WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT (WTF?) – Rated R
“I’ve seen people with actual experience make bad choices here…”
Making an epic career move ~ journalist turned War correspondent ~ Kim Barker heads to the middle east to cover the war in Afghanistan, finding out that she might have bitten off even more than she had ever anticipated ~ THIS IS WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT!!
Bored with her humdrum career of copy writing ~ and her humdrum love life too, Kim (Tina Fey) decides to take on a new career ~ becoming a war correspondent for her network in Afghanistan.
Realizing that she might want to speed up her lackadaisical views of “following the rules of women” in this country, Kim reaches out in every direction she can to acquire stories worthy of coverage back home, with the assistance of interpreter Fahim Ahmadzai (Christopher Abbott) and her body guard Nic (Stephen Peakcocke) in tow. Being the ROOKIE that she is, Kim decides that it might be in her best interest to befriend the beautiful and experienced war correspondent about town, Tanya Vanderpoel (Margot Robbie).
When 3 months coverage turns into a year, and then more, Kim’s relationship back home begins to suffer. When Kim is introduced to the charming and witty Iain MacKelpie (Martin Freeman), even she is having trouble warding off this enchanting man, who seems to be quite the womanizer about their compound…
Now a seasoned veteran in Afghanistan, Kim must choose between continuing to uncover relevant stories of a war that is becoming all but forgotten back home, or to return home to her less than exciting life, to regroup…
I give WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT a rating between MUST SEE ON THE BIG SCREEN & WAIT AND CATCH IT ON DVD ~ Even though I love TRUE STORIES ~ Which this film is, being based on the book “THE TALIBAN SHUFFLE” by Kim Barker ~ who also wrote the screenplay ~ I found that I was still apprehensive after seeing the trailer, that this film might just be a big ol’ flop ~ And WAS I SO WRONG!!! Fey does a fabulous job taking on a more dramatic role that we are accustomed to seeing from her ~ it feels very reminiscent of her role in last year’s THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU, But, she doesn’t keep all of her comedic timing out of the film either, which also makes for an enjoyable seen or two along the way!! Robbie is fabulous as well, playing a fellow war correspondent ~ she definitely steals a scene or two from Fey along the way, and Freeman’s role is perfection too, as the womanizing love interest of Fey’s. Suffice to say, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this film as you follow Barker down her new career path, which is filled with excitement, intrigue and many REAL life-changing experiences.
Kathy Kaiser
MATINEE CHAT with Kathy Kaiser 