Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (film)

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Produced by
Screenplay by Robert Carlock
Based on The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan
by Kim Barker
Starring
Music by Nick Urata
Cinematography Xavier Grobet
Edited by Jan Kovac
Production
companies
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release dates
  • March 4, 2016 (2016-03-04)
Running time
 112 minutes[1]
Country United States
Language English
Budget $35 million[2]
Box office $24.9 million[3]

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is a 2016 American biographical war comedy-drama film directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, and written by Robert Carlock, based on the memoir The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan by Kim Barker. The film stars Tina Fey, Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman, Christopher Abbott, Alfred Molina and Billy Bob Thornton. It was released on March 4, 2016 by Paramount Pictures.[4]

Plot

Dissatisfied with the state of her career covering low-profile stories, television journalist Kim Baker (Tina Fey) agrees to take a short assignment as a war correspondent in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom, to the disappointment of her boyfriend Chris (Josh Charles), who also spends a lot of time traveling. Assigned low-budget living quarters with other international journalists, she begins friendships with noted BBC correspondent Tanya Vanderpoel (Margot Robbie) and openly lecherous Scottish freelance photographer Iain MacKelpie (Martin Freeman). After a period of adjustment aided by her Afghan "fixer" Fahim Ahmadzai (Christopher Abbott), she begins taking well to the assignment, eliciting frank remarks on camera from soldiers questioning the value of their assignment there, and putting herself in harm's way to capture combat incidents on video. American Marines commander General (previously Colonel) Hollanek (Billy Bob Thornton) takes a dim view of her, as an inexperienced nuisance.

Despite the danger, Kim stays in Afghanistan for months, then years beyond her original assignment. She catches Chris unprepared with a middle-of-the-night video call, and finds him with another woman, ending their relationship. Against her better judgment, she begins a sexual relationship with Iain, which over time also develops into a more personal one. Although her status as a woman presents challenges in a society which places restrictive roles on women, she also uses it to her advantage, gaining access to women in a village who explain that they've been sabotaging the US-built well because they welcome the daily walk to the river away from the men, and recklessly carrying a camera under a burqa to record a religious demonstration. She also walks a tightrope, taking advantage of the thinly-veiled sexual interest of Afghan Attorney General Ali Massoud Sadiq (Alfred Molina) to use him as a source. Fahim – who treated opium addicts before the war – cautions her, pointing out that danger can be like a drug.

Despite their mutual friendliness, Kim remains in competition with other journalists for stories and for resources from their employers back home. Kim flies to New York to argue for more support from her network's new boss, only to discover that Tanya is slated to take over from her. Meanwhile, Iain is kidnapped for ransom while traveling cross-country to cover a developing story that Kim had been working on. Kim returns "home" to Afghanistan, where she blackmails her "special friend", Ali, for information about Iain's whereabouts, and impresses upon Hollanek the political value to him of rescuing Iain. The mission – accompanied by Kim's cameraman – is a success, both militarily and journalistically. However, shortly after Iain's rescue Kim becomes disillusioned, with her tentative relationship as well as her station. She then bids farewell to her colleagues and to Fahim, and returns to the U.S. to stay.

After returning, she looks up a Marine (Evan Jonigkeit) who was transferred, apparently because of his on-camera comments to her, and subsequently lost both of his legs to an IED. She tries to apologize for the consequences of her actions, but he refuses to let her take the blame. She moves on to an on-camera desk job, where she later finds herself interviewing Iain, who is going to be in New York soon as part of a tour for his new book, and who invites her to meet him for a coffee.

Cast

Production

In February 2014, Tina Fey confirmed that her production company, Little Stranger, would adapt the memoir The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan by Kim Barker of the Chicago Tribune into a film. Fey would star in the lead role, which would be produced by Lorne Michaels and written by Robert Carlock.[11] On June 30, 2014, Paramount tapped Glenn Ficarra and John Requa to direct the film.[12] On October 22, 2014, Margot Robbie joined the cast to play a competing reporter alongside Fey's character.[13] On November 20, 2014, Martin Freeman was in talks to play Fey's character's unexpected love interest, a dedicated Scottish photojournalist.[14] On January 10, 2015, it was reported that Nikolaj Coster-Waldau was in talks to join the film for a male lead role, although he did not ultimately star in the film.[15] On February 2, 2015, Christopher Abbott joined the film's cast.[6] On February 3, 2015, Nicholas Braun joined the film to play Tall Brian, Fey's character's cameraman, and film was titled as Fun House.[8] On February 9, 2015, Steve Peacocke was set to star in the film, playing Nic, Fey's character's alpha male bodyguard.[9] On February 11, 2015, confirmed cast was announced, with Billy Bob Thornton, Alfred Molina, Sheila Vand, and Evan Jonigkeit also joining the cast of the film, in which Vand would play Shakira El-Khoury, a Lebanese reporter who works alongside Kim and Tanya.[5][7]

