Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
Directed by Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Starring Tina Fey, Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman
Rated R
In her most dramatic role thus far, Tina Fey brings her affable demeanor and dry wit to play a war correspondent in Afghanistan in the new film “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.”
Loosely based on the 2011 memoir by Kim Barker, “The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan,” Fey plays Kim Baker, who is fed up with her work as a behind-the-scenes content producer for a television station. When the opportunity arises for her to ditch her life and become a foreign correspondent in Kabul, Afghanistan, covering the war, she jumps at the chance.
In the “Kabubble,” as the foreign crews covering the war in 2002 call the city, the work can be incredibly dangerous at times, and Kim gets a local “fixer,” Fahim (Christopher Abbott), who helps her around the country and acts as a translator. She also finds friendship with some of the other journalists, including Tanya (Margot Robbie) and the Lothario photographer Iain (Martin Freeman).
Much like a typical Tina Fey character, her Kim is dryly witty, intelligent and likable. But beyond Kim, the characters in “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” are written in broad strokes and feel undeveloped. Critical information about the supporting stars is often lacking, which hurts the dramatic tone of the film.
Still, stand-out performances come from Billy Bob Thornton as General Hollanek, who dishes hilarious colloquialisms, and Alfred Molina as Ali Massoud Sadiq, a government official and Kim’s “special friend.”
Also, it’s odd that in the wake of “Gods of Egypt” getting harpooned for not casting Egyptian actors, nobody is talking about the casting of Abbott and Molina — albeit both great in this picture — to play Afghans.
