Rock the Kasbah

We went to Rock the Kasbah for an early screening. Neither of us had heard much of anything about it, but I enjoy Bill Murray's work and it seemed to have a strong cast.

But the first half of the film seemed different than the second half. Actors seemed wasted in their roles. I just wasn't quite sure what to make of the movie.

The film is about an over-the-hill music producer, Richie Lanz, scrambling to make a last go of the industry. He brings his last big talent (Zooey D) overseas as an entertainer for the troops, where he will be sure to collect some big money. However, she promptly decides she doesn't want to be there, leaves, and Bill Murray is left to fend for himself sans papers or money. That is how the movie opens. After that we get Scott Caan, Bruce Willis and Kate Hudson appearing in varying roles as Bill Murray finds his way in Afghanistan.

Kate Hudson may or may not be intentionally faking an accent, but tries hard to pull off sex appeal as a hooker for hire. I don't see her appeal. Bruce Willis is the necessary, and typical gun for hire. Zooey comes and goes, and sadly never comes back. Scott Caan is the necessary character who comes and goes to provide necessary funds to Lanz to survive. I didn't find him funny and was a plot device only to basically say the first half of the film is rendered irrelevant.

It's just weak compared to other Bill Murray fare and each character seems to be a cameo, until the end becomes just another old-music-producer-finds-a-talent. It doesn't seem to push many boundaries, which is ironic since the film is about pushing boundaries in Afghanistan.

It was okay, but nothing more and nothing less.

There was No Way that this Little Film was going to Escape Controversy. No Matter what Your Political Stripe or Country of Origin, it was Inevitable that in this Noble Effort there were bound to be Things that Offend, Outrage, and Disappoint.

"Tradition is the illusion of permanence.".......Woody Allen

No Doubt, in the Far Future, Our Current Time with its Borders, Language Barriers, Religious Differences, and general overall Mistrust and Hatred for Anything or Anyone "Different", will be Studied and most likely Viewed with much Wonder and Amazement, along with Anger and Pity.

We can take some sort of Solace knowing that our Current Paradigms and Dogmas will eventually be Tempered by the Winds and Sands of Time. In the Meantime the Mind Boggling and Hurtful ways We go about our "Business" of Everyday Life in the 21st Century, You Either Laugh or Cry.

Director Barry Levinson and Bill Murray choose to Laugh. Or to be more Precise, try and make Us Laugh. The Movie has been Destroyed by the Critics and One Wonders what any of Them have done Lately to find some path to "Peace in the Middle East".

Overall, the Film is Worth a Watch for its Heart and Intent. It Deserves a Hearing, just on its Effort alone. Whether You Find it Funny, Pertinent, Poignant, or Pathetic, it's at least Trying to ride the Peace Train in a Wild World.

First of I love Bill Murray in just about anything. I often check up on Bill to see what he is taking on next and have looked forward to this ever since i read about it. I enjoy going to the movies with my grandmother for a nice time together and asked her out to spend 2 hours with Bill today. I was not disappointed what so ever. Yes there was more potential with the stellar cast that was put together and the editing may be a bit sloppy but don't let that turn you off. This movie will take you on a journey if you care to let it. Murray once again plays a bitter old timer that turns out to have a heart of gold in the end. If you are sick of this shtick, which i will never get tired of, then don't bother. But this is a social commentary on the oppression of middle eastern women and really the overall need to take a stand for yourself. Bill has the "golden ears" and knows talent when he hears it even if he didn't discover it himself. He puts his life on the line for his 20% to support an Afghani girl(one in too many) with a talent she isn't allowed to share. Once this comes into play the movie blossoms into beauty. While it isn't lol funny, which i don't understand why people come to expect that from William these days, it is very sweet and heartfelt. The jokes are there if you care to listen and not sit on a pedestal. I get if you don't want to be ripped off for the price of admission for this movie but don't s**t on it and wait to rent it. It is still far better than 99% of the garbage that comes out on a weekly basis. I also enjoy casually questioning people as we leave the theater as to how they enjoyed the film and ran into a refugee from Afghanistan who really enjoyed this picture and the message that it sent. Idk I'm half drunk and rambling and wrote a terrible first review but Eff off film snobs go judge the globes and shove them where the sun don't shine :) peace out imdbers

This movie will be horrible for people who expect every movie to be like Independence Day, The Martian and Star Wars. This isn't a block buster. It's a simple movie about a simple story with a raw cut feel. There are no fiery explosions. It's an interesting story with characters that are cliché but real cliché.

