Rock the Kasbah review: A film out of tune

The script barely manages to convey a perspective on the fractious ethnic communities from the different regions of the war-ravaged nation. There is a heavy-handed attempt to address the issue of gender inequality, but the feel-good climax doesn’t feel earned.

Rock the Kasbah
Direction: Barry Levinson
Actors: Bill Murray, Leem Lubany
Rating: 2/5

Leem Lubany, left, as Salima, and Bill Murray as Richie Lanz in Rock the Kasbah. (AP)

The first collaboration between the veteran Oscar-winning filmmaker Barry Levinson (Rain Man) and legendary comedian Bill Murray yields a leaden political satire that doesn’t measure up to one’s great expectations.

Despite being culled from the true-life experiences of Setara Hussainzadi, the first Afghan woman who sang and danced on a homegrown television talent show, Rock feels too much like a narrative fabrication.

This photo provided by Open Road Films shows Bill Murray as Richie Lanz in "Rock the Kasbah."

The focus is primarily on a louche California-based rock-music manager (Murray) who gets stranded in Kabul with no money or passport. Unfazed, the down on-his-luck promoter decides to encourage a Pashtun teenager (Lubany) in her bid to win Afghan Star, her country’s equivalent of American Idol.

The script barely manages to convey a perspective on the fractious ethnic communities from the different regions of the war-ravaged nation. There is a heavy-handed attempt to address the issue of gender inequality, but the feel-good climax doesn’t feel earned. Ultimately, the film offers little of interest, save some exotic locations, cover versions of songs by Yusuf Islam aka Cat Stevens, and the always welcome presence of Bill Murray.