Modified On December 18, 2005
In all fairness, it is important to point out that the review cited below of Albert Brooks’ new film, “Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World,” appeared on TEN Movies, “The Movie Resource of the Middle East (Member of The Emirates Network)”. The folks who are being chided by Brooks can’t be expected to look favorably upon his tongue-in-cheek investigation into what tickles the funny bone of folks in India and Pakistan.
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.)?
To answer that last question, uh… yes, it probably was. He is Albert Brooks, after all.
Brooks has never been easy to get. At least not for some people. And he’s never gone the easy route. So, if Brooks finds himself on a stage in front of a bunch of people who don’t get his cultural references, the motivation behind the gag is probably that Albert Brooks is dying an agonizing comedy death in front of a bunch of people from India! Only he doesn’t know it! (Of course, he absolutely does know it. He Albert Brooks, for God’s sake! That’s also part of the gag! He’s unaware, but we all know he’s totally aware!)
It’s a two-and-a-half, double-reverse, flip of a comedy conceit. And the result will be hilarious to non-Muslims (for the most part). And for the Muslims without a sense of humor? Not so much. Therein lies the gag… we’re guessing. Check out the film’s website.