DVD Review: Region 1
Words: Konrad Obiora
Picture: © Warner Independent Pictures
In an effort to better understand Muslim people and their culture, the US government has set up a commission to look at all aspects of the Muslim world.
Albert Brooks (playing himself) is an out of work actor and stand-up comedian. After failing to impress a sceptical Penny Marshall (playing herself) for the lead role in her film Brooks returns home to his wife and daughter.
Brooks' wife Emily (Amy Ryan) hands him a letter from the US State Department inviting him to attend a meeting in Washington to join the government's commission.
Emily persuades a nervous Brooks to go to Washington where he meets the commission members including actor and senator, Fred Dalton Thomas (playing himself).
Thomas explains to Brooks that the commission would like him to go to India and Pakistan for one month to find out what makes Muslim people laugh. When Brooks points out that the population of India is composed of Hindus and Sikhs a commission member explains that there are 150 million Muslims in India.
Brooks' enthusiasm for the opportunity to work on the commission weans a little when he learns that a) there is no remuneration and b) he has to write a 500-page report on his findings; a commission member reassures Brooks that "never read them - but they do weigh them." But his misgivings soon vanish when he is told that he could receive a Medal of Freedom, one of the highest civilian awards in the United States.
After a long and uncomfortable flight to India accompanied by his two escorts from the State Department, Mark (Jon Tenney) and Stuart (John Carroll Lynch), and a crammed taxi ride to his hotel in New Delhi, Brooks sets out to recruit an assistant who will take notes of his interviews with the people in India and type up his report.
Brooks eventually appoints Maya (Sheetal Sheth), an enthusiastic and keen young woman, to be his assistant during his month in South Asia.
During their first working day together Brooks introduces Maya to the concept of sarcasm and discovers that there are no comedy clubs in the city, which makes his job finding out what makes people in New Delhi laugh harder, so he decides to hold a "big show" where he can do some stand-up comedy and tell some jokes in front of an Indian audience to see what they find funny.
Brooks and Maya take to the New Delhi streets to interview people about what makes them laugh; the exercise proves fruitless. Meanwhile Mark and Stuart have booked Brooks a school auditorium to do his stand-up routine.
Maya produces the leaflets for the show, which are distributed in New and Old Delhi, and Brooks learns from a tour guide at the largest mosque in India that he is a big Three Stooges fan in particular Larry, the least funny of three Brooks utters.
The stand-up show itself does not live up to expectation as Brooks goes through his routine, some of which he had performed in real-life.
Brooks later learns that is a group of aspiring Pakistani comedians who would like to meet him but there is a problem with Brooks' visa to Pakistan, which potentially scuppers his fact-finding trip in the region that is until Mark suggests that he illegally cross the border into Pakistan to meet the budding comedians in Lahore.
There is a weak subplot involving the Indian and Pakistani embassies, which smacks of the worst aspects of films like Stripes or Spies Like Us and films of that ilk from the 1980s.
One of the best and certainly the funniest scenes in the film is Brooks visit to Al Jazzera's India office. Brooks is under the impression that Al Jazzera want to participate in his research, however, Al Jazzera have other less loftier ideas as they want him to be involved in their new entertainment channel.
Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World is a fairly amusing film but it is very light on laughs. We learning nothing about what makes Muslims laugh because of the rather abrupt and unsatisfactory ending to the film.
Thankfully the film does not patronise Indian culture or portray the country in a negative light, which many Hollywood films about an American in another country have often done.
Perhaps the only part of the film the filmmakers pander to stereotypes was the depiction of the character Majeed (Hommie Doroodian), Maya's jealous Iranian boyfriend, who when he dismisses Brooks as a comedian says "I was the funniest one in school and at explosive training."
There is a nice glimpse into the effects of globalisation as Brooks arrives at his office and he walks past a busy call-centre, where Indian employees are giving technical advice about computers and Toys R Us products.
It is a shame that Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World is a fictitious story because the idea of sending an American comedian to Asia and the Middle East on a cultural fact-finding mission would have worked well in a non-fiction documentary - but that is just wishful thinking.
Link
Official website
Words: Konrad Obiora
Picture: © Warner Independent Pictures
In an effort to better understand Muslim people and their culture, the US government has set up a commission to look at all aspects of the Muslim world.
Albert Brooks (playing himself) is an out of work actor and stand-up comedian. After failing to impress a sceptical Penny Marshall (playing herself) for the lead role in her film Brooks returns home to his wife and daughter.
Brooks' wife Emily (Amy Ryan) hands him a letter from the US State Department inviting him to attend a meeting in Washington to join the government's commission.
Emily persuades a nervous Brooks to go to Washington where he meets the commission members including actor and senator, Fred Dalton Thomas (playing himself).
Thomas explains to Brooks that the commission would like him to go to India and Pakistan for one month to find out what makes Muslim people laugh. When Brooks points out that the population of India is composed of Hindus and Sikhs a commission member explains that there are 150 million Muslims in India.
Brooks' enthusiasm for the opportunity to work on the commission weans a little when he learns that a) there is no remuneration and b) he has to write a 500-page report on his findings; a commission member reassures Brooks that "never read them - but they do weigh them." But his misgivings soon vanish when he is told that he could receive a Medal of Freedom, one of the highest civilian awards in the United States.
After a long and uncomfortable flight to India accompanied by his two escorts from the State Department, Mark (Jon Tenney) and Stuart (John Carroll Lynch), and a crammed taxi ride to his hotel in New Delhi, Brooks sets out to recruit an assistant who will take notes of his interviews with the people in India and type up his report.
Brooks eventually appoints Maya (Sheetal Sheth), an enthusiastic and keen young woman, to be his assistant during his month in South Asia.
During their first working day together Brooks introduces Maya to the concept of sarcasm and discovers that there are no comedy clubs in the city, which makes his job finding out what makes people in New Delhi laugh harder, so he decides to hold a "big show" where he can do some stand-up comedy and tell some jokes in front of an Indian audience to see what they find funny.
Brooks and Maya take to the New Delhi streets to interview people about what makes them laugh; the exercise proves fruitless. Meanwhile Mark and Stuart have booked Brooks a school auditorium to do his stand-up routine.
Maya produces the leaflets for the show, which are distributed in New and Old Delhi, and Brooks learns from a tour guide at the largest mosque in India that he is a big Three Stooges fan in particular Larry, the least funny of three Brooks utters.
The stand-up show itself does not live up to expectation as Brooks goes through his routine, some of which he had performed in real-life.
Brooks later learns that is a group of aspiring Pakistani comedians who would like to meet him but there is a problem with Brooks' visa to Pakistan, which potentially scuppers his fact-finding trip in the region that is until Mark suggests that he illegally cross the border into Pakistan to meet the budding comedians in Lahore.
There is a weak subplot involving the Indian and Pakistani embassies, which smacks of the worst aspects of films like Stripes or Spies Like Us and films of that ilk from the 1980s.
One of the best and certainly the funniest scenes in the film is Brooks visit to Al Jazzera's India office. Brooks is under the impression that Al Jazzera want to participate in his research, however, Al Jazzera have other less loftier ideas as they want him to be involved in their new entertainment channel.
Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World is a fairly amusing film but it is very light on laughs. We learning nothing about what makes Muslims laugh because of the rather abrupt and unsatisfactory ending to the film.
Thankfully the film does not patronise Indian culture or portray the country in a negative light, which many Hollywood films about an American in another country have often done.
Perhaps the only part of the film the filmmakers pander to stereotypes was the depiction of the character Majeed (Hommie Doroodian), Maya's jealous Iranian boyfriend, who when he dismisses Brooks as a comedian says "I was the funniest one in school and at explosive training."
There is a nice glimpse into the effects of globalisation as Brooks arrives at his office and he walks past a busy call-centre, where Indian employees are giving technical advice about computers and Toys R Us products.
It is a shame that Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World is a fictitious story because the idea of sending an American comedian to Asia and the Middle East on a cultural fact-finding mission would have worked well in a non-fiction documentary - but that is just wishful thinking.
Link
Official website
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