8/23/2023 0 Comments Foxtrot and tangoInstead, when Kim firsts meets Billy Bob Thornton’s crusty general while covering his Marine unit, he warns her not to sleep with his men. While there are several scenes where Kim puts herself in harm’s way to get her story-cars explode, bombs go off, gunfire rings out, a gathering of men get angry when she tries to hide a camera under her traditional full-body cloak while filming them-the narrative often feels more like a raunchy sex comedy than a bird’s-eye view of the on-the-job hazards that the actual Barker routinely faced. But once she arrives in the rowdy “Animal House”-style residence set up for foreign members of the press, it is clear that the film could have easily been called “Frisky Tango Foxtrot.” Tanya ( Margot Robbie of “ The Wolf of Wall Street”), a slinky blonde British on-air journo, welcomes Kim and immediately assesses her attractiveness to men-declaring her “Kabul cute” while assuring, “Here, you’re a 9.” ![]() Luckily, Kim’s translator-driver-and-all-round-guardian-angel, Fahim (American actor Christopher Abbott, who recently impressed in “ James White,” assumes a questionable Afghan guise), is there to guide her through local customs and dangerous situations. There are easy laughs to be had at the outset when her head scarf slips off and a native woman sneers (with the aid of subtitles), “Cover yourself, you shameless whore.” Culture shock strikes immediately after she lands in Kabul, where she is told the air is filled with feces. ![]() Nonetheless, it is initially mildly entertaining to see this 40-ish fish-out-of-water character push herself beyond her unsatisfying comfort zone both at work and in her private life ( Josh Charles, who pops up occasionally as the boyfriend she left behind, might as well have “future cheater” tattooed on his forehead). It has been reported that the actress, who is also one of the producers, was drawn to the material after a New York Times book review noted that Barker portrayed herself “as a sort of Tina Fey character.” If that just isn't free license to simply play yourself, or at least your familiar persona, I don’t know what is. And her occupation has been re-invented into a TV news correspondent, presumably to provide better on-the-job visuals than watching someone type. The title went from “The Taliban Shuffle” to military slang for WTF. But much has been tweaked in translation. Never has this handicap been more apparent than in what is being offered as Fey’s chance to dig deep a la fellow “SNL” alum turned leading lady Kristen Wiig and surprise us with her dramatic chops in "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot." The Afghanistan-set dramedy is based on an insightful, entertaining 2011 memoir injected with “ M*A*S*H”-style irreverence by Chicago Tribune war-zone journalist Kim Barker. Her film debut as a math teacher in “Mean Girls” is still her most satisfying cinematic performance. Even when parodying the former governor of Alaska, she can’t let go of that wicked glint in her eyes. The problem is, Tina Fey is always Tina Fey. Therefore, it is painful to observe that this talented woman has yet to show us she has what it takes to be a truly compelling presence on the big screen.
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