Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016), R, ★★★

Tina Fey holding an AK-47? I'd never thought I'd see that.

Politics, journalism, combat and comedy are extremely difficult to mesh well as a comedic movie that if everything goes wrong, at least, the filmmakers were ambitious to take the chance. When mixing all of those four themes into one satire, I'm surprised that they picked Tina Fey and when I was watching the trailer for this movie, I thought to myself, "I don't know if she's going to pull this movie off." Because there was so much going in that vessel of satirical material, it is the performances and the dark satirical humor that pulls this off quite well that gave me satisfaction to like the movie.

Kim Baker (Tina Fey) was working in a cubicle at a news working station in New York and is now assigned as an international news correspondent in Kabul. When Kim arrives in Kabul, she is met by a local Kabul guide named Fahim, colleagues and co-workers and also Tanya Vanderpoel (Margot Robbie), a London-based reporter. It is a bit of an awkward introduction as Tanya hilarious asks Kim if she wants to sleep with one of the security guards: an eclectic choice of fat Americans, Aussies or New Zealanders. Kim obliges and says no thanks and in response, Tanya replies that Kim may be a 6 in America but she is a 9 in Kabul. Kim asks Tanya whether she is a 15. Hahaha! Hilarious.

At the U.S. Embassy party, Kim and Tanya meet a freelance photographer friend named Iain MacKelpie (Martin Freeman) in which he has quite an affection for Kim but Tanya comments that Kim has a boyfriend. She also meets up with General Hollanek (Billy Bob Thornton) whose men she is allowed to interview and go on patrols. He informs her not to sleep around with his Marines so they would not get distracted while on duty. This whole movies basically covers the process of combat journalism and also focuses on a little bit of Kim's life in her professional world and personal world.

Margot Robbie.

This is a pleasant film to watch about the documentation and process of how supposedly war correspondents work behind-the-scenes in a town in which any case of disaster regarding an air strike or an attack can be brought about at any moment. So, there is some unpredictability in the film. But even though its set-up is half-baked and half-clever, interpreting that a character wants to go out on a great assignment while she is bored on the job. But, also, the fact that the character is a female lead is very astute as to how they set-up her character in managing how she will work in her storyline.

Tina Fey is the golden standard for the movie because she offers driven competitive edge blended with wry humor that gives her character a solid state of dignity and fun persiflage with the material and with a few characters. She has great interaction and chemistry with Margot Robbie and also quite loving charm ability with Martin Freeman as its love story is not hammered down with cliches and problematic issues between them. Their chemistry is handled nicely.

Directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa of Crazy, Stupid Love fame (one of the best romantic comedies of the last 5 years) has set up some wacky scenes that were risky and ambitious to make that mixed in well with screenwriter Robert Carlock's dialogue quite nicely. We see some echoes of Liz Lemon doing her job being a bit maniacal at times, but still, professional, at best. Even though it heavily boggles down to Broadcast News territory, as we draw down to a climax as to going on with Kim's working life, it becomes a bit random and quick and does not become clear as to why the scene is interpreted that way when she sees her boss. It's a tonal charm of a satire that blends in both professionalism and satire in a war zone with journalism that was tough to pull off but the screenplay and some of the performances captured my attention and ended my experience with the movie with a grin.

***