A review of a movie I wish I had not seen
If you read the subtitle I’m sure you’re wondering why I would place a movie review in the politics category. That’s simple; once I tell you the title it should all become clear. Though I can say with assurance that the only reason I am writing this review is because it was so bad I just had to point it out. Beware of movie spoiler beyond this point.
Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World
That is the title of the movie. A “brilliantly incisive and flat-out hilarious” movie according to Jeffrey Lyons of NBC TV (I wonder if we both saw the same movie). A new film from Albert Brooks (the voice of Marlin the Clown Fish from Finding Nemo) where Albert Brooks stars as himself searching for his next big break in the movie industry. Failing to find anyone willing to take a chance with his “unique brand of comedy”, he finds himself being summoned by the US Gov’t to be part of a new Commission whose sole mission is to find new tactics in their effort to “understand and relate” with the Muslim world during these difficult times. While spying and fighting have not been very effective, Albert is asked to travel to India and Pakistan with the sole intent of finding out what makes Muslims laugh. He would write a 500 page report explaining what Muslims find funny, what makes them laugh, what tickles their fancy. The 4th choice as the American comedian representative of the US for this mission (the first 3 choices were busy working), Albert accepts the position and sets off with his 2 American assistants on an adventure of a lifetime to a foreign, but well known thru the media, world.
In the process of “doing a great service for his country”, he finds himself sifting thru several, several unqualified candidates for a secretary position until he hits the jackpot with a 6 language speaking, 135 wpm typing, short-hand writing in her sleep, very smart, pretty and nice Hindu girl eager to learn about American comedy. Eventually he finds his ways thru the cities of India trying to ask Muslims and Hindus alike what makes them laugh but not getting much too even fill his first of 500 pages. He then comes up with an idea to do a stand-up comedy show in a country where there are no comedy clubs. To make a long story short he barely succeeds in getting a couple of giggles from the audience and the find out from his assistants that his trip to Pakistan is a no go due to problems with his passports. But his assistants try to get him a chance to still get what he needs from Pakistan and set up an illegal rendezvous with some underground Pakistani comedians. In the process of asking questions to people in the streets, making a comedy show and crossing the border illegally, Albert is unaware that he is creating an international conflict between the Gov’ts of Pakistan and India because they are both wondering why is there an American who claims to be working for the US Gov’t going around asking questions to average people in the streets, crossing borders illegally and meeting with officials from the TV station Aljazeera. Due to the confusion and unawareness of what the Gov’t of the other side is up to, both Pakistan and India begin to build up their forces along the border where Albert crossed illegally. Eventually, completely unaware of what is happening and that Albert is the cause of it, the Gov’t of the US decided that things are no longer safe for high profile Americans in those countries and instruct Albert and his assistants to return home for their safety. Conflicts between the 2 militaries at the borders break out while an unaware Albert celebrates Christmas and a partially successful mission with his family. Eventually both countries realize that it was Brooks the cause of their conflicts and the fighting subsides.
My thoughts on the movie:
The first thing that comes to mind? It sucked. The movie had enough comedy to make a single person in the world laugh, probably of ignorance. I was expecting a documentary. I thought it would have been great to see a side of the Muslim world not portrayed on TV before. Considering that about 90% of the information we get about Muslims (from the TV, newspapers, radio and the internet) is mostly about death, destruction and how much they hate us; it seemed like a great opportunity to see the “softer side” of the Muslim world. A side most Americans, who are not interested or were not interested in ‘till this war in Iraq, have not seen. I wanted to find more information to show that the word Muslim does not necessarily relate to death and destruction as the media portrays it. I was disappointed to find out that the movie was actually just that, a movie. A really, bad movie. The only reason I watched the whole thing was to be able to write this article and to see what would happen at the end. And the only reason I am writing this article is because it was so bad I just had to put it out there. I find it hard to believe this was the same person who did the voice of the father Clown Fish in Finding Nemo, one of my favorite movies.
This movie, however, made me wonder just how realistic this idea can be. Here we are, as a nation, finding ourselves trying to figure out how to get along with a group of people whose radical extremist counterparts have hijacked their religion and have made the average American person believe we are at war with the entire religion. Why not try to find common ground? Why not try to find out what makes them laugh? Why not try to relate to them? I said one thing before on another blog I wrote, our Gov’t lacks compromise between the politicians. It seems that our Gov’t also lacks compromise when it comes to the international community. Why do these people hate us so much? (I have not done my homework so am not too familiar with how this al started) Is there some kind of compromise that we can do to halt, or at least slow down, the constant fighting and attacks? Is the reason for our conflict too big and dangerous that nothing less than the destruction of Israel and the West will satisfy our current primary enemy? If so, why are we even bothering trying, even if only for the sake of saying at least we tried?
So many questions, not enough, if any, answers. The strangest movie I have ever seen; it made me wonder if anyone could ever find comedy amongst so much death and destruction. Is comedy the solution we have struggled so hard to find or is the difference between our cultures so far apart that even something as simple as a laugh (considered a universal language by many) is as different as apples and oranges, between our worlds? In the end I am only left with more questions and still no answers.
I don’t recommend this movie as entertainment, but it’s an interesting way to see what people in India and Pakistan would think is funny if it were an actual documentary like I thought it was. BTW, I find it a bit annoying when worn out comedians like Albert Brooks try to find comedy in their misfortune by making fun of the fact that they can’t find jobs in the real world during a film made by themselves.