Brooks looks for comedy in the 'Muslim World'

Brooks looks for comedy in the 'Muslim World'

NEW YORK - With the amount of focus on the so-called "Muslim World" in recent years, it was just a matter of time before someone attempted to put the whole thing in perspective. That someone is Albert Brooks (of "Lost in America" and "Mother" fame), who comes up with a commendable effort in "Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World."

Although the piece is really a good effort, it lacks the final punch to jell well with the increasingly picky audiences these days. Brooks plays a comedian, a rather inept one, who is summoned by the high and mighty to Washington D.C and ordered to proceed to India and Pakistan to find out what makes the Muslims laugh! Brooks is pushed into the assignment by his wife (Amy Ryan), who cannot seem to be able to get off eBay.

Brooks is chosen for this assignment since the other G.Is are all "busy at work." Our man embarks on this mission in the company of two State Department lackeys (John Carroll Lynch and Jon Tenney) and lands in India, where is office is located right beside a call-center (pun intended, we assume).

Brooks meets up with his assistant Maya (Sheetal Sheth), and proceeds on his assignment in the right earnest. Failing to get anywhere on the streets of New Delhi, he organizes a concert to find out what makes these people tick. The highlight of the film is his ventriloquism act here.

The film has got humor, but is not witty enough to hold the attentions of the viewers. Brooks makes a sincere effort, but the whole show is stolen by a stunning Sheetal Sheth. "Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World" is worth a watch.