Review of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016) by Aunt V — 02 Jul 2016

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is from the directors that brought us Crazy, Stupid Love, a breakout comedy hit which well deserved the attention. Here they bring their familiar quick witted form to something entirely different, the intermixing of comedy and war (Afghanistan).

As a catalyst for SNL alumni Tina Fey to stretch her skills on the big screen, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (and let the abbreviated form stand as a warning for the film's crude nature) is largely about her characters search for identity and belonging in a competitive world. Underneath this are the rather strong themes that persist within this story, themes that weave in and out with different levels of effectiveness. This includes the theme of the liberated woman (which comes in to play as she navigates the Afghan culture, and as well through the interaction with her conflicted counter-part, Tanya), the cultural divide of an American reporter observing (and participating) in some foreign cultural stereotypes, quirks and functions, and the struggle between relationship and career.

The humour is rather dark, but balances this with a level of wit that keeps it from getting dragged too far in to the carnage that surrounds it (both on the field of war and in the complicated navigation of morals and ethics). The film is far from familiar, which allows it to kind of form it's own niche, even if the final product leaves some questions about how effectively it actually deals with all of it's complexities. Personally I think it could have dived even further in to the larger picture that surrounds Fey's character, instead of filtering it back to her. But as a film about one persons personal quest for identity it certainly does work as well. A part of what helps this is a fast pace and a quick moving script that doesn't sit too long on the big questions it does manage to bring to the surface. Whether that is a good or bad thing I suppose will be up to the personal perception of the viewer.