Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

I'm a big fan of Tina Fey. Anyone who has followed this blog for a certain amount of time probably knows that by now. Naturally, when I first saw the trailer for her new Comedy-Drama, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, I knew I had to see it. Not just for Fey, but also the subject matter of a war correspondent's experiences covering the war in Afghanistan was intriguing to me. 

Kim Baker (played by Tina Fey), is a news writer stuck in a rut in her life when the opportunity to report from the front lines of Afghanistan is presented to her because she is one of the few unmarried, childless people working in the office. Initially hesitant, she decides her life could use some shaking up and accepts the position. Initially shocked at what life is like in a war zone, Baker falls in with a group of fellow reporters including Tanya Vanderpoel (played by Margot Robie) and war photographer Iain McKelpie (played by Martin Freeman, rocking an impressive Scottish accent). Accompanying her around is her translator and contact Fahim (played by Christopher Abbott) and her security guard Nic (played by Stephen Peacocke). After getting her first taste of adrenaline while the Marines she is embedded with are attacked, Kim starts putting herself out there more to try and dig up more and more stories for her network to cover, while taking more and more risks and in the process growing as a strong and independent woman.

Tina Fey really stretches and gives a great performance as Kim Baker, taking on a far more dramatic role than she has in the past. She does a great job portraying a woman who is at first out of her depth when she arrives in Afghanistan who isn't sure she can even do the job and grows into a stronger, more adventurous self, willing to take big risks to get to the story. Martin Freeman does well as Baker's friend and eventual boyfriend of sorts. Normally, I would bristle as such an obvious plot development, but it is handled in such an understated and honest way, I didn't mind it. Besides, the scene where they finally hook up is such a bumbling, fumbling disjointed and hysterical mess, which is a refreshing (and relatable) change from the usually well choreographed love scenes in movies. The real surprise for me though was Christopher Abbott as Fahim and the friendship that develops between him and Baker. From his insistence that she be present at his wedding to his eventual warning her that she is risking turning into an adrenaline junkie (using his time as a doctor dealing with morphine addicts as an example) created a very touching subplot to the film.   

The film was directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, who find a decent balance between the humor and the pathos of the film. The shifts can be a little disjointed, but not so much that it bothered me. Even the requisite dramatic crisis climax, which I won't spoil here, didn't bother me too much because in a way it showed how much Kim had grown over her time there as she figured out how to deal with the situation. The film was written by frequent Tina Fey collaborator Robert Carlock (they worked together on 30 Rock, for example) and crafts a script that certainly plays to her strengths, while also surrounding her with compelling and interesting characters as well.   

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot was an entertaining and insightful look into the lives of war correspondents, especially one in particular and the risks they take to report from the front lines and the insanity of doing so, with several scenes that had me thinking what WTF indeed. Filled with both humor and drama, the film makes for satisfying entertainment even if it has been somewhat misrepresented as a straight forward comedy in it's advertising.