>>REVIEW
LOOKING FOR COMEDY IN THE MUSLIM WORLD
STARRING Albert Brooks
DIRECTED BY Albert Brooks
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I’m certainly not alone in my disdain for our rabidly patriotic neighbours to the South. Pretty much everyone on the planet shares this opinion, something that endlessly baffles the Americans.
That said, I was brimming with expectation for the release of Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World.
Written, directed and starring Albert Brooks, it seems like a good idea for a film – send a comic to one of the most populous nations on earth to find out what makes the Muslims laugh.
There’s just one problem – Albert Brooks is the wrong actor for this movie. I get that most of what’s taking place is meant to be ironic. I get the jokes. As an easygoing Canuck, I get funny.
But even though this is supposed to be the Americans poking fun at their own bumbling, well-meaning endeavours and earnest search for the reason they are so universally loathed, I found myself shifting in my seat as I watched Brooks complain about everything. From the daunting 500-page report he has to write for the U.S. State Department, to being seated in economy for the flight to India.
Despite this, the shots of the Taj Mahal and the bustling streets of New Delhi are gorgeous, and respectfully convey the vibrancy of the populous country. The supporting cast also do well in their attempts to buoy Brooks, but it’s not enough to make any of it convincing. A nice little scene with the Al-Jazeera news network provided one of the few laughs I enjoyed during the 98-minute film. Their proposal of branching into the slick world of entertainment is worth a chuckle.
But it’s the extras that offer the most sincere performances. As Brooks attempts to garner some laughs with his standup routine, the audience looks both befuddled and offended by his Ghandi jokes. They quietly steal the show from Brooks most of the time – he simply spends far too much energy mugging for the camera and lamely trying to look humble.
Just as the American government may be well-intentioned, albeit misguided, in their foreign policy, Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World falls into the same trap. It wants so desperately to "get" other cultures that it ends up walking all over them. |
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