Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution movie review

'Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World' doesn't find much

By ELEANOR RINGEL GILLESPIE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World" is about Albert Brooks' fictional attempt to find out what makes Muslims laugh in the 21st century.

But while he's at it, he needs to refresh himself on what makes Americans laugh in the 21st century.

Warner Independent Pictures

'Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World'

C+

The verdict: Comedian Brooks is still looking for that big mainstream crossover hit.

Director: Albert Brooks
Starring: Albert Brooks, Homie Doroodian, Shelley Malil, Marshall Manesh, Kevin Mukherji
Run time: 98 minutes
Release date: Jan. 20, 2006
Rating: PG-13 for drug content and brief strong language.
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On the web
Official movie site
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Let's be clear. Brooks has made some of the most brilliant comedies around: "Lost in America," "Real Life," "Defending Your Life." And he's been brilliant in movies like "Broadcast News," "Taxi Driver" and "Finding Nemo." But more recent efforts — say, "Mother" or "The Muse" — have been hit or miss. And his shot at selling out and growing beyond his adored cult status ended up as a disastrous remake of "The In-Laws."

In the new film, Brooks plays an exaggerated version of himself. First seen being politely shooed away by Penny Marshall at an audition for a remake of "Harvey," he's worried about his career and his wife's online shopping addiction (when he comes home, she's just scored a chandelier).

Then he gets a call from the State Department. Having decided bombs and spies aren't doing the trick, the government wants to try a new tactic: laughter. Brooks is to go to India and Pakistan and write a 500-page report on what he learns. When the comic balks at having to file a 500-page anything, a Medal of Honor is dangled in front of him, which would do wonders for the ever-neurotic comedian's asking price.

So, it's off to India, where Brooks finds his is a cut-rate operation at best. No first-class plane ticket, no driver and car at the airport, and a tiny office down the hall from a phone center where we hear things like, "Thank you for calling Toys 'R' Us" and "This is the White House. How may I direct your call?"

Brooks has various misadventures, of varying degrees of funniness. A subplot concerning his comely assistant's (a radiant Sheetal Sheth) jealous boyfriend goes nowhere. But a bit about secretly crossing the border into Pakistan to meet with some aspiring Muslim comics not only has an amusing "There's No Business Like Show Business" subtext, but a payoff that somewhat recalls "Dr. Strangelove."

You have to give the man credit. Brooks is willing to try anything. A lengthy routine about a botched audience-participation improvisation is as conceptually stunning as any of Andy Kaufman's flights of weirdness. But narratively it stops the movie dead.

Another problem: Brooks has been making movies since the late 1970s, yet his technique is just as rudimentary as it was when he began. "Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World" looks like something made by a stand-up comic who's never shot a movie before. Scattered glimpses of the Taj Mahal, ancient temples and painted elephants suggest a travelogue more than anything else.

Brooks is always at his best when he's making fun of himself. Al-Jazeera offers him a sitcom called "That Darn Jew." A member of the Indian Parliament, trying to place the comic, says, "I think I've seen him — he played a fish in a cartoon."

The movie's big joke is that Brooks cares a lot less about foreign relations than he does about getting a laugh. You can take the guy out of the comedy club, but you can't ...

Interestingly, the movie's original distributor, Sony Pictures, felt the opposite. They got cold feet and backed out of their commitment, leaving Warner Independent Pictures to pick up the ball. In a world where Sony's behavior is the norm, Albert Brooks is worth rooting for; he's definitely one of the good guys. Now, if he'll only give us a new movie worth rooting for.