Twitter
Advertisement

'Rock The Kasbah' Review: Avoid this and do yourself a favour!

Here's what we feel about Rock The Kasbah.

Latest News
article-main
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

Film: Rock The Kasbah
Director: Barry Levinson
Cast: Bill Murray, Kate Hudson, Leem Lubany, Bruce Willis, Zooey Deschanel
Rating: * (One star)

What's it about:

Anybody in their right minds wouldn't hire down-and-out artiste manager/glib talker RIchie Lanz (Murray) or his 'talents' for anything, least of all, a tour of Afghanistan, performing for US soldiers. But he heads to Kabul with Ronnie (Deschanel) anyway. She's freaked out of her skull and pukes all through the journey. The moment they touch down, she wants to head back and when they reach their hotel, the situation is no better. She's high on pills by then and makes friends with a local mercenary, Bombay Brian (Willis). Ronnie leaves with his money and his passport and Richie is stuck in the country until the embassy issues him a new one. He makes friends with an American arms dealer duo, who offer to tide him over in lieu of delivering a shipment of arms to a warlord living in a nearby village. Left with no choice, he agrees. That's where he makes the discovery of his lifetime. A voice he feels deserves to be heard. And it belongs to the warlord's daughter Salima (Lubany). She wants to perform on local show Afghan Star. And he wants to make it happen.

What's hot:

I'll say the soundtrack. That's about the only thing that keeps you from dozing off.

What's not:

A cast like this doesn't deserve a script like this. Bill Murray looks tired playing Bill Murray for the umpteenth time. Bruce Willis is just here sleepwalking. Leem Lubany seems too detached to actually inhabit Salima's character. Zooey probably mistook this film's set for the New Girl one. Kate Hudson as an in-demand prostitute in Afghanistan sounds wrong on so many levels. And the fact that she plays the love interest of a man 29 years her senior rather convincingly, is saying something about the makeup team. 
Also, Setara Hussainzada, on whom Salima's character is based, barely gets to shine. And when she does, it's hard to see why anybody would vote for Salima. Look up Setara, she had more substance and courage and didn't need a Richie Lanz to help her achieve her dreams. This film is confused about what it wants to be. It's not entirely satire, not entirely dark comedy and utterly boring at every turn.

What to do:

Just avoid this one. You'll be doing yourself a favour. Nothing rocking here.

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement