User reviews

Albert Brooks is sent by the US government to India on a mission to find out what makes muslims laugh. Why India? Yes there's a lot of muslims there but most of the people Brooks meet seems to be Hindus. No matter what they are they don't think he's funny. And he isn't. Not in this movie.

Initially, most of the jokes are based on how badly planned his trip was. He gets to fly business class instead of first class. Nobody comes to pick him up at the airport so he has to take a cab. His office is small and has no computer, etc. Funny? After that, there is a slightly amusing scene where he has a conversation with his secretary, Maya, and they don't know when the other is joking or not. "Was that a joke?". According to his plans, he was supposed to go to Pakistan, but he doesn't get a visa, so he has to cross the border illegally in order to spend a couple of hours there with some would be comedians. This makes Indian and Pakistani intelligence agents suspicious, and there's almost a political conflict. Brooks realises he has failed and goes is sent back to the US. The End. His wife, unaware of his failure, thinks he's a big hero. The political subplot about the conflict Brooks almost caused, is tied up by means of on-screen text before the closing credits. The main plot also goes nowhere. I'm not sure what Brooks tried to do with this movie. It's not laugh-out-loud funny, and it doesn't work as a dark comedy nor as a satire. Unfortunately, with this movie, real-life Brooks ends up like on-screen Brooks: trying, but failing, to be funny. "Is that the joke?". I'll never know.

So what we have here is a movie with no real laughs and a premise that could be funny, but goes nowhere. Too bad, really, because I expected this movie to be much better. Not recommended to waste money on.

In an inspired cinematic premise, especially in these times, Albert Brooks plays himself as a comedian asked to find out what makes a large portion of the world laugh.

Of course, execution of this concept leaves a bit to be desired, but it does have its fairly funny moments, especially in the opening moments, when Brooks aspires to be the lead in a remake of "Harvey." He fails to impress the director (Penny Marshall) with his desire to be "the new Jimmy Stewart," and Marshall's phony, "I liked your work in 'The In-Laws'" doesn't help his ego, either.

At home, he receives a letter from the State Department asking for him to be part of a special commission deigned to found out what Muslims construe as comedy. He goes to Washington DC, meets former Tennessee senator Fred Dalton Thompson (TV's "Law & Order"), and agrees to travel to India and Pakistan to see what makes the population laugh (despite his assignment to write a 500-page report on the topic).

He leaves his lovely wife, Amy Ryan ("Capote," 'War of the Worlds") and cute-as-a-button daughter, Laura (Emma Lockhart, "Batman Begins") for a month's adventure - not for money, but for the opportunity to be awarded the Medal of Freedom ("the nice one - with the colored ribbon").

Brooks makes the point some might bring up that India is basically a Hindi country, although over 100 million Muslims reside there (also, it's doubtful Brooks, as a Jew, would have been welcome in some of the more militant Middle Eastern countries).

Anyway, Brooks soon begins his patented celebrity whining on the flight to New Dehli, as he and his two State Department escorts, Stuart (John Carroll Lynch, "Gothika") and Mark (Jon Tenney, TV's "The Closer") are forced to fly economy class, and are then stuck in a rundown office. During these interior office scenes, Brooks keeps passing a roomful of phone operators ("There are two spin cycles on that machine," "Welcome to the William Morris Agency," "This is the White House, how may I direct your call") in another funny bit.

After hiring a lovely Indian woman, Maya (Sheetal Sheth), Brooks begins asking people on the street what makes them laugh. He is given answers from "I don't know," to "I don't speak English and please don't touch me," to a long and involved joke about being happy and laughing. Not garnering anything from this effort, Brooks decides to put on a comedy concert for about 300 Indians. This segment is pretty funny, as well, as few in the audience understand the comedian's humor (he tells a lame Halloween "Gandhi" joke, does a really bad ventriloquist act and the old "changing the improve" bit) and have little or no reaction to it.

Later, he sneaks into Pakistan and does the same routine for a group of stoned "budding comedians" who do not speak English (it's a huge success), accidentally starts an armed conflict between the two countries and is offered a part as a Hebrew man who moves into a mostly Muslim apartment complex in the inaugural situation comedy from al-Jazeera, "That Darn Jew."

