ChanBot i must have seen a different film!!

Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

gregeichelberger Originally published on Jan. 16, 2006: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, he 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 his Oscar nomination; 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 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 for the most part, at least in my opinion.

Bolesroor I am a huge Albert Brooks fan. I find "Defending Your Life" hilarious. I think "Lost In America" is brilliant. In recent years his movies have declined in quality; "Mother" was forgettable, and "The Muse" was purely awful. "Looking For Comedy In The Muslim World," however, may be the best script he has ever written... but it is directed so terribly you may miss the greatness completely.Most people who saw "Looking" will tell you it's a terrible movie... they're not wrong. Albert Brooks, who was always a master at portraying himself as painfully awkward and even downright obnoxious, does so once again... but here it's hard to tell who's laughing at who. Is Albert the fool for failing to make his Muslim audience laugh? Are the Muslims the object of scorn for not having a broader sense of humor? Brooks' direction is so sluggish we may never know... he may never have decided. In the movie he makes ironic mention of the fact that he's known best from "Finding Nemo." Maybe more ironic is that those who only know him from "Nemo" will never make it through this movie. Maybe that's the point...Comedy rhythms vary, and Brooks has never been a fast-paced, high-energy director or performer. In "Looking," he's comatose... even the whip-crack funny lines are drowned by the languid, passive pace. Is ANYBODY behind the camera? The movie also suffers by straying back and forth between a mockumentary and a scripted Hollywood narrative. Are we laughing AT him or feeling FOR him... sometimes both, sometimes neither. A soupy, semi-romantic sub-plot feels corny and forced, the supporting players are all but invisible. Many of the jokes are subtle. Too subtle. So subtle you could objectively argue they don't exist. I cannot blame a mainstream audience for disliking this movie.That said, if you are a fan of Albert Brooks' other films and you watch this movie very carefully you will find the gold. As his aides hand out invitations to his concert to Indians on the street Albert shouts "Let's draw the line at motor-powered vehicles- no rickshaws!" The concert sequence features Brooks doing one of his classic bits from his real-life act: taking improv suggestions from the audience only to re-write them. Then there are the U.S. State Department Agents smuggling Brooks over the Pakistani border to meet with 'budding comedians.' And there's no way you can keep a straight face when reps from the Al-Jazeera network pitch the name of Mr. Brooks' new sitcom. Yes, his dressing room is a teepee. Oh, and Albert- being Albert- may inadvertently trigger some military response on his trip. I won't give away the ending.Brooks should have let someone else direct him and his brilliant script... it might have given the movie a faster tempo and a little more perspective on the story being told. It might have brought a pure, straight-faced mockumentary style to a story that needed no studio-sweetening. It might have underscored the absurdity of the premise, the brilliance of the ending, and made a more powerful statement about America, foreign culture and war. As it stands, "Looking For Comedy" wastes greatness by challenging viewers to watch what should have been a pleasure.GRADE: C

the_sarpo 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.

sss_external 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.