Country / Title: USA Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Australia / Title: Whiskey Tango Foxtrot New Zealand / Title: Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Biographical / Comedy / Drama / War Kraina USA, 2016, 112 min Director: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa Template: Kim Barker (BOOK) Screenplay: Robert Carlock Cinematography: Xavier Grobet Music: Nick Urata Starring: Tina Fey, Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman, Christopher Abbott, Billy Bob Thornton, Alfred Molina, Nicholas Braun, Stephen Peacocke, Evan Jonigkeit, (more) Production: Ian Bryce, Tina Fey, Lorne Michaels Editor: Jan Kovac Sound: Paul Urmson Set design: Beth Mickle, Lisa K. Sessions Masks: Emerald Ortega Costumes: Lisa Lovaas

SYNOPSIS

Kim Baker wrote the news in New York until she could no longer withstand the tedious job, so she accepted a job offer to become a war correspondent in Afghanistan. Kim lives in a house with other people and other reporters, including the very beautiful and popular Tanya. At first, Kim doesn’t like it in Afghanistan because she is experiencing a culture shock. Kim’s first report is filmed with the Marines, where she meets General Hollanek, who doesn’t need her at first because she’s afraid that as a woman she will distract his men. Kim manages the report because she manages to catch a real shootout when her convoy is attacked. Thanks to the report, Kim becomes a real war reporter and thus begins her life full of parties, alcohol, drugs and conversations. Kim spends most of her time with Tanya, Shakira and soon with a man named Iain, who would like her for himself. This is true for bodyguard Nico and interpreter Fahim. But Kim doesn’t see any of it and is still loyal to her friend. Kim can also get a very influential acquaintance, the Afghan politician Sadiq, but he would also like to have a love affair with her. Kim can make good use of it this time. It is Sadiq who arranges for Kim to interview a prominent tribal leader, but Kim has to postpone her flight to the United States to see a friend. Soon after this delay, Kim finds out that her boyfriend is cheating on her, so he ends it. To forget her breakup, Kim went on another expedition with the Marines, where she managed to discover that the well in the village had been destroyed by women from the village so that they could start walking for water to the river, where they always talked. Kim is praised by General Hollanek for this revelation. With more and more reports, Kim is more confident in her work and ventures to corners of the country with the strictest rules regarding women. But Kim is too brave and almost causes a conflict when she leaves, smuggling a camera for a men-only meeting. After this incident, Fahim decides to leave Kim. The plot of the film then shifts a few months further, when Kim leaves the party without telling Nico, and a taxi drops her off in the wrong part of town, where she is in danger of death. Kim saves Iain, who then punches Nica, which impresses Kim, and sleeps with Iain. Casual sex soon becomes a relationship. Although Kim is happy in her private life, she squeaks at work because she has no interesting reportage. But Tanya is more diligent and lucky because she can meet tribal leaders who don’t like people in the West. However, during the meeting, they are attacked by the American army and several people die. Tanya makes a report about it all and celebrates a huge success with it, which Kim predicts. When Kim tries to get the news after the explosion in Kabul, she is rejected, so she decides to go to the USA and solve the situation …

MOVIE REVIEW

Cynický mechanizmus vojnových absurdít v duchu bežnej mašinérie a kultúrno-spoločenských reálií ópiového štátu: USA vs. Afganistan (neriešiteľná dilema). Vojnový konflikt v područí profesijných médií a „denný chlebík žurnalistov navyklých na adrenalín a vyjednávacie stratégie“ – na obe strany, a tak trochu aj o svojej vlastnej osobnej intímnej či partnerskej ženskej polievočke.

Nuž a nie veľa premysleného spádu deja bez svižných dialógov, sympatických postáv a jasne zrozumiteľného deja. Tina Fey sa miestami prekonáva avšak filmové postavy nikdy jasne nepovie, či je toto len naivná reportáž z vojny v Afganistane, cielená ako komédia ženám po štyridsiatke, alebo vážne mienená situácia spolu s vojnovou drámou.

Obojčetnosť a balansovanie medzi oboma bohužiaľ nikdy nevydá na obe strany mince, i keď takmer nebadať, že je to aj ženský film. Škoda tiež nevyužitej Margot Robbie, ktorá hrala tu iba druhé housle.