Rock the Kasbah is billed as a comedy,
but it’s really one huge absurdity.
Now, if absurd is always funny to you, then you will enjoy the
picture. A washed-up agent for
musicians, Richie (Murray), stumbles on a chance to go on a USO tour in
Afghanistan, and takes his young client (Deschanel) who is begging to sing her
own songs. From the plane trip
over, it becomes clear that she is not up to the “adventures” that seem to be
in store for her, especially when they find Kabul is on lock-down and bombs are
going off in the streets. Needless
to say, she doesn’t last long, and Richie has a major dilemma. Will she return in time for the
performance? Where are his credit
cards and money?
To
cope with his grief, Richie visits an ambitious American woman (Hudson), who
knows an infinite number of ways to make him feel better. They become friends and eventually
partners in his business.
As
one of the sub-plots, Richie gets involved with some gun/ammunition dealers and
winds up in a small village. In
the evening when he goes for a walk, he hears singing that stops him in his
tracks. The singer is so talented
he must find her and contract to be her agent. (It only takes a handshake, mind you; no one needs a
contract because his word is good.)
That this is a Muslim country and women are prohibited from singing in
public, especially (God forbid!) in English(!), is no deterrent for the
supremely confident Richie.
Of
course, he is able to locate Salima (Lubany) and plans are made to enter her in
Afghanistan’s counterpart to our “American Idol.” She sings once, and is a hit; however, being a loyal and
obedient daughter, her ambivalence emerges, and it’s not clear whether she will
compete in the second round for her chance to win.
Intrigue,
challenges, and conflicts abound, and it’s touch-and-go as to whether Richie
will even be able to survive, much less finally score a hit.
Murray
is a fine comedian, and does his “stuff” here, but I think it’s the script by
Mitch Glazer that lets him down.
We see/hear none of the cleverness that elicits spontaneous chuckles
from the audience, as in his role in Moonrise
Kingdom and other films. The
same thing happens to Bruce Willis, a proven artist; his character should be
hilarious, but it falls flat too.
And
of course, Barry Levinson is an acclaimed producer/director/writer, but for
some reason, his talent doesn’t come across here.
In
addition to the script, I think that perhaps the problem with the film is the
choice of Afghanistan, a Muslim country, as a setting. So much tragedy and outright horrors of
all kinds have taken place there, it’s incongruent and rather insensitive to make
it the setting for a comedy. I
also wonder how well received the story will be by Muslims, as they are not
shown in a very good light (backward and war-like). Why was Afghanistan chosen?
Bottom line:
Avoid this film if you are politically sensitive and look for clever
comedy.
Grade: D By
Donna R. Copeland
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