Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk | Rotten Tomatoes

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk

R

Released Nov 18, 2016

1 hr. 48 min.

Comedy

Drama

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List

44%

162 Reviews

Tomatometer

41%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Nineteen-year-old private Billy Lynn (Joe Alwyn), along with his fellow soldiers in Bravo Squad, becomes a hero after a harrowing Iraq battle and is brought home temporarily for a victory tour. Through flashbacks, culminating at the spectacular halftime show of the Thanksgiving Day football game, what really happened to the squad is revealed, contrasting the realities of the war with America's perceptions. Based on the novel by Ben Fountain.

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Critics Consensus

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk has noble goals, but lacks a strong enough screenplay to achieve them -- and its visual innovations are often merely distracting.

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Kyle M

Nobly grasped whilst also towards the attempted immersion next to being thematically retained, with an empathetically appealing cast, Ang Lee's lesser form may seem dated by contributive sense in its jointed commentary being minimally focused irrationally. (B-)

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/20/24

Full Review

joe d

A very good film. I don't understand why it has a low rating. I'm a fan of Ang Lee and I think this is one of his best films. Joe Alwyns lead performance is excellent.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/09/24

Full Review

Danton M

Having read the book when it was first published, I am glad I got around to watching the movie. I see mostly critical reviews, but I enjoyed the movie a lot. The presentation of shallow citizens with no clue about combat probably angered many people, but I saw it as accurate and perceptive. It's not a feel good movie, unless you feel good about combat brotherhood, but it IS a good movie and I highly recommend it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/27/23

Full Review

Jeffrey P

I don't know if this was glorifying the military or making a joke of it. It's as if it glorified this particular type of story with no good reason for it to be glorified AND also made a joke of it that wasn't all that funny.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

06/26/23

Full Review

david l

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk is the oddest and most unnecessary movie that Ang Lee has ever directed. While it is very well acted and sometimes moving, it failed as a character study because the characters' development was mostly weak. It does deal with some important issues, but the execution was terrible, particularly in the poor editing and in the frustrating flashback structure.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

steve d

It wants to honor the troops but has absolutely no idea how to go about doing it.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

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Ang Lee

Director

Joe Alwyn

Billy

Kristen Stewart

Kathryn

Chris Tucker

Albert

Garrett Hedlund

Dime

Makenzie Leigh

Faison

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Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk: Official Clip - A Soldier's Story

3:13

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk: Official Clip - For My Sister

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Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk: Official Clip - It's Going Down

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Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk: Official Clip - You Can Have Me

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Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk: Official Clip - Make You Proud of Me

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Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk: Official Clip - Sergeant's Ritual

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Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk: Official Clip - Ever Kill Somebody?

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Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk: Official Clip - I Love You

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Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk: Official Clip - Backstage Love

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Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk: Official Clip - Heroes Onstage

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Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk: Trailer 2

1:37

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk: Trailer 1

2:07

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Namrata Joshi

The Hindu

At times, Billy Lynn plumbs the right depths, at others it remains a simplistic, overemotional and boring eulogy...

Jul 30, 2018

Full Review

Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

The story, about a young soldier who is torn between leaving the army and loyalty to his brothers at arms, is affecting and well acted ...

Rated: 3/5

Feb 12, 2017

Full Review

Kate Muir

Times (UK)

A film that's as clunky as its title.

Rated: 2/5

Feb 10, 2017

Full Review

Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

Unfortunately, any resonance is lost under a mountain of unimportant minutiae stealing air time and headspace.

Rated: 2/5

Feb 16, 2024

Full Review

Aaron Boalick

Vague Visages

Ultimately, Ang Lee delivers a smart war film that offers a great deal of empathy to its social actors while still remaining critical of imperialist impulses in American culture.

Nov 30, 2023

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

A somewhat engaging consideration of how different people view the idea of a soldier or war itself.

Rated: 2/4

Apr 9, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

Nineteen-year-old private Billy Lynn (Joe Alwyn), along with his fellow soldiers in Bravo Squad, becomes a hero after a harrowing Iraq battle and is brought home temporarily for a victory tour. Through flashbacks, culminating at the spectacular halftime show of the Thanksgiving Day football game, what really happened to the squad is revealed, contrasting the realities of the war with America's perceptions. Based on the novel by Ben Fountain.

Director: Ang Lee
Executive Producer: Brian Bell, Jeff Robinov, Guo Guangchang, Ben Waisbren
Screenwriter: Jean-Christophe Castelli
Distributor: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Production Co: Studio 8, TriStar Pictures, Marc Platt Productions, Ink Factory
Rating: R (Language Throughout|Brief Drug Use|Sexual Content|Some War Violence)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 18, 2016, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 14, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.7M
Sound Mix: Dolby Atmos

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