Educational Media Reviews Online

In the documentary Comedy Middle Eastern Style, seven Middle Eastern comedians perform stand up routines in a New York City nightclub and share their thoughts in short interviews. In some very funny segments, they point out the absurdities of prejudice, stereotypes, racial profiling, religious rituals, patriotism, and government policies. With clever jokes they find humor, rather than sadness, in war, terrorism, anger, and hate. But they also aim their wit at more traditional stand up targets like marriage, relationships, and parents.

The comedians come from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds. Some were born in the U.S. while others immigrated to the U.S. as children or young adults. The group includes Muslims from Pakistan and Egypt; an Iranian Bahai and an Iranian Jew; and a Palestinian Christian who was raised in the Lutheran church in Chicago. The only female in the group is a Palestinian Muslim who also has cerebral palsy, which she also jokes about. The interviews reveal their backgrounds and personal experiences with racism. Despite the emphasis on their Middle Eastern heritage, it becomes apparent that these comics are funny people who just happen to be Palestinian or Egyptian or Jewish. And, as with all comedians, some are hilarious while others are mildly amusing.

The sound quality is low due to volume fluctuations and background noise. In the nightclub segments, people frequently walk in front of the camera, creating a distraction. One note of caution, there is some crude language used (very little) that may offend some viewers. Nevertheless, this is a very funny video that raises salient points about political and cultural issues and is highly recommended.