Rock the Kasbah (film)
Rock the Kasbah is a 2015 American comedy directed by Barry Levinson and written by Mitch Glazer. It stars Bill Murray as Richie Lanz, a washed-up rock manager; Kate Hudson as his partner in the music business; Bruce Willis as his armed protector; and Leem Lubany as Salima, a gifted Afghan singer.
Plot: Richie takes his last remaining client on a USO tour to Afghanistan. In Kabul, he’s left penniless and without his passport, but he discovers Salima, a young Afghan girl with an extraordinary voice. He convinces Daoud, the producer of Afghanistan’s version of American Idol, to let Salima audition. The story is a loose adaptation of the 2009 documentary Afghan Star and is dedicated to one of its stars, Setara Hussainzada.
Production: The project was announced in September 2013. Open Road Films acquired U.S. distribution rights in February 2014. Shia LaBeouf was originally cast but dropped out, and Scott Caan replaced him. Filming took place in Morocco from June 2 to July 30, 2014. The movie was initially set for a April 24, 2015 release but was moved up to October 23, 2015.
Reception: The film opened on October 23, 2015, alongside several other releases. It performed poorly at the box office, earning about $3.4 million on a $15 million budget. Critical response was negative: Rotten Tomatoes held an approval rating of around 7%, Metacritic scored it 29 out of 100, and audiences gave it a CinemaScore of B−.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 01:48 (CET).