by Frank Calvillo
Although I love the guy, for the longest time, it seems as if Bill Murray has been playing Bill Murray in every role he takes on. I’m not saying that’s necessarily a bad thing. I love Murray’s facial reactions, his deadpan delivery, and the way he freaks out when things start to get too heavy.
While his trademark persona is usually a welcome presence, it isn’t necessarily suited to every kind of film as evidenced by the mixed bag that is Rock the Kasbah.
In Rock the Kasbah, Murray plays Richie Lanz, a talent agent who claims he’s represented every famous rock musician under the sun. The truth is, Richie is a never-was running a shady agency out of a motel in Van Nuys with his partner/client Ronnie (Zooey Deschanel). When he finds out that the Middle East pays good money to hear American singers (famous or not) perform live, Richie and Ronnie head to Afghanistan for the start of a proposed tour. Soon though, Ronnie takes off and Richie finds himself encountering one unorthodox character after another until he finds Salima (Leem Lubany), a young Afghan woman with an incredible singing voice. Inspired, Richie fights to get her on Afghan Star, the country’s most popular singing/competition show, despite the fact that no Afghan woman has dared to sing in public.
If the plot description of Rock the Kasbah sounds a bit long and overblown, its only fitting for a movie which has a number of glaring problems to it, despite being directed by Academy Award Winner Barry Levinson. Aside from its Frankenstein’s monster of a plot, which also includes a battle between two villages and Richie’s fascination with an American prostitute (Kate Hudson), Rock the Kasbah is littered with half-baked characters, each of whom have backstories no one really seems all that interested in exploring, from Danny McBride’s illegal arms dealer, to Bruce Willis’ unhinged soldier. Moreover, a decidedly odd pacing only serves to make the film feel all the more disjointed.
And yet there’s enough to actually like about Rock the Kasbah that makes me not want to dismiss it outright.
There’s a fantastic use of music in virtually every scene which works perfectly in sync to the Middle East-set action. Richie and Ronnie’s entrance to the heart of war-torn Afghanistan is made all the more show-stopping thanks to Kid Rock’s “Bawitdaba” playing in the background.
Enough humor exists within Rock the Kasbah to call the film a comedy, with most of it being Richie’s reaction to the stark culture shock he experiences throughout the movie. Whether most of it actually hits home is purely dependent on each audience member’s comfort level.
There’s a very telling moment when Salima’s father is describing the fear he and his villages live in on a daily basis regarding the constant threat of attack from the opposing side. However, when Rock the Kasbah truly excels is in the times it pays tribute to its real-life origins. The film is based on the true story of Afghanistan’s first female citizen who dared to break with tradition and societal norms and express her passion and her spirit through singing on TV. It was a courageous move which did so much for Afghan women and the country as a whole. Watching the moment play out in Rock the Kasbah when a nervous, yet determined, Salima takes the stage is undeniably powerful. Seeing the looks from the women in the audience go from disgust to eventually tear-filled towards the end is emotional to say the least.
As I mentioned before, Murray plays Murray, and that’s not bad. Fans expecting the actor’s unique brand of humor will not be disappointed and it’s refreshing to see that the actor still possesses that magic touch which gained him such fame in the first place.
Other than Murray, the remaining cast members come off moderately well, so much as their limited roles allow them to. Yet it’s Hudson as the intriguing and wise prostitute Merci (what’s an American southern call girl doing living in a mobile home in Afghanistan?) who comes off best, making something special out of a role which could have otherwise been pure caricature. Applause must also be given to Lubany, who injects Salima with a quiet dignity and steadfast passion.
In spite of the somewhat sweet tale it ends up becoming in the final act, Rock the Kasbah will probably be regarded as just another Bill Murray movie in the future, while at the same time, adding an off-the-wall entry into Levinson’s already wildly eclectic filmography. If there’s any justice, Rock the Kasbah will be seen as a film which shows, above all else, that hopes and dreams are just as important and powerful in the East as they are in the West.
