Comments on: Toronto 2007: Operation Filmmaker

By: HardCandy

HardCandy — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 04:09:35 +0000

He(Muthana) is a jackass.Never worked a day in his life and never will.A jackass.

By: MD

MD — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:33:18 +0000

Having come to USA from a 3rd world country myself I kinda see both Muthana’s and the film makers points of views. True, Muthana doesn’t do anything to help his cause but after watching the documentary I came with the feeling that his insistence that he loved George Bush rubbed the wrong way with the two liberal filmmakers. His fortunes dove southwards after that incident. Maybe he couldn’t be used by the filmmakers in a way they intended to use him.

By: P.

P. — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:52:23 +0000

Saw the movie last night on PBS.

I would like to say first that I think that, even though Liev Schrieber had good intentions, he didn’t think this through. I also think this Muthana guy is a total d-bag.

It seemed to me that Muthana is always looking for a handout and is ungrateful for what he has been given. He had no sense of direction on his own and even when he was given the gag reel project he blew that off by going to a party. One would think that if the opportunity was presented to oneself, one would have enough integrity, determination, self-discipline and sense to take advantage of the opportunity and would do something positive with it rather than mindlessly throw it in everybody’s face.

Muthana is a victim of himself. His manipulative, ungrateful, imposing nature and lack of responsibility shines throughout.

By: Margie

Margie — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 20:40:43 +0000

ptsd baby.

By: crabbygirl

crabbygirl — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:49:13 +0000

i saw this doc last night on PBS and has been thinking non-stop about it since!
so many things to comment on:
it was amazing to witness how people will ‘act’ for the camera - the 2nd immigration laywer near tears about muthana’s situation, that acting coach (?) reading muthana’s email like a dramatic soliloquy and the acting agents watching muthana’s attrocious audition but refusing to admit the poor quality… instead talking about his ‘face’ being perfect for law and order type shows
now - what all that acting for the camera? a fear of being negative before a camera? a fear of appearing racist? a fear of actually being racist and overcompensating?
i mean look at the Rock - why would he give 12 and half thousand pounds to someone if the camera wasn’t involved?
personally, i found muthana to be a victim of his own lack-of planning/goals (and as such, no different than a petulant western teenager). he was ‘chosen’ to leave iraq; it was not a goal, not a plan. so it’s no surprise that he found himself in a panic the week before his visa expired. the real lesson is that generosity cannot make up for lack of ambition.
i also found it noteworthy that davenport’s partner gives up on the film when muthana’s selfishness and manipulation escalates. here is my take on the partner’s motives: he wants to like muthana. he wants to maintain his ideals but muthana himself is making this impossible. when muthana, as a person, is no longer compatible with muthana, the concept - the partner abandons the film in order to keep his ideals
(because isn’t it true? we are all rooting for him, and it’sdifficult to feel our sympathies shift away from him - like it’s a betrayal)
as for the ending - i didn’t see it as a trite joke. it was a truth. how can you extrocate yourself from your good intentions?

By: Brit Columbia

Brit Columbia — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 09:06:58 +0000

I saw this last night on TV, although I didn’t see the beginning or the end. I wasn’t impressed with anyone in this film. Privileged Hollywood types from the first world magnanimously decide to do a Huge Favor for a poor third world Object (I mean ‘person’, of course) whose country is at war? They should have done their homework, first.

Although Muthana didn’t emerge as a particularly likable or committed filmmaker-wannabe, who can blame him? He’s plucked out of a WAR, fresh from life in an Arab culture, put in a radically different cultural situation without any guidance or moral/spiritual support, and expected to adapt overnight?

Everyone expected him to have levels of fortitude and personal drive that his upbringing could in no way have prepared him for. Everyone is blaming him for not being more noble under what was for him (not them) extraordinary circumstances.

By: Robert

Robert — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 15:40:55 +0000

Are you kidding me? Someone needs to wake this kid up! They need to tell him that the real world. He never wanted to grow up and realize that he needed to work for his own dreams and goals. He only wanted the world to fall into his lap. Ask yourself, when “The Rock” gave him the money to attend the London school, do you really think he truly deserved that money? It could’ve gone to many other people more deserving that that. He is not only the villain, but he was annoying like no other person. The way I see it, if he complained about his “struggle” in life, ship him back to Iraq so he can see what “struggle” is really all about.

By: James

James — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 21:19:36 +0000

I just saw this last night, although not from the begining.. I cannot say I feel any kind of sympathy for this kid, although I do agree that he needed more mentoring on film set and understanding of how things are done. Throughout the film I found myself trying to understand this kid little more and more but in the end came to a conclusion that his true intentions are NOT honorable to say the least. He was not ready to take this opportunity seriously, I think his friend back in Iraq was better suited than him. After he moved to London, he doesn’t want to get a job out of his pride?? and throws all sorts of guilty conscious to people and when they don’t deliver what he wants he throws hissy fits.. his also using the situation in Iraq to manipulate those around him. Ungrateful, Undeserving and Dishonest to describe this pathetic human being. My country was also went through a war and know too well what it does to people, his roommate in London had the right idea. I can understand director’s fraustration and wanting to end in happy ending since she probably understand the consequences of this film.. (how it can ruin one’s career, if filmmaking really is what he wants to do). Hence she putting up with his nagging and giving him money..

anyways in the end, yes hollywood didn’t really give it much thought and this kid isn’t right for this opportunity and too bad for the director’s approach but very interesting to watch.

By: gypsy

gypsy — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 06:30:23 +0000

So glad to read this outsider’s view of this documentary…what just dumbfounded me was how abruptly the film ended, with NO RESOLUTION after being drawn into this young man’s life, the complexities, his stories — is there an update anywhere?
I hope so! Please email me if there is! Thanks!
Gypsy

By: bandt

bandt — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 22:11:33 +0000

I watched this documentary last night and set out on a mission to read all I could about it online. While I think Muthana could have worked harder, I also believe the Hollywood Types involved weren’t exactly genuine in their motives. I mean, what did everyone think this KID was supposed to do? I also blame the person who came up with the concept; you take an upper-middle-class kid our of Iraq, make him get coffee for spoiled Hollywood types while his country is being blown to bits - and expect him to be totally magnanimous? Not too much forward thinking on the parts of the producers…….

By: Enrique

Enrique — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 06:56:15 +0000

Very Nice Review, I saw the movie and I was confused myself. Most of my friends seems to think of him as a villain in the documentary but I saw it otherwise. I could clearly see him being manipulated and naively fall into all the traps. Though his ambitions are questionable too but seriously, what did you think was going to happen?