Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

Directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot follows Tina Fey’s Kim Baker as she agrees to take on a gig as a war correspondent in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. Filmmakers Ficarra and Requa, armed with Robert Carlock’s screenplay, deliver a watchable (albeit thoroughly generic) comedy that ultimately fares best in its briskly-paced first half, as the movie boasts a stirring opening hour that effectively establishes the affable central character and the perilous situation in which she finds herself – with the entertaining atmosphere heightened by Fey’s agreeable performance and a smattering of legitimately funny moments and episodes. (It doesn’t hurt, either, that Ficarra and Requa have populated the supporting cast with such notable scene stealers as Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman, and Nicholas Braun, although it’s clear, certainly, that Billy Bob Thornton’s recurring appearances as a gruff military man remain a continuing highlight within the proceedings.) There’s little doubt, then, that Whiskey Tango Foxtrot‘s overall impact is diminished by an oddly (and incongruously) sentimental third act, with the ineffective bent of this stretch ensuring that the picture peters out to a rather demonstrable extent – which, despite a strong final sequence, finally does confirm the movie’s place as a decent-enough endeavor that feels like it should be better.

**1/2 out of ****