Rock the Kasbah Movie Review

Rock the Kasbah (2015)

Rent Rock the Kasbah on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Mitch Glazer (screenplay)
Directed by: Barry Levinson
Starring: Bill Murray, Leem Lubany, Zooey Deschanel, Bruce Willis, Kate Hudson, Danny McBride
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
A music manager discovers an Afghan singer in a small village and tries to get her on music competition reality show.

Verdict
There is a mismatch between tone and content. Murray plays his typical role of a lovable loser, but this contrasts with the societal norms being challenged in Afghanistan. The movie could easily be a drama based on content. The result is a muddled mess that isn't as funny as it should be or as impacting as it could be.
Skip it.

Review
Bill Murray is a washed up music talent agent. He's scamming checks off of hopefuls that lack even basic talent. He makes big claims about the talent he's worked with before, but it's hard to buy the stories with where he is now.
He finds a new scam where he can make money on the USO tour in Afghanistan. He takes his only legitimate client, Zooey Deschanel. She's less than thrilled with an Afghanistan trip. Their ride to the hotel is in an armored truck, and they're relegated to the hotel due to open bomb threats.

Rock the Kasbah - Murray attempts to defend this movie.

The movie relies on a foreigner in in a strange land trope, but it isn't very comedic. It's not like Murray can do much as there isn't a lot of plot. His singing talent flees the country and he's left with no money. He ends up in a village and finds a girl that is an amazing singer, Salima. I assumed he would find the girl much earlier, but instead the plot drags.
He manages to get her on the popular reality show, Afghan Star. It's a singing competition, but in Afghanistan people frown upon not only a woman in this competition, but with a woman singing period.

It's similar to Million Dollar Arm (2014), though not as good which isn't saying much. Both movies suffer from trying to focus on the big name star, and not spending enough time on the actual subject. If Rock the Kasbah  focused on the struggles of Salima instead of  forcing celebrity cameos and letting Murray chew scenery, it could be a good film. This is a serious story with grave consequences told by a comedian.

Murray's romps aren't all that entertaining. He makes a deal to protect Salima's village with a mercenary played by Bruce Willis so that she can sing in the competition despite the threats. This undoes an arms deal scam he stumbled into at the beginning of the film that first landed him in the village.