What's Muslim About This?

Don't let the title fool you: Albert Brooks's "Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World" doesn't really do that at all.

BY: Dilshad D. Ali

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It's the title that's intriguing. Can you use the word "Muslim," or "Islam," in the name of a Hollywood movie and expect it to be released? You can if you're Albert Brooks and your movie is "Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World." But even after successfully dodging bullets from studio execs skittish about the title, Brooks cannot escape the shackles of a movie that tries hard but quickly loses steam.

The problems begin with the title, but not because of any hot controversy over stereotypes or offensive material. If you're "Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World," as Brooks purports to do, then you'd expect that the focus of the movie would be on what Muslims find funny, or on Muslim comedians, or on--get this--what's funny in the Muslim world. There are few such delightful insights here.

Brooks--a veteran comedic actor who's starred in "Mother," "Broadcast News," and as the voice of Marlin in "Finding Nemo"--turns on his classic whiny, momma's boy, Jewish shtick in "Looking for Comedy." As always, the persona is humorous (if you like that sort of thing), especially as it draws out the bafflement of the Indians who meet him. But it soon wears thin.

The premise has potential: Brooks, playing himself, is summoned to Washington, D.C., by Sen. Fred Thompson (also playing himself) to head up a new diplomatic mission: Find what makes Muslims laugh, because obviously the government isn't getting anywhere with brute force. Brooks is wary of the job, especially with the daunting task of producing a 500-page report (this joke is done to death), but the idea of receiving a Medal of Freedom proves too tempting.

But after this juicy idea is presented, the movie immediately begins to stall. First off, the Washington commission has Brooks going to India and Pakistan for a month to answer the humor question. India? Isn't that predominantly a Hindu country, Brooks knowledgeably asks?

There's 150 million Muslims in India, he's told by the commission. And that's more than enough. With that, Brooks is off to India to spin his comedic wheels before traveling to Pakistan. (This utterly inane notion that going to India is the best way of finding comedy in the "Muslim world" sidesteps the real problems Brooks had in getting permission to film in a Muslim country. But the film doesn't reveal this backstory,and so the audience is left in the dark.)

After trying numerous unsuccessful man-on-the-street interviews (asking busy Indians, "What makes you laugh?") and learning that there are no comedy clubs for him to observe, Brooks decides to put on "The Big Show" and perform a variety of bits in front of an Indian audience to see what makes them laugh.

So, let me get this straight. Are we looking for comedy in the Indian world, or the Muslim world?

Albert Brooks starring in "That Darn Jew?"
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