Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World is the hilarious story of what happens when the U.S. Government sends comedian Albert Brooks to India and Pakistan to find out what makes the over 300 million Muslims in the region laugh. Brooks, accompanied by two state department handlers and his trusted assistant, goes on a journey that takes him from a concert stage in New Delhi, to the Taj Mahal, to a secret location in the mountains of Pakistan.
In the hilarious new film LOOKING FOR COMEDY IN THE MUSLIM WORLD, comedian Albert Brooks gets summoned by politician/actor Fred Dalton Thompson to come to Washington D.C. to help in a new diplomatic effort. His job? Spend a month in India and Pakistan, write a 500 page report, and tell the U.S. government what makes the over 300 million Muslims in the region laugh. While Brooks isn’t sure he’s the man for the job, the possibility of a Medal of Freedom proves irresistible and he accepts.
With the aid of two government agents, Stuart (John Carrol Lynch), Mark (Jon Tenney), and a lovely assistant, Maya (Sheetal Sheth), Brooks starts the interviewing process, as soon as he lands in India, asking everyone, “What makes you laugh?”
Since people aren’t as forthcoming as he would like, and when he discovers there are no comedy clubs in India or Pakistan that would help him observe, he decides to put on The Big Show, the first comedy concert in New Delhi.
He figures that by what the audience laughs at, he’ll get what he needs for his important government assignment. He figured wrong. Undaunted, Brooks continues his quest, doing everything from a clandestine meeting with a group of Pakistani comedians, to a business meeting with Al Jezeera, all in the hopes of achieving his goal.
Looking for a Comedy in the Muslim World (2006)
Directed by: Albert Brooks
Starring: Albert Brooks, Shelley Malil, Homie Doroodian, Marshall Manesh, Kevin Mukherji, Emma Lockhart, Penny Marshall, Amy Ryan, Victoria Burrows, Tony Montero, Lynda Berg
Screenplay by: Albert Brooks
Production Design by: Stephen Altman
Cinematography by: Thomas E. Ackerman
Film Editing by: Anita Brandt Burgoyne
Costume Design by: Deborah Everton
Set Decoration by: Chris L. Spellman
Art Direction by: John Bucklin, Erik Olson
Music by: Michael Giacchino
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for drug content and brief strong language.
Distributed by: Warner Independent
Release Date: February 10, 2006
Views: 60