Comprehend the Consumption of the War by the Public or anything Conclusive about just What the Hell is Going On, both Over There and Over Here. He Doesn't have any Answers just Feelings for His Squad and Their "Fate".It's a Thought Consuming Colorful Presentation of Glitz and Glimmer. America's Fascination with Ultra-Shallow Patriotic Platitudes and Surface Shams Produced to Keep the Citizenry Distracted and "Drugged" by Eye Candy and Adrenalin Highs that are Momentarily Satisfying and Exhausting.Note...Much has been made of the Director's vision of high frame rate resulting in revolutionary directions in Film-Making. None of that means a hill of beans in the final analysis. This is a Story first and razzle-dazzle second and any second now serious Filmmakers won't give a hoot and a holler about all that. It will all become inconsequential and inappropriate except for its gimmickry.