Rock the Kasbah

ROCK THE KASBAH? Heard of this one? No, you probably haven't, and there are insidious reasons why, political and social. Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, Kate Hudson, Zoey Deschanel. Think maybe there would be some pub behind it? What's going on? The movie has been panned by critics, ignored by Hollywood mainstream and news channel outlets. What gives? It's not a great movie, but it is a good movie, with a timely plot, and a message. AND, HERE IS WHERE THE POLITICALLY AND SOCIALLY INCORRECT ASPECTS ENTER. I am ashamed to have the term 'liberal' associated with the movie industry. Ashamed of CNN and MSNBC for not picking up this theme and rolling with it. THIS MOVIE PORTRAYS Islam, THE MIDDLE EAST, AND OPPRESSION OF WOMEN IN BOTH ARENAS ACCURATELY AND THE PICTURE IS UGLY. This is why you haven't seen or heard an ad, watched the trailer, or viewed coverage by any major news outlet. Watch this film. I won't spoil it, but it centers on the true story of a female singer who simply wanted to appear on the Afghan equivalent of American Idol.WATCH THIS FILM, and wonder why the suppression has occurred.. It is a film about peace, ultimately, yet apparently is too hot and controversial for any support from Hollywood, and too accurate yet politically incorrect for mainstream news to explore. SHAME ON THE MASS MEDIA!

I don't see why the critic reviews for this are so low, they put me off watching it initially but I'm glad I saw it eventually. It actually starts off really strong with a great setup featuring Zooey Deschanel who I'm not the biggest fan of but her scenes were very funny and her chemistry with Murray was quite good. The plot centres around Bill Murray playing a washed up music manager who ends up booking a tour of Afghanistan with his only decent act played by Dechanel. Once they arrive in the Middle East things don't exactly go as planned and some unlikely antics ensue to varying comic effect. Bruce Willis and Kate Hudson both appear but the real star of the show is obviously Bill Murray, and while this isn't his best work he's still charming and entertaining and manages to elevate the proceedings enough to keep things fun. I laughed intermittently throughout but I did find the beginning to be the strongest and thought that by the end it had lost a little bit of steam but that didn't stop me from enjoying it. I definitely recommend giving it a watch if you like Bill Murray or if you're a fan of adult comedies that don't rely on raunchy humour for laughs.

We went to Rock the Kasbah for an early screening. Neither of us had heard much of anything about it, but I enjoy Bill Murray's work and it seemed to have a strong cast.

But the first half of the film seemed different than the second half. Actors seemed wasted in their roles. I just wasn't quite sure what to make of the movie.

The film is about an over-the-hill music producer, Richie Lanz, scrambling to make a last go of the industry. He brings his last big talent (Zooey D) overseas as an entertainer for the troops, where he will be sure to collect some big money. However, she promptly decides she doesn't want to be there, leaves, and Bill Murray is left to fend for himself sans papers or money. That is how the movie opens. After that we get Scott Caan, Bruce Willis and Kate Hudson appearing in varying roles as Bill Murray finds his way in Afghanistan.

Kate Hudson may or may not be intentionally faking an accent, but tries hard to pull off sex appeal as a hooker for hire. I don't see her appeal. Bruce Willis is the necessary, and typical gun for hire. Zooey comes and goes, and sadly never comes back. Scott Caan is the necessary character who comes and goes to provide necessary funds to Lanz to survive. I didn't find him funny and was a plot device only to basically say the first half of the film is rendered irrelevant.

It's just weak compared to other Bill Murray fare and each character seems to be a cameo, until the end becomes just another old-music-producer-finds-a-talent. It doesn't seem to push many boundaries, which is ironic since the film is about pushing boundaries in Afghanistan.

It was okay, but nothing more and nothing less.

This movie will be horrible for people who expect every movie to be like Independence Day, The Martian and Star Wars. This isn't a block buster. It's a simple movie about a simple story with a raw cut feel. There are no fiery explosions. It's an interesting story with characters that are cliché but real cliché.

Bill Murray gave a good performance and it wasn't phoned in. I enjoyed it. It felt to me like a 2nd (and better) attempt at a Lost in Translation type story. My guess is that most people will want to catch this on Netflix or On-Demand, which is fine. There is no particular reason to see this on the big screen, but it is a decent film to watch.

There was No Way that this Little Film was going to Escape Controversy. No Matter what Your Political Stripe or Country of Origin, it was Inevitable that in this Noble Effort there were bound to be Things that Offend, Outrage, and Disappoint.

"Tradition is the illusion of permanence.".......Woody Allen

No Doubt, in the Far Future, Our Current Time with its Borders, Language Barriers, Religious Differences, and general overall Mistrust and Hatred for Anything or Anyone "Different", will be Studied and most likely Viewed with much Wonder and Amazement, along with Anger and Pity.

We can take some sort of Solace knowing that our Current Paradigms and Dogmas will eventually be Tempered by the Winds and Sands of Time. In the Meantime the Mind Boggling and Hurtful ways We go about our "Business" of Everyday Life in the 21st Century, You Either Laugh or Cry.

Director Barry Levinson and Bill Murray choose to Laugh. Or to be more Precise, try and make Us Laugh. The Movie has been Destroyed by the Critics and One Wonders what any of Them have done Lately to find some path to "Peace in the Middle East".

Overall, the Film is Worth a Watch for its Heart and Intent. It Deserves a Hearing, just on its Effort alone. Whether You Find it Funny, Pertinent, Poignant, or Pathetic, it's at least Trying to ride the Peace Train in a Wild World.