The bottom line of this movie is that Muslims really don't laugh a whole lot, especially if the jokes are not funny (I guess that could be said of most anyone)and they do not get the subject. It could have been even more biting and daring, but I suppose Brooks (who wrote and directed, as well) didn't want to rock the boat too much.

I've liked most of Brooks' work (he was great in "Broadcast News" and deserved the Oscar; and "Defending Your Life," "Lost In America" and "Real Life" were terrific films), and while some jokes fall pretty flat here (as does the weak subplot of Maya and her Iranian boyfriend), this is still pretty decent work.

Yeah, I would have liked to have seen him do his stand-up in Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Egypt or even Saudi Arabia, but I understand his reasoning (sort of). Plus, I laughed more often than not, so, as a comedy, it did its job, at least in my opinion.

Look, I like Albert Brooks. I find him wittingly funny. However this film was an absolute bore. The 'Idea' of the film was far more humorous than the film itself. This film is one of the very best examples that 'the' funniest parts of the film were in the trailer. And the trailer's funny parts were, well, just somewhat humorous.

The most unbearable part for me (along with most of the film) was the scene where he did his stand up routine for an audience at a school auditorium. 'Me', and American, who actually really likes Brooks, found the routine, the 'elongated' routine absolutely not funny. If it wouldn't even appeal to us in a satirical way, how, why..... it simply was not funny! It's been a looooong time since I've ever not watched an entire film because it was so bad. Though I made it through this one to the end, I cant remember the last time I wanted so bad to cut my losses and shut it down. I should have.

But don't just go by me. There are people here that found some sense of humor in it, so might you. Yet for me, I'd rather have gone to the dentist.

I liked the movie quite a lot. Being from India, and living in a US for a little while, I deal with cultural differences very often in my own life. While differences in food, garments, language and architecture are easy to feel, they are the tip of a cultural iceberg. And that is what this movie conveys very well. We cannot hope to understand other cultures unless we recognize their deeper aspects and humour is one such. In the movie, Brooks steals into Pakistan to meet the aspiring comedians. But the funny question is, did they laugh with him, or his Pakistani translator?

A couple of things could have been better treated. An Iranian boyfriend for an Indian girl is not as normal as shown. Nor, is the country devoid of comedy shows. Indian TV and films have a special place of honour for comedians. Some of the best on-the-face humour is in Pakistani plays on TV. But I grant that as a literary license to Brooks. After all, the story is not about India or Pakistan, or even its comedians. The story is about American and how much (little) its people understand other cultures. And, its is a very understand story, do not mistake it to be funny or a laugh riot.

A previous reviewer implied that this film was a "thinking man's comedy," but I fail to see where the thought provocation is in this one. I've always considered Al Brooks to be a hit or miss comedian. His Woody Allen-esquire neurosis and laid back delivery work great in some movies but fail miserably in others. Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World unfortunately fails to hit the target and is ranked among Brooks' great misses.

The plot is original (which, in itself deserves merit these days), basically showing Brooks playing himself and recruited by the US government to travel to India to write a report on what Muslims find funny. Assigned to a small office next to an Indian telemarketing/help desk boiler room, he ventures out repeatedly to interview pedestrians and promote a comedy show which he and an assistant hope will generate material for his report.

The film is segmented into a few phases which all sort of fall short of funny. The set-up led me to believe that a very funny movie were in store, but as the story continued and the characters arrived in India, the movie began to drag. A few chuckles could be had by the observant viewer but I wouldn't expect any gut-busters. The humor kind of borders observational and situational, but mostly I found the jokes to be tired and forced, e.g. Brooks struggling through the language barrier while interviewing ethnic Indians and Muslims to be his assistant.

As the story progresses to his presence in India and surreptitious venture into Pakistan being confused as espionage, the laughs come to a halt and one feels that an over-arching cultural message may be presented. It never does, and the climax comes so abruptly with an ending text scroll that I was less concerned with resolution to the story and more concerned with wondering if they ran out of money and had to end production.

This one was a real stinker. As I wrote, laughs can be had if you pay attention, but I predict it will be quickly forgotten as another Brooks misstep.

