Rock the Kasbah

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

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.

ROCK THE KASBAH? Heard of this one? No, you probably haven't, and there are insidious reasons why, political and social. Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, Kate Hudson, Zoey Deschanel. Think maybe there would be some pub behind it? What's going on? The movie has been panned by critics, ignored by Hollywood mainstream and news channel outlets. What gives? It's not a great movie, but it is a good movie, with a timely plot, and a message. AND, HERE IS WHERE THE POLITICALLY AND SOCIALLY INCORRECT ASPECTS ENTER. I am ashamed to have the term 'liberal' associated with the movie industry. Ashamed of CNN and MSNBC for not picking up this theme and rolling with it. THIS MOVIE PORTRAYS Islam, THE MIDDLE EAST, AND OPPRESSION OF WOMEN IN BOTH ARENAS ACCURATELY AND THE PICTURE IS UGLY. This is why you haven't seen or heard an ad, watched the trailer, or viewed coverage by any major news outlet. Watch this film. I won't spoil it, but it centers on the true story of a female singer who simply wanted to appear on the Afghan equivalent of American Idol.WATCH THIS FILM, and wonder why the suppression has occurred.. It is a film about peace, ultimately, yet apparently is too hot and controversial for any support from Hollywood, and too accurate yet politically incorrect for mainstream news to explore. SHAME ON THE MASS MEDIA!

Have you heard of 'AFGHAN IDOL' ? No? What about "The most hated woman in Afghanistan"? Her true name is Setara Hussainzada. Why is she the most hated woman in Afghanistan? Because she dared to sing and dance in the TV final of her country's version of American Idol. During her sedate routine, her headscarf slipped, showing her hair and outraging the war-torn country's religious fundamentalists. This film is inspired by this. And it deserves more than 5.5 stars. Leem Lubany is very good as Salima, the character inspired by Setara. Bill Murray is very good as her manager, Richie Lanz. Bruce Willis as Bombay Brian, Kate Hudson as Merci and Zooey Deschanel as Ronnie, are efficient too. Great music, great film.

Its getting harder and harder to make comedy. Some people enjoy taking offense on pretty much anything, disregarding that creating offense between characters or playing on cultural differences can be the very core of comedy. Another problem today is that people want fast stories, at the same time not predictable, at the same time similar to what they already know, but very different, but not too different. I how you get the picture.

I found this film very entertaining. If you don't read anything about it upfront, which is what I did, I had absolutely no idea where this was going next - and I really enjoyed that.

Great dialogues. Bill Murray really pulls it off and so did everybody else.

I wonder why this film was not more successful when it came out. Maybe some films are like good wine. With age they get better. Or some are ahead of their time and the audience appreciates them once they catch up. Whatever the reason, it felt like the right time for me and I am glad I had a chance to see it. For my taste it's better than some comedies of the same period that enjoyed rave reviews and crowds at the box office.

I'm giving it nine out of then because I thought in wrapping the whole thing up it got a bit too stereotypical considering its nice and unusual twists and turns.

Loved the improv in the end when Bill is buying a Chinese elephant for his know it all daughter in a Moroccan Casbah.

Kudos to the makers. I hope they are over the disappointment of the low success when it came out. Hope it will become some kind of comedy classic about attaining a very tiny basic human right for women in patriarch religious societies. The right to sing.