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Tina Fey’s ‘Whiskey Tango Foxtrot’ Fails To Draw Humor From War And Terrorism, Actress Begins Working On ‘Mean Girls’ Musical

By Stacey Cole
Published on: 02:48 PST, May 19, 2016

Tina Fey, who turned 46-years-old yesterday and who is best known for her role in the sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live and for creating and starring in 30 Rock, recently starred in a biographical “dramedy.” According to the Australian, in her new film Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Tina Fey plays a real-life journalist for the Chicago Tribune, Kim Barker, who was assigned to cover the war in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The film is based on Barker’s 2011 memoir entitled The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan, which contained detailed accounts of her experiences during her time in the area. In the film, the story of Barker has been somewhat fictionalized, as Tina Fey’s version of Kim Baker is a television journalist rather than a writer for the Tribune.

Tina Fey gives life to Kim Baker and plays her with conviction, however, it has been noted that the film suffers somewhat from an uncertain tone. While grim and bloody humor has been done effectively and tastefully in the past in television shows and other films, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot fails to pull it off. This may be because the film attempts to draw humor from themes involving global terrorism and war in the way of the events of September 11, 2001, which, 15 years on, is still a raw topic for Americans in particular, as opposed to World War 2 and the Korean War, which have been successfully tackled in the past (take for example, the popularity of the M*A*S*H television show).

In the film, the driving motivation of Fey’s character to volunteer for the Kabul assignment is mainly her desire to experience something different. She leaves her boyfriend behind, who is promptly unfaithful, and finds herself billeted in crowded quarters she shares with other journalists. The journalists who join Tina Fey’s Kim Baker are Margot Robbie’s Tanya and Martin Freeman’s Iain. The film drives the message that pain and pointlessness accompany war, and the message is admittedly delivered quite effectively. However, the film never truly manages to combine horror and humor to any meaningful effect.

Tina Fey is also slated to work on a Mean Girls Broadway musical adaptation. According to News.com.au, Ellie Kemper’s real-life pregnancy is going to push back the schedule for The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, which will allow Tina Fey to spend some time working on the Mean Girls musical in the meantime.

Fey said that Kemper’s pregnancy will push production of The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt to the end of August, with the writing for Season 3 beginning then, followed by filming in October. The new episodes are expected to make it to Netflix towards the end of May 2017.

With the next few months being somewhat free for Tina Fey, she plans to dedicate that time to working on the Mean Girls musical. Fey joked about bringing some Hamilton flair into the production, saying that despite the film being just 10-years-old, the musical will have to receive some updates due to obsolete technology.

Tina Fey’s interview with News.com.au regarding the future plans for The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and her upcoming Mean Girls musical was full of fun tangents and references to her pop culture obsessions. She also revealed that she is massively into The People v. O.J. Simpson, admitting that she went as far as to get her affiliation changed with the television academy from producer to actor so she could vote for Sterling K. Brown and Sarah Paulson for this year’s Emmy Awards.

In other news, Tuck Everlasting, a musical based on a children’s novel, had a visit from Tina Fey. According to the Daily Mail, Tina Fey was in attendance at the premiere of the musical along with her husband, Jeff Richmond.

Tina Fey towered over her husband at the opening night of the Broadway show, wearing stilettos. At 45-years-old, Tina Fey cut a ladylike figure in a classic A-line dress that was adorned with small daisies.

[Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images]

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