Next week a local comedian will get the big screen treatment. Mo Amer, a Houston-based, Kuwait native stars in
Allah Made Me Funnyalongside Azhar Usman and Preacher Moss. The
Kings-of-Comedy-style film, which opens at the Angelika on October 3, features a live performance by three men as well as behind-the-scenes footage.
We’ve written about Amer a couple of times in our pages. The Kuwait native fled his homeland at age 9 during the Persian Gulf War and landed in Houston.
“I went and saw Bill Cosby when I was 11 years old at the Rodeo,” says Amer. “When I saw him there I said ‘That’s what I want to do.’”
Amer stuck with it and started appearing at open mikes at The Laff Stop and The Comedy Showcase (he even married Showcase owner Danny Martinez’ daughter). From there he hit the road and toured all over the United States.
This is how he caught then attention of Allah Made Me Funny’s brainchild, Preacher Moss. Moss got his start writing for In Living Color and Saturday Night Live. He started the tour/film as a way to dispel Arab stereotypes as well as make people laugh. In 2006, he invited Amer to join the tour along with himself and Usman. The film has been two-years in the making; we attended a preview screening and have to say it’s pretty funny.
- Local
- Community
- Journalism
Support the independent voice of Houston and help keep the future of Houston Press free.
The three guys sling jokes concerning family matters, growing pains, post-9/11 attitudes and politics – both here and overseas.
With a film under his belt, Amer says he is currently working on a one-man-show titled “Legally Homeless” which deals with his trials as a Palestinian refugee.
Allah Made Me Funny opens in 11 major cities – including here at the Angelika – and will run through October 9.
— Dusti Rhodes
Keep the Houston Press Free... Since we started the Houston Press, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Houston, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Houston with no paywalls.
