Albert Brooks' comedy has always been too dry for my taste, but his latest directorial venture is absolutely pathetic. This movie is supposed to be a comedy, but it barely makes you laugh. Maya and the embassy officials are painfully unfunny, even to the extent of taking away some of the fun.It is almost a cliché that Brooks, as an American, has to explain nuances of the English language to the Indian Maya. Perhaps Brooks needs to be reminded that "Indian" English is more authentically English than the Americanized version. The concept of interviewing the Indian candidates near the beginning of the movie must have seemed funny on paper, but the end result was cringingly boring. How can you mess up such a perfect opportunity for laugh-out-loud comedy? His stand-up routines in the movie are not for the common man in the US, let alone Indians in New Delhi. The whole concept of "what makes you laugh" does not yield any comedy whatsoever. The sojourn to Pakistan wasn't even interesting. The Pakistani laughing jacks seemed more like drunk jokers than "aspiring comedians." The whole movie was so focused on Brooks that it seemed more like an attempt at self-promotion rather than entertainment.This movie is for you only if you want to bore yourself for 98 min, or if you're a Brooks fan-boy.

This is in many ways a thematic "sequel" of sorts to Brooks' first feature, 1978's "Real Life" -- Brooks essentially plays a version of himself, using his own name, and is making a documentary/essay type film -- so it's best to get comparisons out of the way quickly. It's not as good. But since Real Life is to my mind one of the funniest films ever made and along with Brooks' next three films, a masterpiece, this isn't exactly damning.I hate using the phrase "acquired taste", but if those words do have any meaning then surely Albert Brooks' works as writer-director-star all qualify for the adjective; his reviews have always been divided, the box office always mediocre-to-poor, his fans though as fiercely loyal as any. I count myself as one and am happy to report that after the disaster that was "The Muse", Brooks is back on firmer, funnier, and generally more interesting ground. The satirical premise here is that the US State Department, in trying to find new ways to open dialogs with those angry Allah-worshiping folks, have commissioned a study on what makes people laugh in the Muslim world. Right away Brooks is in his element as the simultaneously arrogant and egotistical, yet self-deprecating and depressed paranoid entertainer -- he learns very quickly that he's hardly the country's first choice for this mission, something that gets repeated often throughout the film. It's all the more humorous and (coincidentally) fitting that the head of the project is played by none other than 3rd-tier recent presidential candidate Fred Thompson, and that Brooks is first sent to predominantly Hindu India (I guess we'd like to know what makes the Hindus laugh too, they're important and they might hate us some day).If you know Brooks, you'll know that much of the humor from here on out will be subtle, low-key, and most of it at the star's expense, but the larger issues of American and Hollywood arrogance in the face of a different culture are never more than a moment's thought away. The bulk of the film has Brooks and his comely multilingual Indian assistant interviewing people on the street (the vast majority of whom speak excellent English, but strangely don't know Brooks' work at all, apart from Finding Nemo, staging a pretty unsuccessful standup show, and illicitly visiting underground Pakistani comics. Some of the best scenes involve Brooks' assistant's boyfriend, a jealous and insecure lover with both a suspicion of and fascination with western culture that is mirrored in Brooks' complex fears of him – as a potential terrorist (for no reason at all) and just as a boyfriend with a potentially dangerous misunderstanding.This all gets a little stale and wraps up rather unconvincingly, alas, but Brooks fans shouldn't fear, the man still has it – he may need some new ideas or insights to bring him back to the level of Modern Romance or Defending Your Life, but at least he's got me laughing again.

