Yousef tells Alan that the only place he has visited in the United States is Alabama. Alan, surprised, asks him, "Why Alabama?" Yousef responds, "You mean because I was the only Arab for 1,000 miles? I had a scholarship for one year in Birmingham." Birmingham, Alabama, actually has one of the oldest and most established Arab American and Middle Eastern communities in the Deep South. For example, the Lebanese-American community in Birmingham was established in the late 1800s. In 1910, St. Elias Maronite Catholic Church (the Maronites being a division of Catholicism with roots in the countries that are now Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Israel) was established; as of April 2018, their Lebanese Food and Cultural Festival is one of the longest-running food festivals in Birmingham. See more »
Goofs
When Yousef told Alan (Tom Hanks) that he can't meet The king because the king is visiting Yemen, the next scene shows a newspaper where it's written that the Yemen president is having a meeting with the king in the king's palace in Jeddah which is a city in Saudi Arabia not in Yemen. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Alan:
[mimicking The Talking Heads in his music video TV commercial]
You may find yourself living in your garden shack. And you may find yourself not at home in your home. And you may find yourself looking for your large automobile. And you may find yourself without a beautiful house. Without a beautiful wife. And you may ask yourself "Well, how did I get here?"
Alan:
[riding a roller coaster for the chorus]
Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was. Same as it ever was.
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It is a movie that you will forget very soon. There is nothing new and it made me fell that I was waiting all the time for something to happen. Also, there is a strange atmosphere in the movie, like everyone is plotting against Tom Hanks.
BUT, once you understand that that is the goal of the movie (lack of plot twist, the strange atmosphere, etc.), it becomes kinda enjoyable (I wish I had understood that sooner to better enjoy the history). And I think the "strange atmosphere" is done due the big different of culture in Saudi Arabia, so that is a big pro. It have a nice photography and good acting, and they show a lot of culture of Saudi Arabia (I think that is one of the best in this movie. It's similar to a documentary, in that aspect).
There is no strong comedy or drama, although they should cut some of the drama there, but, If you don't expect too much and want to watch something unpretentiously you can watch this film.
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It is a movie that you will forget very soon. There is nothing new and it made me fell that I was waiting all the time for something to happen. Also, there is a strange atmosphere in the movie, like everyone is plotting against Tom Hanks.
BUT, once you understand that that is the goal of the movie (lack of plot twist, the strange atmosphere, etc.), it becomes kinda enjoyable (I wish I had understood that sooner to better enjoy the history). And I think the "strange atmosphere" is done due the big different of culture in Saudi Arabia, so that is a big pro. It have a nice photography and good acting, and they show a lot of culture of Saudi Arabia (I think that is one of the best in this movie. It's similar to a documentary, in that aspect).
There is no strong comedy or drama, although they should cut some of the drama there, but, If you don't expect too much and want to watch something unpretentiously you can watch this film.