Mohammed Amer’s Netflix Comedy ‘Mo’ Finds the Humor in Culture Clashes
Mo Najjar (Mohammed Amer, above) is just your average Joe, trying to get his piece of the American dream. He’s also a multilingual Kuwaiti-born Palestinian living in Houston who has been patiently waiting for his immigration hearing — for two decades.
Through all that, Mo mines plenty of laughs from hilarious culture clashes involving his sharp-tongued mom (Farah Bsieso), anxious older brother (Omar Elba) and his girlfriend Maria (Teresa Ruiz) and best friend Nick (Tobe Nwigwe).
He’ll do whatever it takes to make a buck — strip club DJ, olive picker, merchandise dealer from the trunk of his car — to support his family, and he doles out plenty of smarts and sarcasm in the process. (If Amer looks familiar, he played Ramy’s diner-owning pal on Ramy.)
Looking for viewers to come away with “understanding and compassion for what it takes to be a refugee,” Amer hopes they can also “laugh and cry with us.” Job well done!
Mo, Premiere, Wednesday, August 24, Netflix