Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
Dir: Glenn Ficarra and John Requa
Starring: Tina Fey, Martin Freeman, Margo Robbie, Alfred Molina,
Nicholas Braun, Christopher Abbott, and Billy Bob Thornton
While waiting to enter the theater for “Whiskey Tango
Foxtrot” this conversation was heard between two film friends. The young man says, “Remember that funny
movie about the war?” With a blank look the friend responded, “I didn’t realize
they made funny movies about the war.”
With an equally puzzled look the young man exclaimed, “Of course they
do, we just watched “Dr. Strangelove.”” With head shaking assurance the friend
replies, “There is nothing funny about that movie and don’t bother bringing up
“M.A.S.H.” either.” War has, and will continue to be, satirized through the
lens of film. Going back to the classic comedy film from Charlie Chaplin, “The
Great Dictator”, or the absurdist charm of Bill Murray, John Candy, and Harold
Ramis joining the army, “Stripes”, or the films mentioned by our friend at the
theater, war is tragedy and to coupe with this emotion many films turn to
comedy as a remedy. This brings us to
“Whiskey Tango Foxtrot”, a film based on real journalist Kim Barker and her
travels told in the novel “The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days In Afghanistan and
Pakistan”. Tina Fey is delightful in the lead, holding together this comedic
yet highly superficial look at wartime conflict.
Kim Baker (Tina Fey) works for a television news outlet,
though her role isn’t in front of the camera but rather in a cubicle writing
the news for other people to report. Kim is frustrated, stuck in a life of
mundane routines. An opportunity is given her to take a tour of duty as a war
correspondent in the devastated and dangerous Afghanistan. After clumsy
introductions with security personnel, a stern warning from a Marine General
(Billy Bob Thornton), and surviving an ambush all while holding a camera, Kim
begins to find her calling.
“Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” falls in this awkward place of
balancing between being comedic and being dramatic. Between showing what war in
a society where women must hide their faces under cloth could do to a woman
looking for identity and between cheaply displaying the Hollywood themes that
infiltrate film portrayals of single women. It’s a balancing act that never finds
a comfortable place to exist, while some will be wholly satisfied with the
well-earned laughs and the safe depictions of war there was potential to take
this film to a place that would have allowed the talented Ms. Fey to
demonstrate her dramatic side since it has already been well-established that
she can easily garner a laugh. This doesn’t mean that the violence needed to be
devastatingly graphic but rather that the implications and emotional outcomes
of violence could have played a role in displaying the danger and tension for
the soldiers and civilians. The stress for these correspondents is instead
implied, with scenes of hard partying and fast sexual encounters, displaying
that the dangers outside the safety net of the compound is affecting everyone
in different ways. This back and fourth consistently undermines the good parts
in the narrative, like the strong and confident female presence seen initially
with a rival correspondent (Margot Robbie) and then transitioning to Kim Baker
as she begins to embrace the adrenaline of finding a story amidst the conflict.
Or the hint of how women coupe with their restrictive societies in an
abbreviated scene where Kim is guided to a story in a small village.
“Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” is kept together by a few good
performances. Ms. Fey isn’t given many opportunities to do more than what she
does best, which is utilizing her impressive patience for timing a well-placed
joke. Martin Freeman, playing an egotistical war photographer, creates nice
chemistry with Ms. Fey but also has a few comedic scene stealing moments.
Alfred Molina on the other hand makes a strange cameo as a high-ranking
official from Afghanistan, womanizing Kim Baker at every available moment.
There are moments when it seems like “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot”
is going for more than simple laughs, moments when the comedy looks to
transcend the familiar repertoire and compose a different connection. This
unfortunately never completely happens, making this warzone comedy feel like an
easy-going exercise rather than the surreal satire it could have been.
Monte’s Rating
3.00 out of 5.00
No comments:
Post a Comment