DVD Review: Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World

By Jeff Swindoll Aug 27, 2006, 21:27 GMT

"Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World" is the hilarious story of what happens when the U.S. Government sends comedian Albert Brooks to India and Pakistan to find out what makes the over 300 million Muslims in the region laugh. Brooks, accompanied by two state department handlers and his trusted assistant, goes on a journey that takes him from a concert stage in New Delhi, to the Taj Mahal, to ...more

Albert Brooks courted comedic controversy by looking for comedy in the Muslim world.  Whatever your preconceptions may be about what Brook’s film is about the fact is that it is funny.

Albert Brooks (Albert Brooks, talk about typecasting) is out of work.  He’s currently out of work and is reading for a role in the remake of Harvey that Penny Marshall is directing.  She’s looking for the next Jimmy Stewart and Brooks does not fit the bill.  When he arrives home to wife Emily (Amy Ryan) and daughter Laura (Emma Lockhart) he also finds an official government letter.  He thinks that he’s in trouble, but is surprised to find that they want him to meet with for an important assignment. 

He meets with Senator Fred Dalton Thompson (Fred Dalton Thompson, that typecasting again) want Brooks to go to India and Pakistan to find out what makes the Muslim people laugh in an effort to understand them.  Brooks only got the job because everyone else was working.  What floors Brooks is that he has to write a 500 page report on the experiment and he choked at book reports, but he’s won over by the promise of the Medal of Freedom.  He’s escorted to India by Mark (Jon Tenney) and Stewart (John Carroll Lynch), his government minders. 

Brooks is given an office, in the same building where all of your phone calls to customer service go, and the hunt is on for a secretary to write down all the knowledge that he gains.  He decides on Maya (Sheetal Sheth) for the secretary and now all he needs is the knowledge, 500 pages worth.  His initial forays into street interviews go nowhere, so he comes up with the big show.  He’ll put on a comedy concert since there are no comedy clubs in New Delhi. 

Find out what makes them laugh

The concert does not go as planned and Brooks is looking forward to trying again in Pakistan but is told that they didn’t get the permissions in time, so the trip is off.  However, his minders offer an alternative in that he can sneak across the border and interview a group of Pakistani standup comedians.  The whole time the Indian and Pakistani governments are watching Brooks and coming to the wrong conclusions.

Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World was met with raised eyebrows because of the title alone.  The plot description probably didn’t help matters, but I’ll have to admit that the film is funny in Brooks’ usual sarcastic way.  I wasn’t particularly offended, but I should admit that I’m not Muslim. 

However, I didn’t find them portrayed in a terrible way and if you can’t laugh at yourself who can you laugh at?  Brooks’ comedy is situational and it’s ironic that the report that he never finds out the premise behind his report and his presence leads to more tension in the region.  My favorite part was when he’s approached by Al Jazeera.  He thinks that they want to help him with the project but they really want him to star in a sitcom called “That Darn Jew.” 

Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) and enhanced for 16x9 televisions.  Special features include 4 minutes of deleted scenes.

The funniest were that the New Delhi cab driver turns out to be a New Yorker (they were all coming to New York, so I decided to come here) and Brooks going to look for his DVDs in the video stores and only finding Mel Brooks’ movies.  The trailer is also included.

The big show

I thought that Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World was funny, though more in a sarcastic or situational comedy sort of way.  Don’t expect a lot of belly laughs, but if you’ve appreciated Brooks other films they you’ll probably find something to like in this one.  Sadly, Brooks didn’t try any fart jokes.  I thought those were universal.

Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World is now available at Amazon. As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.