Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

Plot: TV journalist Kim Baker goes to Kabul, Afghanistan during the war with the Taliban. It shows her struggling in Kabul with the people, the war, and the restrictions of women with the help of fixer Ali (Alfred Molina). She meets reporters Tanya (Margot Robbie) and Iain (Martin Freeman) and they talk about stories and drink too much. It's based on a memoir with a series of incidents rather than a traditional dramatic structure with a climatic conclusion. [imdb]    [photos]

Review: The best part is Kim's character who faces improbable challenges one ofter another. The drama is her growth and development.  I am told the original book is funny. The humor arises for the weird situations like a sitcom.

It's based on a memoir, so it's based on a series of incidents in chronological order. This means there is no overarching plot with its climatic ending, and this makes it less satisfying somehow. People complain that all movies are the same, but when a movie isn't the same -- people say something is the matter with it.

Aside from Tina Fey's performance, Margot Robbie and Martin Freeman are fine, perhaps a little too "large" and comedic for a drama. They don't get any dramatic lines.

Now that I've seen it, I can't name any favorite scenes. 

Cast: Tina Fey, Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman, Alfred Molina

Directed by: Glenn Ficarra and John Requa

Based on the book by: Kim Barker called The Taliban Shuffle

The Visuals: The scenes of Kabul and the countryside were spectacular. 

Rating: 2.0 stars: Sort of the definition of a two star movie with high spot and low spots. It was OK. I thought it was fun to see. 

More: At right is the real Kim Baker" (actually Barker), who was a newspaper correspondent for the Chicago Tribune in Kabul during the aughts. She is a Metro reporter for the NY Times now. 

Even More: None of the filming was in the Middle East. Kabul scenes were in shot in Albuquerque.

Yet More: Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is a dumb name for a movie.

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