The dust of Oscar season has now settled and there is beginning to be a clear view of what lies ahead for the world of cinema. Several films have already made an attempt to reach out to audiences and remind them that the new year has begun. Many of these films went unnoticed due to their mediocrity and lack of any creative spark. Strangely enough, that spark has been ignited by a war comedy produced by and starring Tina Fey.

The film follows reporter Kim Baker as she abandons her monotonous life in New York City to go report on the war in Afghanistan on site. There she meets fellow reporter Tanya Vanderpoel (Margot Robbie) and Iain MacKelpie (Martin Freeman), a freelance photographer.

Fey’s life changes drastically as this new way of life fully erupts around her, causing tension with her boyfriend back home and confusion in the world that surrounds her every day, which is now essentially a war zone.

The agenda of the reporters stationed in Kabul is quite clear: to capture as much footage and gain as much information about the war as they could during the day, and then to party as hard as they could at night, which was their way of dealing with the fact that they’re constantly surrounded by war.

There’s not much to say about this film that isn’t good. The performances are masterful and really make the story stand out. It’s an important story with a strong entertaining factor, which is always a good reason to go to the cinema, much like in the case of Academy Award-winning best picture Spotlight.

The music is spot-on, featuring songs by the mighty Radiohead and the iconic Norwegian band a-ha. The cinematography is also impressive, capturing shots of New Mexico and making them look just like Afghanistan. Another major facet of entertainment is the writing, which is just the right blend of serious and humorous.

All in all, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot does just what it should as a war comedy: to tell an important story in a way that won’t have audiences leaving the theater in tears.

Rating: 7.4/10