Considering that most my friends had seen Borat months ago, it is somewhat amazing that I only saw this film last weekend. Now I can join that conversation that inevitably starts up when people start talking funny movies. I... am in the "know" now.Let me set the scene. Borat, also known as Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Kazakhstan, is the film that got A LOT of press, mostly because it pushed a lot of buttons with people. It was one of THOSE comedies. Of course, that is exactly why it was popular from the first time the trailer aired in theaters- it was irreverent, edgy and generally hilarious in the eyes of movie-going audiences.
Borat is the creation of Sasha Baron Cohen, star of Da Ali G Show. I have never seen the show but was more or less filled-in about its goings-on at a wedding reception last Fall. It sounded pretty funny and I was already curious about Borat, but never got around to seeing it theaters. And really, that wasn't requisite either because Borat was all over TV, on the late night circuit, on the Internet and being talked about by just about everyone younger than 30. I felt that I had seen most of the film before actually viewing it.
So finally I saw it. It was okay. There were definite funny spots but I never really started laughing uncontrollably, yet I was entertained.
The plot centers around the travels of one Borat Sagdiyev, a Kazakh television personality who is sent to America to film a documentary on American culture. Of course, it isn't that straight forward. Borat is portrayed as one huge caricature, as is his home country of Kazakhstan. Among the many jokes are the village kindergarten being shown with 4 and 5 year olds holding guns, Borat's wife being an fat old woman and he has a cow in his house. Borat's broken English is also the intended source for many a laugh. But Borat is going to America to learn things that will benefit Kazakhstan.
He arrives in New York and chaos ensues as Borat doesn't fit in, but rather sticks out like a sore, offensive and uncomfortable thumb. Much of the movie is nothing more than situational, hidden camera gags and its funny enough, but nothing extremely memorable. It isn't long Borat and his producer and traveling companion get checked into a hotel and Borat discovers Pamela Anderson on TV during an episode of Bay Watch. Becoming obsessed with finding Pamela and marrying her, Borat break his directive and begins his crazy journey across America.
Part of the impetus behind the comedy of the film to poke fun at difference elements of American culture, including the wealthy, the ENTIRE DEEP SOUTH, urban culture, Jews, feminists, frat boys, radical evangelicals etc. Some of it worked with me and some of it was just a bit uncomfortable to watch. I found the rodeo sequence where he sings the Kazakh national anthem hilarious, I enjoyed the morning newscast segment funny and also thoroughly enjoyed the antique store bit where he "accidentally" broke over $400 in merchandise. I'm sorry, but when the store in Alabama sells bumper stickers that read "Secede: Its the Right Thing to Do", I am entertained when the stuff gets broken. However, the sequence where Borat stays the night a bed and breakfast run by a warm hearted Jewish couple and played on just about every stereotype, I wasn't laughing. It just wasn't funny. I don't care if Cohen is Jewish himself, it just wasn't that funny.
In any case, Borat continues across country hooking up with a "lady of the night", hitching a ride with some South Carolina frat boys (who ended up suing Cohen after release of the film for misrepresentation) and "finding Jesus" before he finally arrives in LA where he proceeds to ask Pamela to marry him, accosting her (very obviously pre-arranged) when she refuses. He ends up going back to Kazakhstan with a new wife (not Pamela)
Ultimately I found Borat to be a mixed bag. Some of the material was good, some was just too stupid to really be that funny and some was just flat out not funny. I laughed at a few things
but I found very little of the movie to be all that memorable in the long term. Broken down to the basic elements, this movie was comprised mostly of a bad accent and unending string of sex jokes.
On a side note, the frat boys were funny because they were so TRUE to who they were, stereotypically so. They sued Cohen claiming misrepresentation under the supposition that they were drunk during that bit of filming. Lets get serious - if you're a racist and sexist while drunk, you're racist and sexist while sober. They're not fooling anyone. They were just upset that they were exposed on the big screen across the globe. BOO HOO!
If you haven't seen Borat and you keep hearing about it, its probably worth seeing once. At least then you'll understand what the references you are hearing are coming from. If you're easily offended by nudity, don't see it because there was plenty of that. No... TOO MUCH OF THAT!! Of course, you'll have to see the movie to know what I am referencing. Borat was good for a few laughs with some friends, but if you're missing it, you're not missing much. I probably won't see it again. 5/10
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