Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016) directed by Glen Ficarra and John Requa

Tina Fey plays Kim Baker, a TV journalist in New York who finds herself well outside her comfort zone when she accepts an assignment in Afghanistan. It is an interesting story, with potentially interesting characters, but a curiously detached storytelling style leaves the viewer cold. Perhaps having two directors was the problem. Tina Fey is always entertaining, but this treatment of life as a war correspondent is perhaps too trivial and lightweight. It skates over the issues to concentrate more on the addictive nature of the lifestyle. Margot Robbie shines as an intrepid rival reporter and Martin Freeman is solid as a charming photojournalist. It’s fun to see Home and Away alumni Stephen Peacocke bob up as an ambiguous security detail. Over all the film lacks depth and could have been much better, with a heap of great ingredients not quite combining for a tasty recipe.

The Big Sick (2017), directed by Michael Showalter

Billing this film as a comedy sets it up for false expectations. While it is often wryly amusing, the storyline is more sad than funny despite being set in the world of stand-up comedy. It follows the story of how comedian Kumail Nanjiani got together with his wife Emily V Gordon and, as the couple wrote the screenplay, it does ring true, with warmth and humour informing the narrative. Playing himself, Nanjiani does a great job of depicting the difficulty of defying family expectations around career and relationships, especially when that family is Pakistani and Muslim. Zoe Kazan is perfect as Emily, her brand of quirky appeal making her seem just right, despite being in a coma for a good portion of the movie. Among a universally solid supporting cast Holly Hunter and Ray Romano add tragi-comic depth as Emily’s stricken parents, while Bo Burnham and Aidy Bryant help bring to life the world of struggling stand-up comics. So many issues are touched on lightly beneath the overarching story of love, illness and commitment, making this a fully fleshed film with some laughs along the way that is far more than just a comedy.