Above you’ll see the first poster for Barry Levinson’s ROCK THE KASBAH, and it looks like the Murricane is their main selling point. Granted, this colorful still of him in Aviators and a Steven Van Zandt bandana grinning like Carl Spackler holding a dead gopher does catch the eye. The guy has so much pop cultural love that putting him in rock-and-roll duds in a foreign setting will definitely get at least a few asses in seats.
But it’s weird that they don’t mention the supporting cast. Normally, when you have folks like Bruce Willis, Danny McBride, Kate Hudson, and Zooey Deschanel in your cast, you put it out there for all to see. Even director Barry Levinson, helmer of enduring classics like DINER, GOOD MORNING VIETNAM, and RAIN MAN (not to mention somewhat less recognized gems like AVALON, BUGSY, SLEEPERS, and WAG THE DOG) gets nary a mention here.
Levinson’s last film, the Pacino-centric THE HUMBLING, was a muddled disappointment, but most of his filmography (including his previous collab with Pacino, YOU DON’T KNOW JACK) is so strong that any film he puts out warrants at least some attention. If Murray has as much fun in the actual film as he’s supposed to look like he’s having on the poster, then we should be in for a treat come October.
And let’s hope it’s better than writer Mitch Glazer’s last film: the similarly Murray-endowed PASSION PLAY.
ROCK THE KASBAH even if the sharef don’t like it on October 23rd.
