Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

Overview

Eager for a new professional challenge, TV reporter Kim Baker (Tina Fey) decides to serve as a foreign correspondent in Afghanistan, where she is embedded with a Marine unit. During her time abroad, she is forced to contend with a fiery U.S. general (Billy Bob Thornton), and befriends a fellow reporter (Margot Robbie) and a British photographer (Martin Freeman). Alfred Molina, Josh Charles, and Christopher Abbott co-star. Directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot was adapted from journalist Kim Barker's memoir The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Product Details

Release Date:	06/28/2016
UPC:	0032429242709
Original Release:	2016
Rating:	R
Source:	PARAMOUNT
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:51:00

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Tina Fey	Kim Barker
Margot Robbie	Tanya
Martin Freeman	Iain MacKelpie
Christopher Abbott	Fahim Ahmadzai
Billy Bob Thornton	Hollanek
Alfred Molina	Ali Massoud Sadiq
Nicholas Braun	Tall Brian
Sheila Vand	Shakira
Stephen Peacocke	Nic
Evan Jonigkeit	Coughlin
Fahim Anwar	Jaweed
Josh Charles	Chris
Cherry Jones	Actor,Sky News Reporter
Scott Takeda	Ed Faber
Eli Goodman	Tucker Wang
Soledad O'Brien	Actor
Thomas Kretschmann	Actor
Hakim Zamir	Actor
Demosthenes Chrysan	Pacha Khan
David Stanford	Colin
Jon Kristian Moore	Andy
Howard Ferguson Jr.	Reggie
Vic Browder	Actor
Sterling K. Brown	Sgt. Hurd
Andres Segura	Actor
Bernardo Saracino	Actor
Dylan Kenin	Antoine
Di Zhu	Deng Wenge
Lauren Poole	Embassy Beta Girl
Hank Rogerson	Bow Tie Dude
Monique Candelaria	Gerl's Receptionist
Ava Del Cielo	Elena
Matthew Page	Captain Stern
Lauren Myers	Woman with Penicillin Scrip
Stafford Douglas	Sgt. Gundacker
Roman Mitichyan	Lt. Sanocki
John Trejo	Force Recon Sergeant
Steve Larese	On-Air News Anchor
Julianne Medina	Wedding Girl
Zarif Kabier	Ass-Pincher
Beth Bailey	ZNN PA
Soraya Kelley	Afghan Woman
Martin Palmer	Afghan Elder
Tommy Truex	CPL. Caswell
Stephen Hardin	Afghan Man
Alan Humphrey	US Embassy Guest
Gerry Medina	Wedding Woman
Anthony Martins	Taliban #1
Brian Barela	Military Contractor
Omid Zader	Taliban #2
Katlynn Wilmott	Reporter - Fun House
Mustafa Haidari	Riot Interviewee
Kenneth Miller	Force Recon Team Leader
Jetto Dorsainville	British Soldier
Saneh Boothe	Angry Afghan Woman
Brenden Wedner	Pilot
Gregory Valdez	Coalition Forces
Mónica Sánchez	Woman in Suit
William Sterchi	NGO Stoner
Fred Padilla	Party Bartender
Ibrahim Elkest	Afghan Police
Elizabeth M. Kallman	Wedding Dancer
Kathleen Shurkin	Hasti
Ron Weisberg	Navy Corpman
Eric Steinig	Force Recon Officer
Gustavo Montes	Afghan Driver
Laura-Love Tode	Embassy Alpha Girl
Michael Stogner	US Embassy Guest
Ray Hounsell	Crewman
James E. Lane	Journalist-Stoner
Steve Corona	Editor
Christopher Dempsey	Rangers Fan
Kevin Collins	Sensor Operator
Alexander Pimentel	Afghan Fixer
Jonathan Lane	Reporter
Eric Hooper	Passenger
Derek Blakeney	Funhouse Party Guest
Amberlee Toney	ZNN PA #2
Christopher Atwood	Drunk Random Guy
Jameson Macmillan	Beer Pong Guy/Lotus Patron
Lance Blea	Afghan Police
Juan Mora	Afghan Cop
Murad Kirdar	Foreign Diplomat
Shaun Daley	Journalist-Stoner
Eric E. Griego	Airport Information Officer
Michael Benjamin Kirby	Military Contractor
Ciara Bergman	Medical Tech
Cliff Gravel	Ex-Patriot
Erik Gonzales	Voegeli
Darrick Hurst	Journalist
Brandon Cekander	Afghan Businessman
Mateo T. Trujillo	Coughlin's Kid
Vanessa Martinez	Wedding Guest
Josh LaCombe	Reporter
Clint Obenchain	Sheep Herder
Carlo Armendariz	Airplane Passenger
William Greely	Reporter
Kenneth Ham	Afghan Man in Kabul Street
Becky Hooper	Passenger
Cody W.L. Smith	British Royal Marine Commando
Benecio E. Trujillo	Coughlin's Kid
Charles Jimenez	Taxi Driver (Embassy Scene)
Nick Urata	Composer

