Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (Blu-Ray + DVD + UltraViolet)
Blu-Ray Reviews | Jul 1st, 2016
Starring: Tina Fey, Martin Freeman, Margot Robbie, Billy Bob Thornton, Christopher Abbott, Alfred Molina, Nicholas Braun
Written By: Robert Carlock
Directed By: John Requam, Glenn Ficarra
Studio: Paramount
Buy On Amazon.com
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot was marketed as a comedy but I totally disagree with that. It’s a war drama with a few funny lines and scenes in it. While the movie has some good moments, it’s not that memorable.
The movie is based on the memoir The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan by Kim Barker. Cable news producer, Kim (Tina Fey), decides to shake things up from her daily routine in 2002 and take a new assignment in Kabul, Afghanistan. What was supposed to be a short assignment, she ended up being over there for 3 years.. When she arrives, Kim meets fellow journalist Tanya Vanderpoel (Margot Robbie), her Afghan “fixer” Fahim Ahmadzai (Christopher Abbott), and Scottish photojournalist Iain MacKelpie (Martin Freeman). Her fixer gets her adjusted to life over in Afghanistan and she begins to take on assignments there. While this is all happening, she has to deal with a long-distance with her boyfriend.
I didn’t know anything about the movie going in; I didn’t know it was based on a true story. The movie was just okay to me. Sometimes it felt a little boring and nothing really happened. Oh cool, we see a bunch of journalists partying it up in the slums of Kabul. It’s a different kind of war movie because it’s more about the journalists and stuff that happens behind the scenes instead of the front lines. I thought they could have shown more about the people of Afghanistan and the soldiers there.
I really don’t know why they claimed this was a comedy, maybe just because Tina Fey was in it? Sure there was some funny dialogue but for the most part, this was a drama. I also don’t get the white-washing casting of Christopher Abbott as Fahim. Surely there are some Middle Eastern actors to put in that role instead of the guy from Girls. Tina Fey was good as Kim, as well as Martin Freeman as Iain. He pulls off the Scottish accent off nicely. Tina and Martin had nice chemistry together. If there’s anyone to play a female journalist, out of her realm and having to deal with sexism and all that…it’s Tina Fey. It’s a good casting choice but in the end, I just didn’t really care what happened in the movie.
The extras for the Blu-Ray include deleted scenes, some featurettes about the filming, the Real Kim and a few other things.
If you’re expecting a laugh out loud riot from Tina Fey, you’ll be disappointed. This movie is a decent war drama but gets bogged down by uninteresting characters. I just don’t think Whiskey Tango Foxtrot was movie-worthy.
Features
– Deleted & Extended Scenes.
– All In: The making of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.
– War Reporter: The Real Kim.
– Embedded in Reality.
– Wedding Party
– Laughing Matters
Audio
French Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
English DTS 5.1
Video
Widescreen 1.85:1 Color (Anamorphic)
Bottom Line: War drama with a few funny things in it, but definitely not a full fledged comedy
Running Time: 111 mins
Rating: R
Extras Rating:
Overall Rating: