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2011, 06-14:
Review of film “JUST LIKE US”
The world continues to get “smaller” and more INTER-CONNECTED as time goes on. This movie is a “SIGN” of that...
... AHMED AHMED is a man born of Egyptian parents who emigrated to America a number of years ago. He became a stand-up COMEDIAN, & got the idea of taking a number of comedians (including other MUSLIM ones) over to the MIDDLE EAST to perform for audiences there...
... As Ahmed said in an interview, they didn’t decide to FILM the events until like 4 days before the trip was to begin...
... First, they went to DUBAI on the Arabian Peninsula. As one of the super-wealthy members of the UAE (United Arab Emirates), they have gone on a massive building spree, with loads of fancy super-tall skyscrapers...
... Dubai has an extremely “MODERN” outlook in certain ways, with new shopping malls (where people use Bluetooth to “gather” other peoples’ cell phone numbers as they pass them)...
... But, the Muslim society is still socially “touchy” about male-female relationships, & Ahmed was cautioned that there were loads of offensive words he & the other comedians should absolutely AVOID using in their routines so as to not upset the audience...
... So, they used some “CARE”, & the crowd (a number of whom appeared to be Westerners) quite ENJOYED the routines by Ahmed & Greek-American ALEX TSAROUCHAS & others...
... Next, they flew to BEIRUT, Lebanon-- one of the more socially “LIBERAL” areas in the Middle East. We see views of the city, such as women dancing around a bus, seaside areas-- & also pock-marked buildings which are remnants of wartime fighting in the region over the past 40 or so years...
... In Beirut, the comedians (including TOMMY DAVIDSON & at one point SEBASTIAN MANISCALCO) feel free to use more “raw” type humor (which is appreciated by many in the audience)...
... There’s even a non-Arab American FEMALE (WHITNEY CUMMINGS) who performs comedy during the tour-- & who later worries that some of what she said may have been generally “harum” (forbidden) in general... The comics talk about Obama, some “social” issues, etc...
... Next, they fly to Riyadh, SAUDI ARABIA-- one of the most socially CONSERVATIVE countries in the area (where females aren’t even allowed to drive)... As usual, we see some scenes of people in the country...
... Since “performers” aren’t particularly “approved” of in the strict world of Wahabi-based Saudi Arabia, the comics have to come in as “consultants”, & they show up at a HARLEY DAVIDSON motorcycle sort of “convention” (gathering) to offer their comedic “thoughts”...
... The audience has lots of “locals” (many in caftans & hijab head coverings & the like), along with a number appearing to be Westerners... They all seemed to quite ENJOY the comedy (by Ahmed, SHERIF AZAB & others), which used a bunch of “restrained” wording so as to not cause “distress”...
... We were introduced to a FEMALE comedian (possibly MARIA SHEHATA) FROM Saudi Arabia, & are told how she had performed in another venue in the country after the “HARLEY” show-- tho the movie-making crew was NOT allowed to FILM that... But, after it, the woman excitedly talks about how wonderful & “free” she felt to be ABLE to perform comedy in her home country...
... Next, the group flies to Cairo, EGYPT (at a time – 2010 -- when Mubarek was still in power). As Ahmed comments, that’s the homeland of his parents, & the Egyptians tend to be a comparatively easy-going, LAUGHTER-loving people...
... As usual, we’re shown a bunch of scenes from the area-- people (including heavy Angelo) riding camels near the pyramids, cute KIDS smiling for the filmmakers (& some even talking onstage later)... Ahmed introduces us to various of his relatives, including his aunts (sisters of his mother), etc; they’re clearly thrilled and touched to be able to be with each other...
... The audience at the comedy performance is obviously having a FINE time laughing at the remarks of the various comedians (which, as I recall, was performed by Ahmed, NOEL ELGRABLY, TOM PAPA & others)...
... After the shows in the Middle East (which reportedly played to a total of more than 20,000 people overall), the group flies back to the U.S., where they perform at a club in NEW YORK...
... They make some observations about their trip to the Middle East, & (like EMAN MORGAN) make comments about what it’s like to be ARAB-American / Muslim entertainers in America...
... The synopsis of this R-rated (for Language) movie states that “... this film uproots the widely held misconception that Arabs have no sense of humor – when in fact they laugh, and are, just like us.” I find that to be a highly APROPOS comment that is very well-SHOWN by the film...
... Seemingly it was someone involved with their production company that made the following “aim” for their film: “Just Like Us exemplifies their goal of reintroducing socially relevant issues to the world in an effort to build cultural bridges in this age of greater tolerance, understanding and acceptance...”
... I feel there’s a good deal of “TRUTH” in some of the comments the comedians made in the film-- & at least some of them could be considered “socially relevant”... So, I feel they SUCCEEDED in general with what they wanted to “accomplish”...
... Another assertion made about the movie was that “Contemporary stand-up comedy has the powerful ability to provide relief, encourage a younger generation, break down barriers and serves as a platform for cross cultural dialogue.”
... You will SEE some barriers broken down in the film. The humor is often “R”-rated because of some raunchiness, & a good deal of it is quite FUNNY...
... I’ve traveled a bit in the Middle East (& elsewhere), &, to me, the main “accomplishment” of the film is to remind us that there are some inherent common SIMILARITIES in humanity around the planet, & you can find people of GOOD WILL almost ANYWHERE in the world, if you “LOOK” hard enough...
... Thus, for its interesting “take” on the subject of humor & what the documentary can “TEACH” us about humankind, I’m rating it at 7.5 out of 10 stars...
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