Review of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016) by Thomas D — 26 Aug 2016

A movie is only as good as how well the tone is established and kept. For Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (WTF), it's all over the place and inconsistent from the word go. So by the time the film gets interesting around the 3rd act, it's all but too late.

WTF stars Tina Fey in a far more dramatic role than she's usually accustomed to, but even that couldn't stop her from throwing some Fey-isms in every now and then. Except, those punchlines I loved from Sisters (2015) don't work in a film that's trying to take Afghanistan conflict in the mid 2000's seriously. In fact, for a while I thought I was watching a version of one of Fey's SNL characters take on the war on terror.

It's not all bad though. WTF has a pretty nifty cast which includes Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman, Billy Bob Thornton, Alfred Molina, and Christopher Abbott. The problem being that a few of them are way too over-the-top and goofy to be in a war drama.

Thornton, who played a similar role in Our Brand is Crisis, never gets enough screen time to showcase his world class talent. Freeman and Molina, who are normally great, merely play two characters pining for love from Fey's character, Kim. I don't think there was a single scene which didn't included one of them asking for sex from her. A little more depth added to the supporting characters would have been nice. With that said, I really dug Abbott's performance as Kim's bodyguard and a moral conscience of sorts. He was the reason I stuck with this story all the way through.

There are elements of this film that really work. For example, Kim interviews a soldier early on in the film, and although he doesn't have a major part in the film, you feel the emotional weight of that interview and character throughout. Unfortunately, scenes like that are overshadowed by an entire first act devoted to Kim partying with Margot Robbie and trying to simultaneously get over her American boyfriend and get laid. It's not what I was interested in seeing after popping in a film taking place at the heart of Afghanistan.

Somewhere in this script there was a good story to tell, but what we got wasn't it at all. After a promising start with 'Crazy, Stupid, Love', Glenn Ficarra and John Requa take another step back after the so-so 'Focus' from 2015. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is a bummer.

+Christopher Abbott nailed it.

+Good dramatic premise in there somewhere.

-Wasted by an overabundance of untimely goofy comedy.

-First and second half are completely different.

-Male characters strictly looking for sex.

4.6/10.