Fey confirmed that the film's title would be Whiskey Tango Foxtrot in an interview with USA Today. Kim Barker was changed to a cable-news reporter named "Baker." Margot Robbie is playing Tanya Vanderpoel, a British TV journalist whom Kim admires and befriends. Christopher Abbott plays Afghan “fixer” Fahim Ahmadzai, who acts as driver, translator and all-around handyman for reporters. Martin Freeman is Iain MacKelpie, a Scottish war photographer who is Kim's love interest. Rounding out the ensemble cast is Billy Bob Thornton as General Hollanek, a military man who initially scares Kim, and Alfred Molina is a local official who has a romantic interest in her.[16]

Filming

On February 3, 2015, the Albuquerque Journal reported that filming was underway in Santa Fe, New Mexico.[17] Fey was spotted filming in the Santa Fe University of Art and Design.[18] On February 11, 2015, Paramount also confirmed that principal photography had commenced on the film in New Mexico.[19] Production on the film concluded on April 10, 2015.[20]

Release

The film was originally titled The Taliban Shuffle and Fun House, before settling on Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. ("Whiskey-tango-foxtrot" represents the NATO phonetic alphabet letters WTF, military slang for "What the fuck?") It was released on March 4, 2016.[21] At the beginning of the rolling credits is a dedication to Fey's father, Donald Henry Fey, who died in 2015.

Home media

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot was released on DVD and Blu-ray on June 28, 2016.

Reception

Box office

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot grossed $23.1 million in North America and $1.3 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $24.4 million, against a budget of $35 million.[3]

In the United States and Canada, pre-release tracking suggested the film would gross $10–12 million from 2,374 theaters in its opening weekend, trailing fellow newcomers Zootopia ($60–70 million projection) and London Has Fallen ($20–23 million projection).[22] The film ended up grossing $7.6 million in its opening weekend, finishing below expectations and 4th at the box office.[23]

Critical response

Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a rating of 68%, based on 168 reviews, with an average rating of 6.2/10. The site's critical consensus states, "While WTF is far from FUBAR, Tina Fey and Martin Freeman are just barely enough to overcome the picture's glib predictability and limited worldview."[24] Metacritic gives the film a weighted average score of 57/100, based on reviews from 44 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[25] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.[23]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT (15)". British Board of Film Classification. February 26, 2016. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016)". The Numbers. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Sneider, Jeff (November 9, 2015). "Tina Fey's Untitled Movie Based on 'Taliban Shuffle' Lands Release Date". TheWrap. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 11, 2015). "Billy Bob Thornton, Alfred Molina & Sheila Vand Join Tina Fey Paramount Comedy". Deadline. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
  6. 1 2 Ford, Rebecca (February 2, 2015). "Christopher Abbott Joins Tina Fey's Wartime Dark Comedy". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Sneider, Jeff (February 11, 2015). "Billy Bob Thornton, Alfred Molina Join Tina Fey in Paramount Comedy". TheWrap. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
  8. 1 2 "Nicholas Braun Cast In 'Fun House'". Deadline. February 3, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  9. 1 2 Hipes, Patrick (February 9, 2015). "Aussie TV Star Steve Peacocke Joins Tina Fey-Margot Robbie Pic". Deadline. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  10. ↑ Linda Ge, “Scott Takeda Joins Tina Fey and Margot Robbie in Paramount’s Middle East Comedy,” TheWrap, February 13, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Tina Fey To Star In Middle East War Comedy 'The Taliban Shuffle'". The Huffington Post. February 20, 2014. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  12. ↑ Sneider, Jeff (June 30, 2014). "'Crazy, Stupid, Love' Directors Will Do the 'Taliban Shuffle' With Tina Fey". TheWrap. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  13. ↑ Kit, Borys (October 22, 2014). "Margot Robbie in Talks to Join Tina Fey in 'Taliban Shuffle'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  14. ↑ Kit, Borys (November 20, 2014). "'Hobbit' Star Martin Freeman in Talks to Join Tina Fey in 'Taliban Shuffle'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
  15. ↑ Douglas, Edward (January 10, 2015). "Nikolaj Coster-Waldau May Be Joining Tina Fey's Taliban Shuffle". comingsoon.net. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  16. ↑ Truitt, Brian (November 26, 2015). "Sneak peek: Tina Fey goes to war in 'Whiskey Tango Foxtrot'". USA Today. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  17. ↑ Jadrnak, Jackie (February 3, 2015). "Talk to us, Tina! Tell us your Santa Fe adventures!". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Tina Fey begins filming 'Taliban Shuffle' in Santa Fe, NM". onlocationvacations.com. February 10, 2015. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Filming Starts for the Taliban Shuffle Adaptation, Starring Tina Fey". comingsoon.net. February 11, 2015. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
  20. ↑ "On the Set for 4/13/15: Margot Robbie Wraps on 'Fun House' & Starts 'Suicide Squad', Dave Franco Begins YA Adaptation 'Nerve'". SSNInsider.com. April 13, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
  22. ↑ "Disney Unleashed: 'Zootopia' Toon Expected To Roar Past $60M – Weekend Preview". deadline.com.
  23. 1 2 "'Zootopia' $73.7M Opening Sets Record For Original Disney Toon; 'London' Raises $21.7M; 'Whiskey' Trips". deadline.com.
  24. ↑ "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
  25. ↑ "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
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