Kim Baker (Tina Fey) is a low-on-the-totem-pole journalist sent to Afghanistan to cover the war there. While there, she deals with gender and cultural politics, as well as personal relationships with military and press personnel.

In Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, the acting performances are strong across the board. Martin Freeman is brashly charismatic, as is Margot Robbie. Billy Bob Thornton is hilariously stoic. And a small role from Sheila Vand is an absolute breath of fresh air.

Tina Fey heads the show with relative ease, given it is a film outside of her usual realm. She gives a dynamic, passionate performance, embodying the journalist Baker well.

The film oscillates in tone, reminiscent of Three Kings, although it does so with less ease. The comedy and drama doesn’t mesh as smoothly as intended. Each tone has its merits, and work well separately, but as a whole it becomes problematic on a level of cohesion.

Tonal cohesion aside, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot comes out ahead as a smart comedy with strong leads and notable commentary. All this, and a surprisingly enjoyable B-plot romance, make for a satisfying experience.

As always, thanks for reading!

Have you seen Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? If so, what did you think? Let me know in the comments!

—Alex Brannan (@TheAlexBrannan)