I really enjoyed this film but unfortunately, I don't think most people would. The comedy of Albert Brooks is often very dry and subtle and this film is the "Lawrence of Arabia" of all dry films! The laughs are definitely there, but it takes a special sort of person to appreciate it. If you have enjoyed Brooks' films such as LOST IN America and REAL LIFE, then you should appreciate the film--that style humor is definitely present. If you are looking for the Brooks of such films as FINDING NEMO, MOTHER and DEFENDING YOUR LIFE, then you may be very confused or disappointed by the film. That's because, at times, the humor is very painful and subtle--there just aren't belly-laughs in this film.The story begins with the US government asking Brooks to take on the job of going to India and Pakistan to try to discover what makes the Muslims laugh. The thinking is that through this, we can understand their culture better. The problem is that Brooks has no idea how to do this and the government goes about this in a real half-hearted manner. So Brooks, with no understanding of the culture, just blunders in and has no idea what to do. The problem is that the American agents assigned to him are idiots and his Indian assistant, played by Sheetal Sheth, is too nice--telling Brooks that the Indians love him and that he is funny when he truly isn't.Now this brings me to a part of the film that will likely lose a lot of viewers. I understood that Brooks intended this segment to be completely unfunny and the jokes were truly awful as was his delivery, but the part of the movie when he does a comedy show for Indians is hard to watch. Again and again, he tells unfunny jokes or jokes that are impossible to translate to this culture and every attempt bombs. This is done in a very, very long and tedious part of the film. It's supposed to be tedious, but many in the audience will probably hate this. The problem is that Brooks ISN'T a great stand-up comedian--this isn't his forte. Instead, his dry and subtle humor is and his choosing to do such a painful and long comedy routine is definitely tough going for the audience. I appreciated it, but it was also a good place to go to the bathroom or get some popcorn.Aside from that, I found the film thoroughly enjoyable. His "fish out of water" concept worked well and much of this was due to three factors. First, his deadpan delivery and style was easy to like. Second, his assistant (Sheetal Sheth) was terrific. Beautiful, adorable and sweet--she was a great "straight man" to Brooks and truly lit up the film. Sadly, on IMDb they forgot to credit her--though she should have gotten second billing! Third, the way the film ended was wonderful--and couldn't have been better. It ended on a very, very high and cynical note--especially for audience members who are aware of the political situation between India and Pakistan.Overall, I really liked the movie. If it hadn't been for an overly long stand-up segment, I would have given it an 8. I understood Brooks' idea for doing it, but I really think it went on way too long and was way over-the-top. Still, a nice film for anyone wanting a different and cerebral comedy--and don't mind that there are very few "big laughs".NOTE--After initially writing this review, I looked over the other reviews and found TONS of negative reviews. This didn't surprise me--as I said, the style humor is definitely NOT for most viewers. However, a few of the comments were very unfair. First, one knucklehead said "this is typical of ALL American films". This is insulting and uneducated to say, as Brooks' films (in particular, this one) are completely unlike other American comedies. This is like saying "The Teletubbies" is like ALL British television! Sure, it's British, but certainly not typical. Second, some said it was offensive and made fun of Indians or Muslims. I disagree and think this shows some rather "thin skin". In the movie, Brooks was actually the object of almost all the humor. The film did NOT say that Indians or Muslims were humorless--more that Brooks totally misjudged them and was an idiot for how he assumed people around the world all laughed at the same themes in humor (such as his terrible ventriloquism that NO ONE from ANY country would have liked). Sadly, such misguided criticism of the film DOES make many Westerners think (incorrectly) that Muslims or Indians have no sense of humor! The film is gentle in its attitude and self-deprecating. Sure, I can understand and appreciate people not liking the film, but stop reading intent or your own prejudices into the film that just weren't there.

The thing I like about Albert Brooks is that he's funny, but he doesn't seem like he's trying to be. He has been in the comedy business (both film and TV) for nearly 40 years, but he's so down to earth that he could easily be my next door neighbor. He's also very smart, and the films he directs and stars in appeal mostly to those who know him.I'm a fan of Brooks', and I especially liked his films "Lost In America" and "Defending Your Life". I didn't like "The Muse" as much, but I was relieved when I saw this movie because I now know Brooks hasn't lost his touch. He may not bring in crowds the way Adam Sandler or Mike Myers does, but he's true to himself and that's awesome. Brooks is in the same class as Woody Allen or Bob Newhart."Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World" wasn't quite the movie I thought it would be. For one, I didn't expect Brooks to play himself, and I also didn't expect him to spoof both Washington and Hollywood simultaneously. He did it, and he did it brilliantly.His supporting cast was also very good. There were great cameos by the likes of Penny Marshall (in a very funny first scene) and Fred D. Thompson (before his ill-fated Presidential run). I also didn't expect to see future Oscar nominee Amy Ryan (from "Gone Baby Gone") as Brooks' wife.But among the supporting performers who shined above the rest was Sheetal Sheth, who played Brooks' appointed assistant Maya. Sheth was not only adorable, but also incredibly believable. Her comic timing was perfect, her character's sincerity was believable, and she played an young Indian woman so well. It was only through a search on IMDb that I found out she is actually American-born (she's from New Jersey). That's only a testament to how great she is in this movie. Anyone who watches this movie, including those who don't quite get Brooks, will absolutely fall in love with her. I truly hope to see her in other things.The plot itself is original, and just when you think you know where the movie is going, it takes a direct opposite turn in another direction. That's why some people may not like the movie. I thought the ending was a bit peculiar, but it still maintained its humorous tone throughout, and it made for a very interesting movie.I reiterate when I say that you either love this movie, or you hate it. From watching it, I think Brooks still has what it takes. After watching "The Muse", I was a little worried, but Brooks is still a genius in my book.