Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016)

-Written by Kyle Bain.

Struggling to find the success she once believed to be inevitable, Kim Baker (Tina Fey) agrees to take a dangerous job reporting in Afghanistan. Now faced with adversity unlike anything she’s seen before, Kim must step outside of her comfort zone and face the world. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is the true, albeit fictionalized telling of Baker’s ventures into the inexplicable. 

When you hear the name Tina Fey, you effectively know what to expect from the project into which she has inserted herself. She’s boisterous, expressively comedic, and satirical--and those expectations aren’t entirely subverted, but Fey helps a team of massively talented individuals present the world with something far more grounded than I could have expected. Viewers will see the anticipated absurdist comedy throughout Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, but they will also see a much more grounded Fey, one who has the ability to reel them into the film and help to develop a vast and meaningful world. Fey’s strength in Whiskey Tango Foxtrot comes from the emotional stability that she brings to the production. Emotional balance reigns supreme in this dramedy, and Fey is the anchor that allows it to perpetually exist. 

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is aggressively subtle. With the film being something of a satire, presenting viewers with aggressive stereotypes throughout the course of the film, Directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, however, are subtle enough that they allow viewers to read between the lines and understand the film’s purpose on their own. The vastness of the film’s set design allows for this to become a reality. Viewers are transported to barracks, into automobiles, to warzones, etc., and while this is achieved effectively, it forces viewers into the scenes, to play along, and become part of the narrative. 

With all that I’ve said about this film, with as much as I’ve praised it (and I mean it), I found much of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot to be boring. It’s hard to put into words why I was bored, why I occasionally slipped from the film--but that reality still exists. Each of the characters represent something bigger than themselves, and those sentiments are boisterous and enjoyable--but, for some reason, I just couldn’t quite attach myself to them for more than a few minutes at a time. That is until the final ten minutes of the film. By the conclusion of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot I was enamored by the characters, and certainly the performances of everyone involved. There is something about the powerful statements being made toward the end of the film that so profoundly resonated with me--and that effectively wrapped the film up nicely. 

Strong performances and a masterclass in soundtrack development ultimately guide Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, taking a film that moves aggressively from place to place and grounding it in a satirical, yet wildly accessible way. Furthermore, the often profound one liners that transcend the entirety of the film emanate from the screen and allow viewers to understand what this film is meant to represent. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot slowly grew on me as it progressed, and I can’t help but to feel that its presence in the world has, and will continue to, make a difference. 

Directed by Glenn Ficarra & John Requa. 

Written by Robert Carlock & Kim Baker. 

Starring Tina Fey, Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman, Alfred Molina, Christopher Abbott, Billy Bob Thornton, etc. 

7/10 = WATCH IT FOR FREE