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Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy

The Vagabond

Mo Amer

Netflix · 2018 · 56 min

A Palestinian-American refugee recounts his long journey to Texas citizenship.

Watch it free on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Mo Amer spent nearly two decades without a passport, a bureaucratic limbo that serves as the backbone of his first Netflix special. The centerpiece of the hour is a detailed, absurd account of getting upgraded to first class on a flight to Scotland and ending up seated next to Eric Trump. Amer uses the encounter not to deliver a partisan sermon, but to paint a portrait of an unlikely mid-air conversation between a high-profile political son and a Palestinian-American refugee who is just happy to have made it to first class.

Filmed at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas, and directed by Stan Lathan, the 2018 special functions as Amer’s formal introduction to a global audience. He reflects on his childhood transition from a British prep school in Kuwait to a public school in Houston, dealing with the realities of gang boundaries while carrying the name Mohammed. Notable bits include the futile search for his name on tourist keychains and the art of code-switching to survive American high school. Amer’s mother, who helped the family escape Kuwait during the Gulf War, sits in the front row, providing a personal anchor to his stories of displacement.

At the time of release, Amer was emerging from years of touring with Dave Chappelle, who makes a brief off-camera appearance at the end of the show. The special also features original music from Stro and Black Thought of The Roots. Critics noted how Amer’s physical performance and cadence carried traces of Chappelle’s influence, but praised his ability to translate complex immigration struggles into accessible, vivid storytelling.

The set list

5 bits

  1. Upgraded to first class on a flight and seated next to Eric Trump shortly after the 2016 election.

    Messing with Eric Trump by identifying himself as a Muslim Arab refugee comic named Mohammed and taking a selfie that unexpectedly went viral.

  2. Navigating international border checkpoints and customs without a passport on refugee documents.

    Highlighting bureaucratic double standards and interrogations by border agents in England and Germany.

  3. Arriving in Houston from Kuwait and being placed in an ESL class.

    Being the only person fluent in English while placed with Spanish-speaking kids, and getting caught between Latino and Black neighborhood gangs who assumed he was Mexican until he told them his name was Mohammed.

  4. Miscommunications with airline staff in Japan.

    Humorous misunderstandings abroad that culminate in a narrative callback to Bill Cosby.

  5. Acknowledging his mother seated in the audience.

    A touching tribute thanking her for her resilience and cleverness in helping the family evade invading Iraqi soldiers in Kuwait so they could reach America.

How it plays

Tone
Irreverent, observational, reflective, and thought-provoking.
On stage
Charming, witty, likable, and engaging storyteller drawing directly from firsthand lived experiences.
Pace
Slick delivery with an expansive range of vocal inflections.
About
refugee experience and path to citizenship, traveling internationally without a passport, American immigration policy, border security and navigating the world with the name Mohammed, growing up in Houston and code-switching

What the critics said

Critically praised as a breakout, thought-provoking performance that skillfully elevates travel anecdotes and personal refugee history into wildly hilarious storytelling.

In the room: Engaged and deeply supportive, highlighted by an emotional tribute to his mother in the front row.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: imdb.com, netflix.com, themoviedb.org, decider.com, pastemagazine.com, chortle.co.uk, rottentomatoes.com, en.wikipedia.org, npr.org.

Backstory

Personal life as a Palestinian refugee fleeing Kuwait during the Gulf War, growing up in Houston, navigating international travel for two decades on refugee paperwork without an official passport, and living in the post-2016 political climate.

Details

Released
Taped
Paramount Theatre, Austin
Runtime
56 min
Where
Netflix
Director
Stan Lathan
Topics
After
Mohammed in Texas (2021)

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