poor tommy yates ( brian presley ) and one of the hero of the iraq war drama home of the brave and have fall so far after his return home that the best job he can get be ( shudder ) work the box office at a movie theatre . he run into vanessa ( jessica biel ) and who be hurt in the attack that kill his best friend and at the movie theatre while they chat about how hard it have be to adjust . tommy note that he sell stupid ticket to these stupid movie and but he never go to see them and because they seem so unimportant . there be no other scene at tommy place of employmenthe could work at any number of low pay menial job . but screenwriter mark friedman work in that little piece of commentary to congratulate both himself and the viewer while the film youre watching be not like all those other stupid movie and you see . it important . the problem be that home of the brave be an execrable film and so poorly make and obvious that it be impossible to take seriously and no matter how earnest and noble the intention . a bad film be a bad film and whether it concern serious topic or not . most bad film can be blame squarely on the scriptand this one a doozybut home of the brave be incompetent on every level represent bad writing and bad directing and bad music and bad editing and and mostly bad performance . director irwin winkler start out a an accomplished producer and and bore that credit on many good film ( rag bull and rocky among them ) and but he have yet to direct a good film and after many try ( the net and at first sight and de lovely and life a a house ) . there no focus to this effort while the pace plod and the performance be all over the place and and there not a cliché in the war movie book that winkler doesn not embrace ( when chad michael murray buy the farm early in the pictureto my immense reliefwinkler actually have his best buddy presley run to him in slow motion and scream nooooooooooooo . ) . the screenplay and by first time screenwriter ( and former harvey weinstein assistant ) mark friedman and be astonishingly bad . it poor quality sneak up on you and since there minimal dialogue before the first extended action sequence ( though say dialogue do include the news that this iraq company will be head home inside of a week and which anyone who have ever see a cop movie know be a sure sign of impend death and destruction ) . but the dialogue be atrocious and the kind of corny and cliché ridden platitude that would get a quick rewrite on your average make for tv movie ( which home of the brave and with it plinky piano music and slo mo flashback and often recall ) . for example and when he visit his buddy widow ( christina ricci and whose tiny role in a film this bad be entirely inexplicable ) and she ask and be he a hero and tommy . he reply and he die defend his country . the whole script be like that . and everyone get a big monologue . poor jessica biel actually have one where she tell the story of how she be injuredwhich we saw and in it entirety and in the opening sequence . her tell add no insight or additional perspective to the early scene while i guess it there for people who show up late ( helpfully and footage from the scene be show over her shoulder and a if she katie couric or something ) . victoria rowell and a samuel l. jackson wife and have a long monologue where she list all of the thing she do for their family while he be go while he aware of all of them ( i support you when you enlist . ) and so this entire speech exist purely for our benefit . and so on . even curtis 50 cent jackson get a monologue and and whoa boy be that a bad idea . i know he a tough guy ( since he will never shut up about how many time he be shoot ) and so i be sure he can take the criticism he will receive for his performance in this film . he awful and all dead eye and mumble dialogue while give moment that require a real actor ( like when he accidentally take out an iraqi civilian ) and jackson face register nothing . whatever you call him and jackson or fiddy and he stink . brian presley and who probably have more screen time than anyone and doesn not fare much well . the bulk of presley resume and accord to imdb and be on soap opera while this be his first major film and and with any luck and it will be his last . his line reading be stilted and unconvincing and his attempt at genuine emotion be laughable and and even a good actor would have trouble deliver his final dear mom and dad voice over well . samuel l. jackson be good enough and i guess and but when be he go to get back to make good film . we have give him like ten year of paycheck role now while it time for him to stop phone it in . he basically have to play the same note that his contemporary denzel washington do in courage under fire ten year ago while that be a brilliant and subtle performance and but even more so compare with jackson work here ( his drunk act be about as nuanced a foster brook ) . the surprise of the film be jessica biel and who be actually the best thing in it and prove that her solid ( but brief ) turn in the illusionist be no fluke . she have a couple of moment so honest and in fact and that they deserve to have be airlift into a good film . believe it or not and i feel like i be low ball the sheer ineptitude of home of the brave while it really be inexcusably stupid and a mixture of every bad lifetime drama and filter through a hot topic to make it seem timely . and that perhaps what be most reprehensible about the film represent it be a ham fisted and simple mind and schlocky examination of an important subject . and for that and the people who make it should be ashamed of themselves .