Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016)

Hot off of the heels of The Big Short, our eighth installment in the Margot Robbie filmography watch through brings us to Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016).

Title: Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

Director: Glenn Ficarra and John Requa

Runtime: 1 hour 52 minutes

Watched via: VOD rental

IMDb synopsis: A journalist recounts her wartime coverage in Afghanistan.

Kim Baker (Tina Fey) decides she is tired of the same old job, the same old boyfriend, and the same old life. She is ready to find a new direction in life. While Liz Gilbert might go to Italy, India, and Indonesia to find a new direction, Kim Baker goes to Afghanistan.

Leaving behind her entire life, Kim decides to take a three-month assignment in Afghanistan as a reporter. After arriving, she feels immediately out of place and unprepared. When trying to find where the shower is, she stumbles into a room where fellow female reporter Tanya Vanderpoel (Margot Robbie) is beyond thrilled to have another woman amongst the sea of male reporters, cameramen, and security guards. She takes Kim under her wing, so to speak, giving her the lowdown on who to avoid. One such person happens to be fellow reporter, Iian MacKelpie (Martin Freeman).

With Tanya and Iian helping her navigate the reporter pool and her guide, Fahim Ahmadzai (Christopher Abbott), helping her navigate the Afghan social circles and treacherous roads, Kim feels there is nothing that can stop her from getting the next big story. But what will she give up and sacrifice in order to break that next big story?

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016) is a very confusing movie. On the one hand, with the likes of Tina Fey, Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman, Christopher Abbott, Billy Bob Thornton, and Alfred Molina we get a pretty decent “reporter behind enemy lines” drama with just the right amount of comedy sprinkled in. Then at some point we just decided to abandon all of that and focus on being a romantic drama. When we hit about the halfway point of the movie, from then on it becomes trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. It just does not work as a romantic drama. Nothing against Tina but her performance in the second half felt forced and unnatural. Billy Bob, Margot, and Alfred Molina all turn in great performances in their respective limited roles. Martin can flip the switch between comedic and serious almost seamlessly and he does so again here.

Overall this really is a story of two halves. Unfortunately, the worse half is what we end on. Since this is not currently streaming anywhere for free, I would say save your money and wait until it is.

But, what did you think of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016)? If you have seen it, tell me what your thoughts in the comments below or by reaching out on social media.

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So, what is up next in our Margot Robbie filmography watch through? We will be staying in 2016 with The Legend of Tarzan. This will be a first time watch for me. Currently it is not streaming anywhere for free. However, it is available to rent across all major platforms for $3.99.