Albert Brooks is not one of my all time or even a mid-level favorite. He's always reminded me of someone who is simultaneously constipated and burdened with chronic heartburn.

With that out of the way, my wife and myself went on a date to the local movie theater this weekend and saw "Looking for Comedy in the Moslem World." This is really funny stuff, from concept through execution. But the humor won't grab you by the neck and shake you till you "get it." It won't hold up a cue card and tell you when to laugh. And it won't slam you in the face with a cream pie.

Don't listen to anybody hand you their politically correct nonsense about this movie being offensive. To anyone whose mind rises above the level of nit picking, they will leave the theater feeling light hearted and very entertained.

8 out of 10 (actually it's 7.5 out of 10 but who cares)

Albert Brooks should look elsewhere to fulfill his quest of learning what makes Muslims laugh. The approach of this film and its execution are so heavily drenched in Western stereotypes about the people they want to study, it's a surprise the title doesn't use the word 'Moslem' instead of 'Muslim'.

Made in a sort of 'wink, wink, nudge, nudge' manner, it has Brooks playing himself at a point in time when his career prospects are slim and decent roles are hard to come by. Luckily for him the white house and state department come knocking and Brooks is sent off to the subcontinent to write a report on what makes Muslims laugh. Forget that India is officially a secular nation (the movie reasons there are about 150 Muslims there) or that Al spends in all about 15 minutes in neighboring Pakistan (an Islamic country), the fact remains that nothing about this film, except a scant few one liners, is funny or amusing. The list of crimes it commits with regard to typecasting is enormous and unforgivable – an office in the tech capital of the world has no computer, trendy young English speaking Indian women only wear sari's and the Pakistani's that meet Brooks look like bearded fundamentalists who smoke hashish- all of which shows great naiveté on the part of everyone involved with this misguided attempt, even if the irresponsible intent was to be tongue in cheek.

The method used by Albert Brooks to understand what is considered funny to these people is putting on a standup comedy show in both India and Pakistan, but this doesn't work too well. Was it ever considered by him that perhaps it isn't the understanding of the English language that prevents the Indian audience from finding him funny, but that all the gags are soaked in cultural references completely alien to them (Halloween, 'The Exorcist' etc.)? Or that the people being targeted aren't really aware of just what standup comedians really do. It becomes pretty clear that the movie is played for obvious lowbrow humor by displaying ignorance about its purpose that borders on being a sham and the real point is to milk the present hysteria about the people of the Muslim community and make some quick bucks in process via the mild publicity it has already received for its attention grabbing title. Give this one a pass.

We'll I must admit, I'm quite confused. If this is an attempt to explore the Muslims sense of humour then I think maybe it would have been a good idea to actually have some FUNNY content, especially in the stand up routines. On the other hand if this is a parody on the differences in humour then it failed completely because all I saw was someone who totally failed to understand his subject and was quite offencive at times.

Well. I'll put it like this, For a comedy, it wasn't funny. For an exploration of Muslim humour, it wasn't even a tiny bit insightful. For a bridge building exercise, it was embracing. And for a movie, it was a complete waste of my time.

Albert Brooks comes full circle as a star/writer/director with this movie. From playing a fictionalized caricture of himself in Real Life to playing a fictionalized caricature of himself in Looking For Comedy in the Muslim World. This even has Penny Marshall in the beginning like his '76 short film about a comedian school. Its been 17 years since this was released and Brooks is now in his mid 70s so I doubt he will labor to handle all three tasks again.

Brooks doesn't play as much of a caricature of himself in this movie compared to Real Life and thats for the best. He is playing someone who is a fish out of water instead of someone who is comically tone deaf while being in over his head.

Brooks' comedy is driven by dry humor and subtle scenes that catch you off guard with the humor. Its almost like they aren't intended to make you laugh, you just do anyway. Subtle humor is less appreciated now with attention spans about as long as short hairs but if you give yourself time to pay attention instead of waiting to react, then you will like this movie.