Technical Credits

Robert Carlock

Glenn Ficarra	Director
John Requa	Director
Robert Carlock	Screenwriter
Tina Fey	Producer
Lorne Michaels	Producer
Ian Bryce	Producer
Charlie Gogolak	Executive Producer,Producer
Eric Gurian	Executive Producer,Producer
Scott Cannizzaro	Sound Effects
Rick Chefalas	Sound Effects
Susan Dudeck	Sound Effects
Judah Getz	Sound Effects
Rodney Gurule	Sound Effects
Maggie Parto	Sound/Sound Designer
Sam Grey	Executive Producer
Bernard Telsey	Casting
Tiffany Canfield	Casting
Jo Boldin	Casting

Editorial Reviews

When television news reporter Kim Baker (Tina Fey) arrives in Kabul, she is immediately informed that her decision to take a job as an embedded war correspondent marks a turning point in her life. She has now entered the "Kabubble," a dangerous, frantic, and pulsating existence that fundamentally changes her, informing the way she sees both the world and herself. For better and for worse (but mostly for better), the audience is also restricted to Baker's insular viewpoint. Directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is (very) loosely based on print journalist Kim Barker's memoir, The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The project reunites Fey with Robert Carlock, who wrote the film's screenplay after working with Fey on Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Baker's world is populated mostly by fierce, fearless personalities: her friend and professional counterpart Tanya (Margot Robbie), no-nonsense General Hollanek (Billy Bob Thornton), and crass, flirty photographer Iain MacKelpie (Martin Freeman). She is shuttled around and protected during her assignments by her reserved handler, family man Fahim (Christopher Abbott), who, despite the large social barrier between men and women in Middle Eastern culture, tries to connect with her by reading Oprah Winfrey's O Magazine. During her journey, Baker finds it difficult to remain tethered to the life she left behind as she struggles to separate the brutality of war from the excitement and vibrancy that her new job offers. Rather than attempting to be subversive, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot chooses to stick to the witty humor that Fey and Carlock are known for. Laughs are drawn primarily from exasperation, such as Baker's resigned attraction to the intriguing Iain (the charming Freeman is squarely in his element here) and her frustration with Afghanistan's social and gender mores (her aversion to headscarves frequently causes problems). This brand of comedy serves Thornton particularly well, as his Marine leader steals every one of his scenes with hilariously stern retorts (including a terrific reaction to Baker's accidental use of a Navy affirmation) and pithy analogies. Baker represents, in some ways, a lighter version of Sgt. William James from The Hurt Locker, as both characters must find a way to balance the adrenaline rush of the battlefield with their humanity. Because the film relies so heavily on Baker's point-of-view, the strife and casualties that resulted from American intervention in the Middle East frequently take a backseat to this one reporter's existential crisis. This is exemplified by a conversation that Baker has with Tanya and an Afghani friend named Shakira (Sheila Vand) at a local nightclub: After Baker vents that she came to Iraq because of a pronounced professional dissatisfaction, Shakira remarks that that's the whitest thing she has ever heard. Everything, even the war, is seen through the prism of Baker's feelings of privilege and guilt, which sometimes seems to trivialize the carnage and global impact of what she's covering. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot's whiteness is also all-too-evident in its casting. While Abbott gives a highly assured, nuanced performance, the fact that he is an American actor playing an Afghani man comes off as somewhat tone-deaf during a time when hard questions are being asked about Hollywood's lack of roles for nonwhite performers. In addition, veteran British actor Alfred Molina plays an aggressively sexist, one-note caricature of a privileged Middle Eastern politician, a character that would still come off as amateurish and ridiculous even if it wasn't such an offensive stereotype. The movie's lack of focus extends to its odd editing choices, which undermine several key facets of its sense of humor (for one thing, the filmmakers would have been better served if they had included more of Thornton). However, Fey and Carlock's comedy chops shine through more often than not, and they are clearly adept at balancing the pathos with absurdist gags. The laughs here are genuine, and if the duo continue to find comedy in unlikely situations like this one, then their film careers look to be as promising as their work on television.