“Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” hit theaters on Thursday to a generally warm response from critics. The Glenn Ficarra and John Requa directed film is based on the 2011 memoir “The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan” by wartime journalist Kim Barker.
Produced by Lorne Michaels, known predominantly as the creator of the popular television sketch comedy, Saturday Night Live (SNL), and starring Tina Fey, an SNL alumni, “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” mirrors similar humor found in the popular comedy show.
Kim Baker (Fey), a middle aged New York new program producer finds herself frustrated with her predictable life and on a whim, takes a job as a war reporter to cover the diminishing war efforts in Afghanistan in 2003. Upon arrival, Baker begins to learn that the life of Americans and the lifestyle of wartime journalists is far from what she thought it would be. With no glory and little funding to be found, Baker finds herself trapped in a figurative bubble in Kabul with her fellow reporters.
The vulgar comedy, which is overused at times throughout the film, depicts how the overlooked reporters covering the war and conditions in Afghanistan cope with living in a war torn country where danger is always subtly present and they become increasingly desensitized to the ongoing conflict.
Laced between comedic scenes is another issue for the struggling journalists. Few stories from Afghanistan are being aired so competition for stories is high and the reporters covering them are willing to go to great lengths to garner a good headline. Baker’s first friend in Afghanistan, Tanya Vanderpool (Margot Robbie), began negotiations with Baker’s television program in order to receive more funding. As a result, Baker saw less airtime and ultimately left her position in Afghanistan although not before striking up a relationship with Scottish freelance photographer, Iain MacKelpie (Martin Freeman). Ultimately, Baker and MacKelpie both leave Afghanistan after concerns that what has become normal in their lives, including a kidnapping, is a far cry from the outside world.
Fey’s performance throughout carried much of the film’s comedy. The premise of the film followed much of a typical comedy’s plot and often utilized crude humor as a quick joke. However, the film’s unique setting during conflict in Afghanistan provides the audience with a different perspective on the lives of reporters in the midst of war.
“Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” is able to enter the conversation on war and the disallusion that surrounds it. The movie’s use of humor and the perspective from reporters allows viewers to gain insight about the fantasy of glory that seemingly comes with combat reporting. “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” opens up a different component of commentary on war that future films will be able to further.
