Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World / Defending Your Life (Double Feature)

Not his best film, but still pretty funny

Defending Your Life has a clever, funny script that is well acted by all the cast. I can watch it over and over again. Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World sounds like a funny idea that never really takes off or goes anywhere. It ends quite suddenly as if someone suddenly realised they were running out of film and ends with a whimper.

Typically bone-dry, odd, sometimes very funny Albert Brooks satire. He’s sent to India and Pakistan by the US government to find out what makes Muslims laugh, so we can communicate with them better. The film does an excellent job of skewering over-simplistic show biz and government pretensions about ‘reaching out’ to people we don’t understand, with the assumption they are simply are ‘just like us’ without the need to dig deeper. More uneven than Brooks' best work ("Mother", "Lost In America"), but when it’s good, it’s very good.

This movie takes a funny premise and then uses Brooks' odd and off-beat humor to deliver the punch lines. Sometimes subtle and easy to miss, his jokes and set ups are hilarious!.

Defending your life is my favorite Mel Brooks movie. Hard to find in stores. Haven’t seen the other one though

The comic genius of Albert Brooks is very apparent in this DVD. I have been a fan for many years, but when I mention his name, most people (in the real world) don't even know who I am talking about. His comedy reminds me of Woody Allen. I guess the most laughs I get is when he jabs at his own shortcomings. I like, "Defending Your Life". It is a classic.I search for anything that I know is written by Mr.Brooks because I know it will be brilliant and funny. How can you get any better than Meryl Streep and Albert Brooks?

Albert Brooks is one of my favorites. But "Looking for Comedy..." is one of his more mellow films; he doesn't go for big laughs this time, even though there's plenty of humor. This is a good one for the serious Albert Brooks fan, but for everyone else, it's worth it to watch at least once.

I've long been an Albert Brooks fan, when he's "on", he's sooo good. But I waited and waited to laugh while watching this "comedy. It just didn't work. Decent premise, but something was lacking. Flat. I loved Modern Romance, parts of Defending Your Life, Mom, The Muse, Real Life, the perspiration scene in Broadcast News, and I was moved by his acting in My Mister. But The Scout and the Inlaws weren't worthy of him. And that certainly was the case in this film.And let's not forget the intro of The Twilight Zone remake.....I loved that.Modern Romance is one of my all time favorite movies. I felt absolutely no chemistry between Brooks the protagonist and the wife and child in this movie. None. Pass on this film.

Defending Your Life is a funny, touching, thought-provoking movie. Everyone can relate to it. Since I believe in life after death and reincarnation it is wonderful to have a "preview" of the "process":):)R. ChildsFairfax, Virginia