Whiskey Tango Foxtrot powerfully depicts the terrible inequities of war, in this case the Afghan War (2001-2014). Tina Fey, known for her comedic background, plays the lead role as a reporter caught in the middle of unbelievable circumstances. She does an outstanding job.
Everything depicted in Whiskey Tango Foxtrot has an intense quality. The disruptive atmosphere of fighting, which can erupt at anytime, anywhere, is unnerving. The treatment of women in Afghanistan’s culture is uncomfortable to observe. And, it’s clearly shown how sexual mores go out the window for many people in a wartime setting.
A few surprises unfold about how reporters can lose sight of good judgment, and to what lengths they will go to get a story that will give them air time on the news back home. When reporters allow themselves to get carried away like this, there are no morals, no right and wrong, just the extreme drive to get a story at all costs. It makes one wonder how much “news reporting” during war time is completely legitimate.
Without spilling the beans too much, Tina Fey felt responsible for one young American soldier who wound up losing his legs. When she asked him what he had to say to her, he didn’t blame her, rather he said, “You have to move on. You have to start fresh.” Sage advice from a young veteran, applicable to so many things in life.
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot has received mixed reviews, and has not been a box office hit. Some reviewers claim the show meanders about too much without a strong central story line to carry it. However, there is a strong central theme — that of war being totally disruptive to everyone involved. In a state of war, usual day-to-day life routines become riddled with unknowns, and morality, which some might have taken for granted, becomes distorted and abused.
R | 1 hour 52 minutes | Comedy, War
Directors: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Stars: Tina Fey, Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman
. Opened in theaters March 4, 2016
. Budget: $35 million
. Box Office Gross (March 11, 2016): $14.6 in the US
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot — Movie Trailer
Gary Reiner
Comfortably Numm 
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