Bill Murray gave a good performance and it wasn't phoned in. I enjoyed it. It felt to me like a 2nd (and better) attempt at a Lost in Translation type story. My guess is that most people will want to catch this on Netflix or On-Demand, which is fine. There is no particular reason to see this on the big screen, but it is a decent film to watch.

Rock the Kasbah. That three word phrase can mean different things to different people, depending on their personal pop culture awareness and even where they were born. The word Kasbah, which is sometimes spelled with a "c" and sometimes with a "q", traditionally refers to a fortress or a fortified portion of a Muslim city, but can also mean an older section of such a city. Kasbahs are mainly found in North Africa and, apparently, someone named Shareef doesn't like it when you rock a casbah. That's what "The Clash" told us in their 1982 hit song "Rock the Casbah". Those words (with that "c"-spelling) have also been used as the title of a 2013 French-Moroccan dramatic film and another from Israel in 2012. (There was also an American musical in 1948 that simply used the one-word title: "Casbah".) "Rock the Casbah" also happens to be the name of an annual star-studded L.A. party hosted by Virgin Airlines CEO, Sir Richard Branson, and his mother, Eve, to raise money for charitable work in… North Africa. So, now that we've come full circle, it's time to add another casbah/kasbah/qasbah reference to the list – the 2015 Bill Murray comedy "Rock the Kasbah" (R, 1:40), which takes place in… Afghanistan.

Murray plays Richie Lanz, a washed-up Southern California music promoter, overflowing with stories of his relationships with famous rock musicians, but short on recent success. He's even desperate enough to commit cover singer Ronnie Smiler (Zooey Deschanel), the only real client he has left, to a USO tour of American military bases in Afghanistan. Richie literally doesn't know what he's gotten himself into. When reality sets in, Ronnie leaves the country, along with Richie's money and his passport. With no cash, no identification and a two-week wait for the U.S. Embassy in Kabul to get him a new passport, he needs other American civilians living in Afghanistan to help him survive until he can get out.

The expats whom Richie meets are quite the colorful cast of characters. Popular local American-born prostitute, Merci (Kate Hudson), helps Richie out… in a number of different ways. (She pronounces her name "Mercy" and is a worldly wise, but sexy-spiritual character.) Then, there's Bombay Brian (Bruce Willis), who is a cross between a mercenary and a very well-armed security guard for hire. Danny McBride and Scott Caan are ammo suppliers, named Nick and Jake, who are making a financial killing, while helping anyone with the money make some literal ones. Richie also gets some much-needed transportation services, street knowledge, cultural education and translation services (not to mention friendship and good advice) from a kind, young Disco-loving local cab driver named Riza (Arian Moayed).

Since he has nowhere to go and nothing to do at the moment, Nick and Jake literally toss Richie a pile of cash to make an ammo delivery to local tribal chief Tariq Khan (Fahim Fazli). Brian is there for security, Riza to translate and Richie for his deal-brokering experience. Richie and Riza end up spending the night in the chief's home. Late at night, while outside taking care of some personal business, Richie hears the beautiful voice of Traiq's daughter Salima (Leem Lubany) singing in the distance. She's inside a cave because women in her culture are not permitted to sing in public. Richie entering the cave scares her off, but the next morning, she hears Richie praising her voice while talking to her father, and she stows away in the trunk of Riza's taxi as he drives Richie back to Kabul. Richie is so enchanted by Salima's singing voice – and the opportunity to manage her – that he uses all his charm and skills to try to get her on the very popular reality TV show "Afghan Star", which is the local equivalent of "American Idol". Performing is Salima's dream and she also sees it as a way to praise Allah, but Allah's other followers in the area see things differently. By helping Salima, Richie and Riza have endangered their lives and hers – and given an opening to a rival leader who thinks Tariq is too soft and would like to replace him as chief.

"Rock the Kasbah" is inspired by the true story of a young female singer in Afghanistan… but it's also a Bill Murray comedy. The advertising tries to… bill this movie as a return to comedic form for Murray. There's definitely some of that smarmy, irreverent humor that made Murray famous in the early 1980s, but not as much as you might think based on the trailers. The film is an entertaining mix of Murray-esque comedic situations, war-time satire, social commentary and old Cat Stevens / Yusuf Islam songs. The main characters are generally likable, while the situations are only pseudo-realistic, but the movie is often charming and amusing, if not laugh-out-loud funny. The main problem with the film is that the script, directing and performances soft pedal both the comedy and the drama in an attempt to have it both ways. "Rock the Kasbah" may be worth a look, but don't expect it to rock your world. "B"