In a darkened cave in Afghanistan’s Paktia province, a young Pashtun woman sneaks out of her home unnoticed to watch a local version of American Idol in a nearby cave. And in a motel in Los Angeles, a washed-out music promoter is hustling for a few cheques that will allow him to pay for child support and maintain a non-existent career.
A random encounter in a bar leads Richie Lanz (Bill Murray) and his sole client, singer Ronnie (Zooey Deschanel), to Afghanistan, where she is supposed to boost the morale of American troops. Ronnie’s reaction to the other Afghans on their flight into Kabul (she is airsick all the way) tells you both about which way this movie is headed and how it will regard the locals who are being imposed upon.
Consider the plight of Afghanistan: it has endured decades of internecine war, military occupation, and the complete absence of normalcy in the real world, and has to be rescued by an American pop industry has-been in the reel universe.
Richie brings together warring tribes and promotes women’s emancipation as he strives to give Pashtun singer Salima Ali (Leem Lubany) a shot at the spotlight. The release of Rock the Kasbah coincides with the announcement that the superpower will extend its military presence in the battle-weary country, but the movie is so gleefully unmoored from nuance or context that to make any connection with the news cycle is to give it too much credit. There is some talk in the movie about how Kabul is drowning in money because of the war economy, but one of these greenbacks have made their way to this low-budget and tacky production.
Director Barry Levinson has displayed sharper instincts in the past about the politics of war in Wag the Dog, but he is too far removed from his comfort zone in this movie. Some of the deadpan humour works because of the calibre of the performers, but there is always an embarrassing stereotype to spoil the joke. The list of predictable characters who float in and out of the story without warning includes Kate Hudson’s large-hearted prostitute who falls for Richie, a helpful Afghan driver who becomes a convert to Richie’s cause; Bruce Willis’s mercenary for hire; and the kohl-eyed Afghan warlords who are clearly in need of acting instructions. Rock the Kasbah is neither about rock nor a casbah, and only Bill Murray, the craggy-faced prince of pathos, single-handedly steers the movie from one stupefying bad moment to the next.
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A random encounter in a bar leads Richie Lanz (Bill Murray) and his sole client, singer Ronnie (Zooey Deschanel), to Afghanistan, where she is supposed to boost the morale of American troops. Ronnie’s reaction to the other Afghans on their flight into Kabul (she is airsick all the way) tells you both about which way this movie is headed and how it will regard the locals who are being imposed upon.
Consider the plight of Afghanistan: it has endured decades of internecine war, military occupation, and the complete absence of normalcy in the real world, and has to be rescued by an American pop industry has-been in the reel universe.
Richie brings together warring tribes and promotes women’s emancipation as he strives to give Pashtun singer Salima Ali (Leem Lubany) a shot at the spotlight. The release of Rock the Kasbah coincides with the announcement that the superpower will extend its military presence in the battle-weary country, but the movie is so gleefully unmoored from nuance or context that to make any connection with the news cycle is to give it too much credit. There is some talk in the movie about how Kabul is drowning in money because of the war economy, but one of these greenbacks have made their way to this low-budget and tacky production.
Director Barry Levinson has displayed sharper instincts in the past about the politics of war in Wag the Dog, but he is too far removed from his comfort zone in this movie. Some of the deadpan humour works because of the calibre of the performers, but there is always an embarrassing stereotype to spoil the joke. The list of predictable characters who float in and out of the story without warning includes Kate Hudson’s large-hearted prostitute who falls for Richie, a helpful Afghan driver who becomes a convert to Richie’s cause; Bruce Willis’s mercenary for hire; and the kohl-eyed Afghan warlords who are clearly in need of acting instructions. Rock the Kasbah is neither about rock nor a casbah, and only Bill Murray, the craggy-faced prince of pathos, single-handedly steers the movie from one stupefying bad moment to the next.