The plot is about Brooks being tasked by the state department to find out what makes Muslims (and Hindis too as it turns out) laugh and it centers around the performing of a standup act. It is a product of its time ("Wars on Terror") which dates it but I found it enjoyable enough. Deserved kudos for not being particularly offensive too. There is a subtle line there that does not get crossed. Some looking for reasons to be angry might try to find something they consider wrong in this picture but that's more on them and not the movie.

As I said, this is somewhat dated and it surprisingly coincides with the actual increased tensions between India and Pakistan that occurred in the 2000s. I cant remember the exact year their strained relations made international news but i know it was before 2008. This film is also daring for American audiences considering 9/11 happened only a few years earlier and Bush's wars were raging upon its release. I can imagine war hawks hating this movie for one reason and anti war zealots hating it for other reasons and the rest who dont like it never were fans of subtle humor to begin with. I personally just think of comedy when watching a comedy and find this to be pure Brooks. It is even the theatrical debut of some of his vintage standup material. It isn't his best work but alot better than the reception it got and rating it has. People treat it like it's as lousy as the love guru.

I really enjoyed this Albert Brooks film. I especially label it an "Albert Brooks film" because he's so different and his humor so different that if you don't know what you are in for, you can be very disappointed. He is somewhat unique in that his humor is low-key, deadpan-delivery and full of sarcasm.

I love his sarcasm, so the guy makes me laugh. Many others watch a film like this and say, "What's funny? This is not a comedy; it stinks." Since I am familiar with Brooks' style and laugh at his delivery and self-deprecating and insulting humor, I knew what I was in for with this film. However, I knew this could be a "bomb," too, like a few other of his films....but it turned out to be a very pleasant surprise: it was far better than I anticipated.

Brooks plays himself in the film and pokes fun not only at himself and his non-famous career but also at government bureaucracy. In this film he is an over-the-hill unemployed comedian who is asked to help our country, the United States, with Muslim relations by finding out what makes Muslims laugh. By making people laugh more, perhaps it would ease tensions.

Brooks is told he will receive the Medal Of Freedom for his efforts, which include a 500-page report on his findings! He isn't thrilled about that last part, but he does have a good attitude about his scheduled month-long trip to India and Pakistan.

Without giving anything away, I thought that what happened on this trip was very funny. Brooks - and the reaction of people around him - just cracked me up. It also was a pleasure to enjoy the supporting cast, led by a very likable, attractive Indian actress by the name of Sheetal Sheth.

Overall, highly recommended but know who Brooks is and what he's about, or you'll be disappointed.

I also went to see this film in D.C. when it was shown by the Center for American Policy and I have to say I found it very funny.

While the first poster made some valid points about Brooks not considering that the reason that the audience in the stand up scene was not because they didn't understand the language but because they didn't get the cultural reference. However, I think they missed that such ignorance by Americans is the point of the movie. Brooks wants the audience to consider just how little we understand about the Muslim world. The biggest laughs for me came when Brooks showed just how little he knew his audience.

In the end the larger context of "Comedy", and one Brooks made in his comments after the film, the time we spend attempting to understand the culture, ideals, and humor, of another society will do more for peace than 1 stealth bomber.

I enjoyed "Comedy" for it's off kilter sense of humor as well as its larger message. I think when people see it they should concentrate less on Brook's search for comedy and more on what it means to look for comedy in another civilization.

I got the DVD for this one from Blockbuster thinking it would be a nice satire on the Muslim world and subsequently funny!! But boy was I mistaken. Firstly the way they have depicted Indian people in the movie is so stereotyped that I wanted to puke!!! A club in new delhi with people only dressed in traditional clothes...turbans..sarees...and this movie was made in 2005....r u kidding me!!!! Does the director even knw how cosmopolitan new delhi is...let alone the fact that most of the clubs wouldn't even allow you to enter in traditional Indian clothes!!! Maybe I am just being nitpicky here but every thing about the movie (including the absolute loss of humour!!) was so retarded that I had to stop the movie midway....trust me when I say this..i have a lot patience while watching movies...and have never ever switched off a movie midway but watching this was so painful that I had to do it....save your time...stay away and if you manage to get our hands on a copy ...burn it...you wouldn't even want your enemies to watch this...AWFUL!!!!

Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World is about an American stand up comic that gets a government assignment to find out what tickles the funny bone of Muslims. Brooks goes from audience to audience and tries American comedy on lethargic onlookers that don't seem to get it. Well of course people with a drastically different background and knowledge base will not appreciate American humor. That's the humor behind it. Brooks does a decent job, but the comedy is by design rather slow and plodding. Some funny moments, but mostly dry with no zip. If you're looking for a bunch of good laughs, skip this movie. If you're looking for a Brooks movie because you like Brooks, try this one.

This is a movie that you can call: Racist, Chauvinistic, Bigoted, Xenophobic, Racaially prejudiced, intolerant, narrow-minded, dogmatic.

I mean what the hell did the creators were thinking to prove or show by filming such an awful movie? Oh My God! I mean OH MY GOD.

The movie has more lies in it than a retard kid talking about Bush!

They chose Indea as an Islamic nation, knowing that Indea is not at all an Islamic country, it's just like USA, many religions but not a Muslim country.

I swear by the love of god that if I see those creators and the director I would punch'em hard on the face until they become old enough to make something called "Research" before shooting such a movie.

As ugly as it sounds, the movie just becomes uglier the fact that you will or already have waisted some money for such a sick movie.

I have seen the movie twice. I think it is really good because it makes you think. Of course it might be dull for people who do not understand humor. And who do not know the world of people who never laugh. Have any of you seen an extremist laugh ? The only time I have seen one is after September 11, 2001 when Osama Bin Laden, with his associate from Egypt, met in Kandahar. Osama did sheer the "family from Egypt" but he laughed at the towers when they fell. He did not expect that.

Now, look at cartoons about the Jews and us in the Muslim world and you will understand that we are living in a time similar to prior second world war two, although I do not want to predict anything.

About your ratings: I think that you underestimate greatly the role of Maya in the movie, acted by Sheetal Sheth. She is fine. She should be second to Albert Brooks.

Yvon Dionne

I'm a Pakistani and I know quite well what the people here laugh at. When I came to know about this film, I got interested in it. It was funny at times but it could've been way better. The fun part was also added by the Indo-Pak enmity, but still, there was too much that was missed which could've made it amazing. But a very original idea and good attempt for someone who doesn't know much about this region. This could've been quite popular here if proper research could've been done to actually know what people laugh at in the Muslim world, as it's really easy knowing about all this; it's very clear. But again, good attempt at an original idea.

Let me begin by saying that this posting will actually be about the movie "Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World." It will NOT be an off-topic ranting about religion, politics or social consciousness. If such topics interest you, you'll find a ridiculous number of postings to this site that express personal opinions and fears, but which have very little to do with this movie.

Kudos to both Mr. Brooks and to Warner Independent for not shying away from what Sony believes is a controversial title. The title itself is part of the joke and helps to set up the movie as a comedy with a hopeless goal - one that the viewer and Mr. Brooks quickly recognize as futile, but which makes the pursuit that much more amusing to watch.

The film humorously explores the ignorance, naiveté and general stereotypes that many westerners have of the middle eastern world and of Muslims, and it does so in such an apologetic and deprecating manner that viewers can't help but laugh at themselves and the often ridiculous beliefs we have about other cultures. Let's face it, as Americans, we're sadly ignorant of most eastern cultures and if given a choice between feeling bad about it or mocking it, I'll take the latter.

Simply put, Brooks has put together a wonderfully funny satire that's some of his best work to date. Jokes about Halloween "Ghandi", explosives training, stoning rituals, Jews and corporate outsourcing all delivered in pure Brooksian style contribute to a very smart and clever film that Brooks aficionados will appreciate very much.

I really disagree with the Americans who thinks they can make fun out of anything anytime. I watched the movie from the beginning till the end. But it was such a pain in my brain. No funny scene at all. No acting, no technique, No nothing. I beg you people. If you adore the English "Coupling" series and really think that the American copy version sucks, then you can fully understand me about what I'm trying to tell here. American comedy scriptwriters, actors and directors are really successful when they are working on something original, something genuine like "The Mask". They do it great when they are the master of the situation. But if you don't know so much and learn about it in order to make a movie, then there is so much thats missing.