Glenn Ficarra and John Requa may have joined the party as the writers of the raunchy hit Bad Santa, but they have become top purveyors of mature cinematic entertainment. For evidence, watch and enjoy Crazy, Stupid, Love., Focus or their newest dramedy, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Tina Fey expands her range as Kim Baker, who goes from a desk-riding news producer to a full-blown war correspondent. In 2003, Kim blows up her entire life by traveling to Afghanistan to cover the war. The resulting adventures are tense, smart and laugh-out-loud uproarious.
Fey finally gets to show she is more than just a pretty, funny face, and it looks great on her. She needs more WTFs than cartoonish turns like Sisters or light romcoms like Admission. The familiar supporting cast—Billy Bob Thornton as a reluctantly appreciative general, Margot Robbie as a gorgeous fellow war reporter and Martin Freeman as a charming Scottish photojournalist—is good as ever, though Alfred Molina’s Afghan politician veers perilously close to the abyss of cartoonish stereotype. Mostly, though, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot successfully manages to maintain its humorous outlook on a seriously messed-up situation.
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