"Borat!: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan"
Directed by: Larry Charles. Starring Sacha Baron Cohen, Ken Davitian.
Borat Sagdiyev, the Kazakhstani TV reporter created and performed by Sacha Baron Cohen, is the star of "Borat!: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan". The character, previously seen on the "Da Ali G Show" on HBO, is famous for his humorous interviews with unsuspecting Americans. In this film, that same idea is given a rough storyline, which is basically spelled out in the subtitle to the film. In addition to learning about America, Borat comes across the show "Baywatch" and falls in love with Pamela Anderson. With the goal of meeting her, he, his producer Azamat Bagatov (Ken Davitian), and the chicken in his suitcase, set off on a road trip across America.
The film is really all about Borat's encounters along the way- and those encounters are similar to the ones from "Da Ali G Show". After some shenanigans in New York, Borat and company buy an old ice cream truck and wind their way through the U.S. Each stop is hilarious in its own way and most of the time we're laughing at Borat's interpretation of everyday situations from the perspective of the clueless, misogynistic, and racist character.
On one hand, it's refreshing to see how sweet and compassionate so many people are in dealing with Borat- how willing they are to try to work with his ridiculous persona. A lot of people really go out of their way to help Borat. On the other hand, not everyone is presented in his or her best light. This film is proof that racism and sexism is not something Americans can attribute only to our past- in case anyone was under the impression that we were beyond that behavior. Whether it's the racist and sexist drunk college guys or the racist rodeo worker, Borat's character seems to bring out the worst in some people. Some may point to the somewhat shady means of gathering permission for the interviews, but regardless of whom they believed they were speaking with, the comments made by several participants would still be easily categorized as downright offensive.
It was interesting to hear the audience's reactions to Borat's exploits. There was definitely some shock mixed in with the nearly non-stop laughter.
You can appreciate this film for what it is- a raunchy comedy. But it’s difficult to ignore, beyond the insanity of Borat's interviews and interactions, the stereotypes that exist today in America.
Story: B-
Acting: B
Visuals: B-
Originality: B
Enjoyability: A-
Overall: B
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