Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016)

A journalist recounts her wartime coverage in Afghanistan.

Directors:

Glenn Ficarra, John Requa

Writers:

Robert Carlock (screenplay by), Kim Barker (based on the book "The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan" by)

Stars:

Tina Fey, Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tina Fey	...	Kim Baker
Margot Robbie	...	Tanya Vanderpoel
Martin Freeman	...	Iain MacKelpie
Alfred Molina	...	Ali Massoud Sadiq
Christopher Abbott	...	Fahim Ahmadzai
Billy Bob Thornton	...	General Hollanek
Nicholas Braun	...	Tall Brian
Stephen Peacocke	...	Nic
Sheila Vand	...	Shakira Khar
Evan Jonigkeit	...	Specialist Coughlin
Fahim Anwar	...	Jaweed
Josh Charles	...	Chris
Cherry Jones	...	Geri Taub
Scott Takeda	...	Ed Faber
Eli Goodman	...	Tucker Wang

Storyline

2003. After careful consideration, Kim Baker, a news copywriter, decides to leave the relative comfort of a New York desk job and serious boyfriend Chris to accept the assignment to work for three months as on-camera reporter in war torn Afghanistan, as her news agency is looking for anyone within their ranks to fill immediately the empty voids overseas. Her only experience of being in such an environment is going through hostile zone training a few years earlier. Immediately upon her arrival in Afghanistan, she realizes that she is ill-prepared emotionally for this assignment, not only enduring the dangers of the war itself, but also the conditions of everyday life, including largely been seen by men as only a "piece of ass" and a distraction despite her being considered average looking back home and not being overtly sexual, and being an individual with a small bladder who is nonetheless told to stay hydrated at all times. She is largely assisted in navigating this new life by Tanya...

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Plot Keywords:

afghanistan | journalist | drink in title | war on terrorism | kabul afghanistan | 

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Taglines:

From the headlines to the front lines

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Genres:

Biography | Comedy | Drama | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive language, some sexual content, drug use and violent war images

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English Pushto Dari French

Release Date:

4 March 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Taliban Shuffle

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,443,007, 6 March 2016, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$23,049,575, 24 April 2016

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$24,939,010

Company Credits

Production Co:

Broadway Video,Little Stranger,Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Datasat Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The words "whiskey," "tango," and "foxtrot" stand for the letters W, T, and F in the international NATO Phonetic Alphabet, a military and law-enforcement system for clearly spelling out words and phrases during radio and other audio transmissions."WTF" is an early 21st Century abbreviation for "What the Fuck?" It has also become a popular title for network television shows that are otherwise prevented by their networks' standards and practices departments from the outright use of the word "fuck". TV shows including The Good Wife, NCIS, Jake 2.0, and Scandal have all titled episodes "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot".

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Goofs

During the bombing in the cold open, and again later in the film, Kim calls her producer back in New York on an iPhone. This scene takes place in 2006; the first iPhone was released in 2007.

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Quotes

General Hollanek: While you're outside the wire with my men, you will in no way distract them. Understood?
Kim Baker: Are you asking me not to sleep with your soldiers?
General Hollanek: No, not soldiers. Marines. You're not here to sleep with or perform jobs of any type on my Marines.

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Connections

Referenced in The Chase Australia: Episode #2.112 (2016)

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Soundtracks

Solé
Written by Greg Pajer & Nicolas Farmakalidis
Performed by AIKA

User Reviews

Way better than I thought!

I went to a screening of WTF, and really just went because it was a free night out away from stress. But I'd have happily paid for this movie. It was well written, the music was spot on (and, for me, music makes or breaks a movie). It's also not a chick flick as I thought. I hope that people will see this movie, because I thoroughly enjoyed it. Frankly, I'm shocked at the low metascore. It deserved much better. Maybe it's one of those "sleeper" movies.

There were plenty of belly laughs, but also drama and action. This movie felt real, and not just because it was based on a true story, but because of the acting, dialog, writing, and heck probably all the aspects of movie making. This isn't a farce, or silly slapstick, I guess I'd call it a dramedy. Or even a drama with a lot of funny moments.

I don't think I've ever seen Tina Fey do such a great job in a dramatic role, and Martin Freeman was equally engaging. Even many of the smaller roles were done so well that you felt attached to the characters.

Again, I wasn't expecting to like the movie, I just wanted a worn-out-mom's-night-out. But what a nice surprise, I did enjoy it! And I think my husband would have also found it as good as I did.

This movie is good. Go see it.