Jimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero

I watched this thinking it'd be a waste of time or a Borat rip-off or a boring stereotypical attempt at comedy. Well, okay... it was stereotypical, but not in a bad way. AND it was pretty funny. Not that many "Middle Eastern" jokes--only enough so you don't forget the character is a new arrival in the US and not completely in tune with American society. I hadn't heard of Maz Jobrani before this; I saw him in The Interpreter but evidently he didn't make that much of an impression. In this movie, as the star, he was great. Just the right amount of slapstick and just the right amount of naivete. The back stories were pretty good, didn't detract from the movie at all, and actually helped give insight into the main character (as much as you can expect in a comedy). This ain't Caddyshack, Young Frankenstein, or The Big Lebowski--but it was good fun and PG-13.

It's a sort of propaganda movie used for political reasons. This movie reminds of the 70s till 90s' ones which depicted USSR as a demonic country. These kinds of movies represent US foreign policy towards hostile countries such as Iran. A quick summary; Our hero wins a lottery and comes to America with his mother. He wants to be a Private Eye like his idol, Steve McQueen, but is quickly mistaken for a jihadist. Meanwhile, he is hired by a U.S. Senator as a bait for a payoff to an enemy agent for weapons to a foreign country to start a war. Got it so far? Doesn't matter - confusion is part of the fun, so just go with our hero (Maz Jobrani), who is brilliantly funny in a way that Sasha Baron Cohen ("Borat") tries to be. Jobrani, however, succeeds and is funnier. Sound like a good movie? Too bad, it's already gone from the NYC area. It's a stupid way of depicting great civilization through trivial means.

This movie was super entertaining and made me laugh about a million times.

I recommend this movie to anybody who likes borat style comedy films that are family friendly. I am an Iranian and enjoyed this thoroughly, but you don't need to be Iranian to enjoy the film. Majority of the people disliking or leaving negative reviews on the movie are oppressed by the jokes and irony of the movie. The movie doesn't come off very oppressive however, I found all of the jokes to be extremely reasonable and respectful. Maz Jobrani's performance was fantastic and I think he was the perfect character for the roll.

Overall I really enjoyed the movie.

This movie is not funny, trying too hard and insulting sometimes. Why make a joke about Jesus painting?

Nowadays, you don't connect comedy and Iran in the same sentence, but in "Jimmy Vestvood, Amerikan Hero", it's more than permissible - it's necessary. It's a very funny comedy in a contemporary landscape of juvenile attempts at humor which appeal to the audiences lower instincts. This picture, on the other hand, is genuinely funny via a clever screenplay. It capitalizes on its characters naivete and lack of background in the English language and American customs, resulting in several very funny exchanges between Iranians vs. Americans and, in some cases, Iranians vs. Iranians. In truth, the humor is uneven, but it is tough to maintain a high level of humor throughout a full length feature. But "Jimmy Vestvood" tries.

A quick summary; Our hero wins a lottery and comes to America with his mother. He wants to be a Private Eye like his idol, Steve McQueen, but is quickly mistaken for a jihadist. Meanwhile, he is hired by a U.S. Senator as a bagman for a payoff to an enemy agent for weapons to a foreign country to start a war. Got it so far? Doesn't matter - confusion is part of the fun, so just go with our hero (Maz Jobrani), who is brilliantly funny in a way that Sasha Baron Cohen ("Borat") tries to be. Jobrani, however, succeeds and is funnier. Sound like a good movie? Too bad, it's already gone from the NYC area. It deserved a better fate as it's the best comedy I've seen so far this year, better than "The Nice Guys".