Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk

WARNING: This review is hidden because it reveals the content of the film.
Click here to show this review. "Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk" is an imperfect film. Sometimes, it’s way in your face with its message and there’s at least one scene towards the end that’s just straight-up bad. Nevertheless, I find myself fascinated by it. There’s a lot going on here and for the thought-provoking moments it contains, I recommend it.

After his heroic actions are caught on camera, Specialist Billy Lynn (Joe Alwyn) and Bravo Company squad have been brought home in order to appear in the Dallas Cowboys’ Thanksgiving game halftime show. As America praises Destiny’s Child, junk food, and football, Billy struggles to reconnect with his family and the country he fought to protect.

My mind is swirling with different ideas, all brought forth by little interactions that Billy and his fellow soldiers have while waiting to get onto the field. You look at the people in the stadium. They’re hooting and hollering, painting their faces, screaming at the top of their lungs, cursing at each other... and for what? A game in which a bunch of overpaid athletes throw a football around? Just a few weeks ago, Billy was risking his life, suffering through training regiments and burying a fellow soldier (Vin Diesel.) You can’t help but feel as though the people in the stadium – and by extension, all of us – are ingrates. How dare they throw up limp hands in a salute, only pay half a mind to the national anthem and worry about their petty issues while there are people out there dying for a taste of the freedom given to them? Then again, isn’t that what wars are fought to protect? The liberty to act however we want? Sure, you never see the people in Iraq don silly hats and cheer for a game that ultimately, means nothing, but does that really indicate that the people back home are crazy?

There’s a running theme of finding a balance in this picture. Soldiers understand the true beauty of a day spent doing nothing, of sitting back and enjoying family, but that’s because they’re put in life-or-death situations regularly. Civilians overlook golden moments like these, but it’s not really their fault. Soldiers from past wars, civil rights leaders, revolutionaries struggled so that they would live in a country without conflict. How could you understand how sweet it is to live in a city where there are no threats of bombs or raids when you’ve never lived through one? There’s a constant level of unease as these two opposites try to co-exist within the stadium and within the people involved. It’s almost like they’re not supposed to. What is the ideal soldier but a drone, a walking gun that follows letters to the letter… and yet Billy is being honored because, in that one heroic moment, he became human again and reminded us of the human ideals we all aspire to. He took a chance and that surge of emotion, captured on film was recognized by a nation. Those two extremes are tearing him apart internally, and the fact that no one is able to truly empathize with their plight doesn’t help make it any easier. All the commercialism, mock understanding, self-congratulatory individuals and big money politics are enough to drive anyone mad.

At the same time, there are moments that are puzzling in "BLLHW". At least twice, a character looks directly into the camera and tells us how we’re supposed to feel about Bravo Company. It’s like the film is talking down to us. I figured out what they were saying on my own, thank you. There’s a scene late in the picture that also left me scratching my head. It’s a weird interaction between our protagonists and a bunch of stadium employees that I guess could happen in real life but is very distracting and ultimately, unnecessary. I think it should’ve ben cut out of the picture. At least those misguided decisions I understand. What I don’t get is why director Ang Lee decided to “feature” Destiny’s Child despite not having the singers onboard. Yes, the lookalikes/stand-ins are a detail, but it’s the kind of thing that stands out. You could’ve picked anyone, why pick the three people that didn’t want to take part?

This film is almost more interesting to discuss than it is to actually watch. There are so many ideas to be drawn from this one day in Billy’s life that it’s almost distracting. In a way, the film is a disappointment because when you see what it’s got going for it," Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk" sounds like a contender for best picture of the year. The performances are very good. Kristen Stewart is heart wrenching and, newcomer Joe Alwyn looks like a veteran actor and other players such as Vin Diesel, Chris Tucker, and Steve Martin are equally good. I like that in many ways, the film shows both sides of its arguments, allowing you to decide for yourself how you feel about this whole issue of whether or not we’re squandering or unappreciative of the freedom we enjoy. It’s not as gripping or emotional as it should be, and yet I do admire it and recommend the picture. Even if you just see it the one time, I think it will have an impact on you. I found myself upset afterward, lost in thought as I scrambled to collect my thoughts. I think anytime that happens, it’s indicative of something gone right. There are some big mistakes in "Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk" but for the things it gets right, I think it’s worth taking a peek. (Theatrical version on the big screen, December 6, 2016)