Security guard saves the world
Maz Jobrani, an Iranian American comedian, stars in his own feature film that he describes as “‘The Pink Panther’ meets ‘Borat.’ ”
“Jimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero”: Iranian American stand-up comedian Maz Jobrani — a regular in films (“Better Off Ted”) and television (Comedy Central), member of the Middle Eastern comedy group Axis of Evil and author of the book “I’m Not a Terrorist, But I’ve Played One on TV!” — stars in his own feature film that he describes as “‘The Pink Panther’ meets ‘Borat.’ ”
Jobrani (who co-wrote and produced) is Jimmy, an Iranian immigrant who dreams of being a cop and a good American; he’s an obsessive fan of the Steve McQueen movie “Bullitt.” The only job he can get is as a security guard at a Persian grocery store, but soon excitement finds him when he becomes the unwitting pawn of an arms dealer and gets sucked into a plot that could start World War III. Of course, in this broadly comic, manic world, only Jimmy Vestvood can save the geopolitical map.
Well, at any rate, this seems like a reasonable use of the bachelor’s degree in political science that Jobrani earned at UC Berkeley.
Plays Friday, June 24, through Thursday, June 30, at the Roxie Theater, 3117 16th St., S.F. (415) 863-1087. www.roxie.com
Note: Jobrani will appear in person and perform a short stand-up comedy routine at both showtimes Thursday, June 30.
“A Tough Act to Follow”: Another stand-up comic, the Bay Area-based Sampson McCormick, marks the San Francisco premiere of his new documentary that tackles homophobia, racism and sexism in comedy and the entertainment business in general. McCormick, a gay black man, has been touring nationally for 15 years. The documentary includes comics Sinbad, Luenell and Adele Givens, and features a soundtrack by LGBT hip-hop artists. 7 p.m. Thursday, June 23, at Mission Bay Conference Center at UCSF, Robertson Auditorium, 1675 Owens St., S.F. “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory”: Turner Classic Movies presents the beloved family classic — the one that stars Gene Wilder, not Johnny Depp, thank you very much — based on Roald Dahl’s novel “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” It benefits greatly from the score by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse (“Candy Man,” “Pure Imagination” and, of course, “Ooompa Loompa”), plus a great cast of bratty kids. Mostly at 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday, June 26, and Wednesday, June 29, at 20 theaters across the Bay Area (check website to confirm showtimes), including the Century 9 San Francisco Centre. www.fathomevents.com
“Roman Holiday”: The Audrey Hepburn-Gregory Peck classic screens in San Rafael in conjunction with Italian Street Painting Marin (Saturday-Sunday, June 25-26). 4:15 and 7 p.m. Sunday, June 26, at the Smith Rafael Film Center,1118 Fourth St., San Rafael. (415) 454-1222.