Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

This is a fictionalized version of former Chicago Tribune reporter Kim Barker's insightful 2011 memoir The Taliban Shuffle, which chronicled her stint in Afghanistan and Pakistan from 2004 to 2009. As portrayed by Tina Fey, Barker is a New York broadcast journalist who is dispatched to Kabul because she's single and ready to shake up her humdrum life. Upon her arrival (toting a bright orange backpack), Barker is immediately upbraided by chauvinistic Gen. Hollanek (Billy Bob Thornton), who is none too thrilled about her being embedded with his Marines. Barker is befriended by her shy Afghan translator (Christopher Abbott), whom she quite often endangers by taking thoughtless risks. Directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot takes a jab at the longest military campaign in our nation's history by pointing out that—at least in one case—our “help” is actually detrimental to the well-being of the women in a local village. Margot Robbie plays Barker's hard-partying frenemy, while Martin Freeman is the Scottish photographer who winds up in Barker's bed, much to the chagrin of Alfred Molina as Ali Massoud Sadiq, a high-ranking government official who is determined to seduce her. As this character study evolves, tart-talking comedienne Fey is triumphant from beginning to end, proving that she is equally adept at revealing her vulnerability in a drama. Recommended. [Note: Blu-ray extras include a “making-of” featurette (14 min.), the production segments “Embedded in Reality” (6 min.), “Wedding Party” (6 min.), “War Reporter: The Real Kim” (5 min.), and “Laughing Matters” (5 min.), deleted scenes (5 min.), an extended scene (5 min.), and bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a winning showcase for Fey.] (S. Granger)