Borat

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)

Somerville Theater, Somerville, MA

December 10, 2006

**** / ****

by Scott Muoio

Borat is a really, really silly movie. It is also really, really funny and had me laughing out loud more than any movie I have seen in a long, long time.

The premise in Borat involves Kazakstani reporter Borat Sagdiyev (Sacha Boren Cohen) traveling through America by RV in hope of capturing the images and sounds of “America, the greatest country in the world” while he searches for his dream girl, Pamela Anderson. Part spoof, part documentary, and outrageously insighting and insightful, Borat travels the country shock and awing everyone he meets with innocently hateful ignorance and unwittingly inappropriate enthusiasm and gusto. All cultures, ethnicities, politics, and social spectrums get a taste of Borat’s shenanigans as the fake reporter confuses, humiliates, and instigates his targets baiting them into revealing every human being’s worst prejudices and deepest intolerances. It’s the kind of thing that makes one laugh with embarrassment for the unwitting marks left in Borat’s wake. And laugh do we ever.

The best parts of Borat come when Borat gleefully slings his room silencing ignorant utterances with reckless abandon. Like a child uttering expressions he has no idea the meaning Borat hilariously challenges our politically correct sensitivities by putting Americans on the spot to either show their own intolerance or come through with accepting colors. Which do you think is funnier? Surprisingly, either outcome wins us over time and again even as the film’s obvious editing bias frequently alters the reality of the situation.

Borat fails, however, when the situations get too phony rather than relying on honest-to-goodness jabs and bystander reaction. A mock book signing with Pamela Anderson hardly rings true with its lack of security and obvious playing along by Anderson. In contrast, a naked wrestling match between Borat and his male traveling companion, the 350 pound Azamat Bagatov (Ken Davitian), through a posh hotel plays on the reaction of the bystanders and is enough to bring down the house. Luckily, the real funny dominates and keeps us guffawing throughout.

There are surely better made comedies from a technical stand point than Borat but this is still Grade A intelligent, bang-for-the-buck humour reminiscent of the best comedies of all-time. Honest, insightful, and hilarious you will be offended, and that’s part of the fun. After all, aren’t the best jokes often those that begin hilariously posturing over our favorite stereotypes until the foundation crumbles as the ones closest to home are finally unveiled? That is Borat in a nutshell.