Halftime review: Jennifer Lopez asks Hollywood for her long overdue standing ovation in rousing, effective documentary – Entertainment News ,…

As was the case with Miss Americana and Framing Britney Spears, Halftime joins the canon of documentaries that seeks to re-examine the inherent viciousness of the paparazzi culture that profited off turning female celebrities into tabloid fodder.

Language: English

For most of Jennifer Lopezs career, Jennifer Lopez has been seen less as an actress or a singer or a dancer than as a body, began a 2019 Vox piece about the multi-hyphenate artist. The piece came right on the heels of Lorene Scafarias Hustlers(2019) the movie that revitalised Lopezs cache as an actress worth taking seriously and indicted the media for historically undermining her achievements and sexualising her very existence. In a way, the piece summarises the central thesis of Amanda Michelis Halftime, a Netflix documentary that tracks the sheer craft of Lopezs artistry through the events of a seminal year in her life. Jennifer Lopez has been universally successful, says one character midway through the documentary. But she hasnt been universally respected. Over its 86-minute-long runtime, the documentary, fascinating even when it is by-the-books, examines Lopezs fame at the intersection of her talent, image, and ambition.

The film opens at Lopezs birthday party in 2019. The multi-hyphenate global icon turns 50, an age widely deemed as an expiry date for female artistry. But Lopez, who enters the fourth decade of her career, doesnt see it that way. I really feel like my life is just beginning, Lopez says to her family in under a year, she ends up proving that to the world as well. The straightforward narrative of the documentary goes from event to event: first, it chooses to focus on Lopez finding herself in the middle of an aggressive award season campaign for Hustlers before tracking the six-month prep for her sensational Superbowl halftime performance in 2020. In that sense, Halftime, which premiered at Tribeca Film Festival this week, takes a celebratory approach, putting its subject on a pedestal and at a remove from the world at large.

Still, if Halftime manages to become illuminating, its solely due to the candid vulnerability that Lopez brings to the outing. The documentarys (deserved) praises about her grit, resilience, undeterred talent and hard work gains an added poignancy due to Lopez underlining exactly why this acclaim for her is long overdue. That is to say, she brings clarity to the direction of the narrative for instance, she eschews making her personal life a part of the films narrative, partly in resistance to how throughout her career, the frenetic curiosity about her relationship status has overshadowed any interest in her professional achievements. In fact, anyone who complains that Halftime doesnt dig into her personal affairs will effectively be proving her point. Thats exactly the ask that she brandishes in this documentary through voiceovers, intimate archival and home footage, rehearsals prep, and interviews why is it not possible to see Lopez as an artist in her own right?

To Michelis credit, the documentary is equipped to hold place for deeper levels of introspection about the language of sexism and racism that was collectively directed toward Lopez, an artist of Puerto Rican descent, in the 2000s. Armed with archival footage, Halftime paints an uncomfortable portrait of how Lopez was relentlessly mocked for her curves (her butt became the topic of magazine covers and prime-time talk shows; Conan OBrien and Jimmy Kimmel are guilty of casually normalising that sexism), berated for her acting skills, and packed off to the sidelines of Hollywood. As was the case with Miss Americana and Framing Britney Spears, Halftime joins the canon of documentaries that seeks to re-examine the inherent viciousness of the paparazzi culture that profited off turning female celebrities into tabloid fodder.

As with Miss Americana, my favourite part about the documentary was Lopez witnessing her own transformation in the same way that Taylor Swift underwent her own: if Swift stopped caring about being liked by the whole world, then Lopez took charge of her own sexuality on her own terms. Think Ramona in Hustlers but also Lopezs taking the ramp at 50 in that exact green dress that raised eyebrows decades back. Even Lopez and Swifts political awakening bears resemblance, in the sense that both artists convinced themselves that being apolitical was part of the playbook of being a female pop star.

On her part, Lopez doesnt appear hesitant in directing the documentary toward uncomfortable areas instead of hiding under the cloak of political correctness. The highlights of Halftime are for me, embedded in Lopez realizing the responsibility of her voice and the immense value of her artistry especially when the world chooses to look the other way. The camera catches Lopezs dejected face right after her Golden Globes loss and her angry resolve when NFL Superbowl officials try to interfere in her act, demanding that she drop the bits where she takes a pro-immigrant stance. But the moment that takes the cake though is watching Lopez publicly admit that the Superbowl deciding to have two Latina headliners for the halftime performance traditionally reserved for one performer is the worst decision in the world.

Still, this self-esteem is hard-earned, suggests Halftime. In the opening minutes of the documentary for instance, were treated to a sequence of Lopez learning pole-dancing for her role in Hustlers, boasting an opening pole-dancing number performed by Lopez that is as sensational as any action set piece in the Mission Impossible franchise. The camera briefly focuses on the terrifying height of the heels she wears before getting up on the pole and then on the bruises she accumulates on her legs and arms in the process. The point of the wordless scene isnt just to posit that Lopez is a hardworking artist; rather, it frames it as an extension of Lopezs desire to be taken seriously even when she succeeds.

In fact, Halftime dedicates a significant portion of its runtime on the unfettered acclaim that came Lopezs way for Hustlers. The film made all kinds of lists and the actress racked up endless nominations and several nominations, upending the myth that female actresses cant headline the biggest hit of their careers once they turn 50. Still, it proved to not be enough for the Oscars Hustlers, a film helmed entirely by people of colour, was curiously absent from the Academy Award nominations.

Its fascinating how sharply the documentary treats Lopezs Oscars snub as a connecting thread for its argument about the film industry routinely undermining Lopez as a lead actress.

As it suggests in Lopezs own candid words, she should have been there and her absence is proof of the long-standing intolerance toward the success of people of colour and of the unequal footing provided to female artists. Its as if the cycle never ends: Lopez keeps proving herself, racking up one success after the other only to have the gatekeepers of Hollywood tell her that shes not good enough.

This exact treatment ruined her self-esteem back when she was just about making a name for herself in the industry. But right now, it only hardens her resolve to take up more room. The closing Superbowl performance is proof of that. Lopez brings out the dance movies, the curves, and the unshakeable confidence during her Halftime performance, going from one act to another like a restless acrobat. But the pice de rsistance of her act is when she brings out her pole-dancing act from Hustlers. Its magnetic, electrifying, and completely award-worthy. By then, its clear as day that not recognizing Lopezs work on Hustlers is nothing short of an act of malice. Halftime ensures that the world remembers it.

Halftime is streaming on Netflix

Poulomi Das is a film and culture writer, critic, and programmer. Follow more of her writing onTwitter.

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Halftime review: Jennifer Lopez asks Hollywood for her long overdue standing ovation in rousing, effective documentary - Entertainment News ,...