To summarize, I feel like that Randy Jackson's words from the Geico commercial sum it up best: "yo check it out dawg, that was just alright for me. I mean you got the walk, you got the stance, but I wasn't feeling this. You gotta come a little harder, you gotta figure it out. Ehhhhhh I don't know."The visual effects in the movie were much more amazing than the movie itself, especially during the half-time show. Even after the movie's concluded I find myself sitting here, wondering and thinking just what the movie was supposed to accomplish and did it do it? Certain aspects of the movie are touching and heart-felt, while a majority fail to stick the landing they were going for. The ending fight scene was ridiculous and if a gun was fired inside a building in a crowded stadium, someone would've gone to jail for it, no matter their rank. I understand the need to want to create drama, but let's color in the lines and not over-exaggerate (i.e. the soldiers act more like a group of frat boys than they do actual soldiers). I'll circle back to the cinematography - it was truly top notch and the war scenes were alluring, but it seems like there's a ton of build-up to the half-time show and while thats visually the best part of the movie, it just seems like there was no substance otherwise.

This sees a couple of soldiers back on in the good US of A. But they are in between, because they are supposed to go back to the war zone. One in particular is praised as a hero, for what he did on the battlefield. And while he is not highest in rank, he is the one most are concentrating on. The story too, with his struggle and his flashbacks to the day that made him "famous".There are quite a few stars in this, some in really small roles (like Vin Diesel or Kristen Stewart), but what is important, is that everyone involved gives their best and it shows on screen. You may know where this is going, but it still is a very fine watch. A tough movie to watch, with obvious stabs at many thins (media attention, praise but also false heroism and much more) ... it really is like a mirror showing a couple of bad sides of society. Then again, is there a chance to change?

I loved the book and it occurred to me more than once while reading that it would make a terrific movie. Maybe not so much. Perhaps the kind of books you see instantly as a "terrific" movie should be left in the film can in your head. From the opening scenes to whenever we petered out and turned it off, this film feels false. The platoon doesn't feel like young men who've lived and fought together. They seem like actors who have never crossed paths with people who make up our military these days. That may not be the case but that's what it feels like to someone who ...also doesn't cross paths with soldiers often. And maybe that's what's wrong with movie. Fountain's point is the disconnect between Americans and the warriors they send off to do battle for them. Perhaps it is expecting too much for that sentiment to be captured by those so removed by privilege. Read the book.

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.