Borat! : Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
'Borat ...' is a mockumentary comedy directed by Larry Charles. Borat Sagdiyev (Sacha Baron Cohen) is a TV reporter of a popular show in Kazakhstan. Early on, we meet Borat's wife, his sister (#1 prostitute in Kazakhstan ... how proud he must be), his mother, & his dilapidated neighborhood. I loved this opening segment. He's sent to the U.S. by his government to make a 'documentary' about American society & culture; even taking a course in American humor. Along for the trip to America is Borat's TV producer, Azamat (Ken Davitian). It is in his NYC hotel where Borat first sees Pamela Anderson on TV. Smitten, he jumps on the road to find her, marry her, & bring her home to Kazakhstan. I know ... very likely {eye rolls}.
Once Borat's wife (back home) finds out who he's chasing, she claims she'll 'break his cock' ... lovely. His journey takes him from New York to D.C., Atlanta, the Delta states, Texas, & ultimately, Los Angeles. Each state offers colorful characters, hysterical meetings & unlikely situations; encountering an array of strange, but wonderful American citizens. Other humorous details: Borat buys a pet bear! He nude wrestles with Azamat when he discovers that Azamat had been wanking off to a photo of Pamela (an unbelievably absurd scene unfolds ... I laughed my butt off, got turned-off, then laughed my butt off all over again).
And the last sequence (meeting Pam Anderson) is quite funny; though, it looks very staged. One can't tell if the intent is for it to look staged or to be authentic (documentary-like). There are many sidesplitting moments throughout 'Borat'. Some of the comedy is slapstick, some of it is oddly insightful. Ex's: 1) His manners at a high society dinner table are quite suspect. 2) He can't seem to get a handle on how to properly use a toilet. 3) He makes racial slurs, sexist comments, religious jabs, & offers degrading commentary on Americans, in general. It's all absurd, gross, & wrong ... but I was STILL laughing through a lot of it!
But while most of the film is hilarious, some of it was too offensive, too uncomfortable ... even for me. Some of the bathroom humor goes too far. Because of it, I'd hardly call it the genius political satire that some are claiming it to be. I HATED a lengthy segment where he jumps on a fraternity tour van. Even though the film is barely 80 minutes long, the onslaught of the jokes started to become old towards the end. It lacked sustenance. Still, if you can stomach everything I've included in this review, I'd recommend 'Borat ...' for at least one viewing. It's intermittently entertaining, and fun to watch with anyone who doesn't get offended easily.
Once Borat's wife (back home) finds out who he's chasing, she claims she'll 'break his cock' ... lovely. His journey takes him from New York to D.C., Atlanta, the Delta states, Texas, & ultimately, Los Angeles. Each state offers colorful characters, hysterical meetings & unlikely situations; encountering an array of strange, but wonderful American citizens. Other humorous details: Borat buys a pet bear! He nude wrestles with Azamat when he discovers that Azamat had been wanking off to a photo of Pamela (an unbelievably absurd scene unfolds ... I laughed my butt off, got turned-off, then laughed my butt off all over again).
And the last sequence (meeting Pam Anderson) is quite funny; though, it looks very staged. One can't tell if the intent is for it to look staged or to be authentic (documentary-like). There are many sidesplitting moments throughout 'Borat'. Some of the comedy is slapstick, some of it is oddly insightful. Ex's: 1) His manners at a high society dinner table are quite suspect. 2) He can't seem to get a handle on how to properly use a toilet. 3) He makes racial slurs, sexist comments, religious jabs, & offers degrading commentary on Americans, in general. It's all absurd, gross, & wrong ... but I was STILL laughing through a lot of it!
But while most of the film is hilarious, some of it was too offensive, too uncomfortable ... even for me. Some of the bathroom humor goes too far. Because of it, I'd hardly call it the genius political satire that some are claiming it to be. I HATED a lengthy segment where he jumps on a fraternity tour van. Even though the film is barely 80 minutes long, the onslaught of the jokes started to become old towards the end. It lacked sustenance. Still, if you can stomach everything I've included in this review, I'd recommend 'Borat ...' for at least one viewing. It's intermittently entertaining, and fun to watch with anyone who doesn't get offended easily.