Directed by Albert Brooks, the story is about out-of-work comedian Albert Brooks (played by Brooks) who has a big house and a family that likes shopping. Summoned to Washington by a State Department committee that's studying people from different cultures around the world, he's dispatched to several predominately Islamic countries with a singular mission: to try and figure out what makes over 300 million Muslims laugh. Also with Sheetal Sheth, Jon Tenney, Fred Dalton Thompson and John Carroll Lynch. [1:38]

SEX/NUDITY 3 - Women on a TV show sing and dance wearing skimpy outfits that reveal cleavage and bare abdomens. A woman wears a low-cut sweater that reveals cleavage. We see a picture of a woman hanging on the wall and her bare legs are visible.
► A man in a robe answers the door to a young woman (nothing happens although she does ask if she can use him as an excuse to break up with her boyfriend).
► Although it is not really clear what happened, a man tells another man that yet another man, "took advantage of his innocence." A man talks about another man as being a "ladies" man."

VIOLENCE/GORE 2 - A man stands on guard on a ridge, with a gun in his hand. A man gets on an elevator and it creaks and jerks (he is visibly frightened).
► Government officials misunderstand and go on high alert when they hear a man talking about "bombing." An Iranian man says, "I was the funniest in my explosives training." A man says that he went on an Al-Qaeda website because "he was curious" and he received a letter from the State Department. A man makes a comment about "that damn Jew." A man makes a veiled threat to an elderly woman. We hear that two countries are at war again, after years of peace. A man makes a joke about a dirty bomb with hash in it.

LANGUAGE 4 - 7 scatological terms, 4 mild obscenities, 8 religious exclamations.

SUBSTANCE USE - People smoke from a hookah pipe (presumably marijuana or hashish) and they seem inebriated. There are a few references to audiences being on heroin or that they were just one big needle. People drink alcohol on an airplane. People smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol in a club scene. A man smokes a cigarette on stage.

DISCUSSION TOPICS - The Muslim culture, cultural differences, politics, India and Pakistan, Iran, government reports, jealousy, laughter, sarcasm, the comedy process, foreign phone banks, stupid pet tricks, pride, comedy, honor, responsibility, visas, illegal border crossings, bravery, bureaucracy, medal of freedom.

MESSAGE - Meddling in other people's affairs can cause wars.