“Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” is a movie roughly following the memoir of wartime journalist Kim Barker that stars Tina Fey and is directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa. If you wanted to see a fresh take on a wartime comedy then go see this film.
The movie follows Baker (the movie slightly changes her name from Barker to Baker), a journalist living in the city who can’t stand to be still anymore, so she does what any other sensible person would do and flies to Afghanistan to be a wartime reporter. She gets involved with the “frat house” local reporter community there and it becomes apparent how unprepared she really is. The story takes an episodic approach that spans over three years, similar to Barker’s memoir, which helped quickly gauge the depth of how much Baker changes.
The complexity of the movie is thick with subplot after subplot with some breakneck shifts in tone that attempt to link the gap between light laughs and serious moments. Though this strategy takes away from a few moments that could’ve had more weight, the film is flush with satire toward America’s forgotten wars and the objectification of women, which offers some perspective that films don’t often cater to.
However, the film is not immune to the stereotyping of other cultures and we see it here once again, as the cultural boundary is prominent in this movie. However, the main character is supposedly getting to know Afghan culture on a personal level.
The film does pace its action sequences effectively, which supercharges the audience’s connection to the changes the main character goes through. The highs and lows are two extremes this movie visits frequently and it makes for a fun ride for the casual moviegoer.
Rating: 3/5 Stars
