Filmmaker Barry Levinson is the epitome of hit-or-miss. His latest, Rock the Kasbah, would be a weak single that barely dribbles out of the infield, but scorers would still count it a hit, mostly thanks to star Bill Murray. Murray is down-and-out music tour manager Richie Lanz, who risks his life on a USO tour of Afghanistan featuring his assistant, Ronnie (Zooey Deschanel), who seems to only cover Meredith Brooks’ catchy late-‘90s hit, “Bitch.” While in the country, Richie befriends an aging prostitute, Merci (Kate Hudson), and assists a Pashtun girl, Salima (Leem Lubany), in breaking her traditional culture by singing in public on “American Idol” knock-off “Afghan Star.”
The true story of Setara Hoseinzadeh, recounted in the 2009 documentary Afghan Star, inspired Mitch Glazer’s script, which never satirically pops like it should. Instead, the movie lazily meanders along on Murray’s sizeable charm. Scott Caan, Danny McBride and Bruce Willis drop by like sitcom neighbors with little to do. The movie is far from unwatchable but drags more often than glides.
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