Rock the Kasbah (2015)

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

A down-on-his-luck music manager discovers a teenage girl with an extraordinary voice while on a music tour in Afghanistan and takes her to Kabul to compete on the popular television show, Afghan Star. Rock the Kasbah is a weird mix of different genres in one and has a wasted Bill Murray playing himself and being a ******** to most people, Willis playing himself and a bunch of other actors too and the overall result is the exact thing i was expecting it to be. (0/10)

Back in the good old days of hippiness, this movie probably would have been a huge success. Yes, it has a very simple message: "A Song Really Can Change the World". It can overcome hate, prejudice and suppression. Yes, the plot is tacky and far beyond reality. So, what the hack!? Most movies have nothing to do with realism, but with how we wish the world to be, even if we know it will never happen. I understand that nations at war like Afghanistan and the U.S.A. have troubles laughing about the situation in which they are stuck for decades, however I wish that a feel-good movie like this one may help a little bit to overcome this quandary. So I recommend it to everybody who has a little bit of the Summer of Love left, and to all the rest who still think the world can become a better place... how tiny the odds.

I watched this movie despite reading some really negative reviews. The cast and the story itself were enough for me to check this flick out. While the movie is good in almost all the aspects, including acting, directing, story and somewhat location filmed at, it was marred by stereotypical clichés. There were wrong references here and there. Since the movie was shot in Morocco, depicting Afghanistan, there were bound to be some mistakes. But these were glaring mistakes. For example the use of Arabic language here there. Pashto was widely used but in Afghanistan people mostly speak Dari, which is an amalgamated form of Pashto and Persian. Some of the people's clothing was also North African style which is a far cry from Afghan style clothing. Also the accent was more of Arabic speaking person than an Afghan. Afghan accent of English closely resembles that of Iran and Pakistan. Afghans can't pronounce the letter "F", instead they pronounce letter "P" in place of it. Arabs can't pronounce letter "P", instead they use letter "B" in place of it. In the movie almost everyone was using "B" instead of "P" just like Arabs. When you are making a movie, a little research goes a long way and now you have all knowing Google on your side, then why don't you before you start shooting.

A has-been rock manager from California stumbles upon a once-in-a-lifetime voice in a remote Afghan cave. Richie Lanz, dumped and stranded in war-torn Kabul by his last remaining client discovers Salima, a teenager with a beautiful voice and the dream of becoming the first woman to compete in Afghanistan's version of "American Idol." Richie partners with a savvy lady of the night, a pair of hard-partying war profiteers, and a hair-trigger mercenary.Braving dangerous cultural prejudices, Richie manages his new finding into becoming the Afghan star she has always wanted to be...........Apparently based loosely on fact, 'Rock The Kasbah' has all the makings of a classic movie. The cast is amazing on paper, the concept is amazing on paper, the situations the characters get themselves into seem hilarious on paper, but this is a film, and it just falls apart around another fantastic performance from Murray.The problem is the humour is all over the shop. One moment it's almost spoof like, then it's the darkest humour ever imaginable, and the final act, the writers forget to inject any humour at all.There is no moral to the story, the film consists of Murray going from one difficult situation to the next, and using his charm to get out of this situation. Along the way he finds this voice, and with this, the film is supposed to show the struggles with religion, apartheid, culture, and what is acceptable within people's beliefs.It's a dangerous subject to have as a comedy-drama, and here it just doesn't work, despite the best efforts from the cast, and having such a prolific director at the helm, it should have been a safe bet.On the plus side, despite having no reason to be in the film, Willis ain't been this good in sometime. His screen time is very little, but he has a wonderful presence, and his character is intimidating.For Murray fans though, he is wonderful, if you could see the film as a succession of sketches, rather than a story, he is hilarious and sympathetic in equal measure. It's a shame that at times he appears to be in a different film to everyone else.It's no surprise that the filmed bombed so hard when released, it's not aimed at a specific demographic, has a strange Three Kings feel to it, and the final scene of the film is more of a whimper than anything else, because the subject matter is nothing new, we see these people's struggles everyday on the news and in the media, we don't need a comedy about it.There is one scene where Murray sings 'Smoke On The Water' to a very bewildered looking audience.I know how they felt.....