Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World (Warner Bros., PG-13)

I found myself silently rooting for him, hoping to be able to leave the theater and tell people, “Albert Brooks is back!” And then I realized: He had brainwashed me. You’ve got to hand it to Albert Brooks. As the writer, director, and star of Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World, he certainly stacks the chips in his favor. Looking tells the tale of Brooks’ trip to India and Pakistan, on behalf of the U.S. government, to find out what makes the Muslim people laugh. It’s fictional, of course, but presented as if it’s real. The film opens with an interior shot of a film production office; Penny Marshall and her assistant are interviewing actors for the role of Harvey. The assistant tells her Albert Brooks is up next, causing Marshall to whine and moan; she is not a fan. Of course, the moment Brooks enters, she is all smiles.

Back at home, Brooks’ daughter is watching The Powerpuff Girls; his wife, under the guise of working in her office, is spending loads of money on eBay. She hands him an envelope that came for him from the State Department. After much speculation over its contents—does he have too many parking tickets? is he going to jail?—it turns out the U.S. government has a job for Brooks. In an effort to better understand the Muslim people, they want to understand their humor. Brooks is just the man for the job.

Brooks flies to Washington and, in a humorous cameo, is briefed on the mission by congressman-turned-actor Fred Dalton Thompson. They want Brooks to spend a month in India and Pakistan, then submit a 500-page paper upon his return. Though there is no money involved, they promise the Medal of Freedom, which causes Brooks’ eyes to widen in awe.

Up until this point, the film has been setting the stage for what follows. And up until this point, I was entirely on Brooks’ side. I found myself silently rooting for him, hoping to be able to leave the theater and tell people, “Albert Brooks is back!” And then I realized: He had brainwashed me. Setting himself up as the fall guy—we know that Marshall doesn’t like him, we know he’s getting played by his government (not to mention his wife and her surreptitious shopping)—we are forced to root for him, against the odds. I told you he stacked his chips.

Looking is a funny movie, to be true. The government officials who accompany him, Stuart (John Carroll Lynch) and Mark Brody (Jon Tenney), are stereotypically funny, one eager to please (if not always quick to tell the truth), the other self-absorbed and constantly attached to his cell phone. The scene in which Brooks interviews his assistant is what you’d expect: bit clips with a number of candidates, with humor at Brooks’ expense. Sheetah Sheth as Maya, the ultimate winner of the position, is perfectly charming, readily projecting both honesty and naiveté with a sincere appreciation of her role and her boss.

It is once the film gets to its core—Brooks’ actual search for what inspires the chuckles, giggles, and downright guffaws in his Muslim subjects—that the film seems not quite what we’d been promised. We see Brooks stumble through the busy streets of both New and Old Delhi, man-on-the-street style, asking what people find funny. Granted, there are no comedy clubs in India…but surely there has to be a better way to gather such (hypothetical) information than simply asking random passers by? Finally, Brooks strikes upon a genius idea (he thinks): He will stage a comedy concert, tell a variety of jokes, and see which get the best reaction.

There is a rushed subplot wherein Brooks’ trip to Pakistan is canceled (unable to secure visas), resulting in his illegal, middle-of-the-night entry through an unpatrolled border for a clandestine meeting with a group of Pakistani comedians. Another subplot involves the heightened awareness of both Indian and Pakistan government officials, observing Brooks’ actions in the country. The ending comes upon us too suddenly for any sort of proper resolution, delivered to us via a snow globe with an imaginary bow on top. Ta da!

To say Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World doesn’t work isn’t accurate, because there are truly moments of insight and genuine humor. Even if you’re not a fan of Albert Brooks, you will feel for him early in the film, thereby ensuring at least a modicum of respect by the movie’s end. But is it a success, plot-wise? Does it have clear expectations, and then meet and fulfill those obligations? No, it does not. But if you’re laughing more often than you are thinking about its shortfalls, then it’s worth the price of admission.