BORAT:
CULTURAL LEARNINGS OF AMERICA FOR MAKE BENEFIT GLORIOUS NATION OF
KAZAKHSTAN (2006)
Director:
Larry Charles
We live in an era of
political correctness, where everything has to be done or phrased
in a certain way to avoid insulting people or hurting their
feelings. The fact that we live in such an inoffensive,
culturally stifled time makes it all the more surprising that one
of the most popular and talked-about movies of 2006 was a movie
that blatantly thumbs its nose at political correctness. Inspired
by a character from HBO's cult series Da Ali G Show and
boasting a mouthful of a title, Borat: Cultural Learnings of
America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan wears
the term "politically incorrect" like a badge of honor.
The movie's concept is that of a typical comedic mockumentary,
but it does more than elicit laughter, though it does do that in
spades. In its own incredibly crass, irreverent way, it shows us
a side of America that the bleeding hearts would rather forget
existed: the side that isn't politically correct, and probably
never will be.
The film's plot is an extremely
simple one. Popular Kazakh television journalist Borat Sagdiev
(Sacha Baron Cohen) has been appointed by Kazakhstan's Ministry
of Information to film a documentary about life in the United
States. With his producer, Azamat Bogatov (Ken Davitian), in tow,
Borat leaves the third-world squalor of his hometown and heads
for New York City. As he tries to get accustomed to his new,
unfamiliar surroundings, Borat stumbles upon a rerun of Baywatch
on late-night television. And as can be expected, he's
immediately smitten with Pamela Anderson. So smitten, in fact,
that he wants to head to Los Angeles to make her his "virgin
bride." Using the logic that "Pearl Harbor is there...
and so is Texas," Borat tries convincing the reluctant
Azamat that going to California would be in the best interests of
their documentary. Azamat finally relents, and the duo pile into
a dilapidated ice cream truck and make their way across the
country while documenting their exploits as they go. From
unknowingly participating in a gay pride parade and stirring up a
jingoistic frenzy among a rodeo audience ("May George Bush
drink the blood of every man, woman, and child in Iraq!")
before almost causing a riot with his rendition of Kazakhstan's
national anthem, to fleeing in terror from a bed and breakfast
because it's owned by an elderly Jewish couple and catching a
ride with three redneck frat boys whose excessive drinking have
left them with diarrhea of the mouth and constipation of the
brain. In short, it's a road trip dedicated to wreaking as much
lowbrow havoc as possible.
Borat is not going
to be a movie that everyone will like. The fact that the film's
producers have been sued by just about everybody on the face of
the planet is proof enough for that. But the truth of it is that Borat
is a movie that the easily offended should avoid at all costs.
Nothing is sacred; racism, anti-Semitism, misogyny, organized
religion, social status, animal rights activism, the September
11th terrorist attacks, and sex are all touched upon in some form
or fashion, along with some scatology, incest, and uncomfortable
male nudity. This may sound like a cheap cliché, but the movie
has no interest in pushing the envelope; it seeks to beat the
envelope half to death before making a dirty joke at the
envelope's expense. It is a movie that goes to great lengths to
not only offend just about everybody, but to expose the
prejudices that are an inert part of most American citizens. And
it's probably a more entertaining film for it.
It's really hard to judge Borat
on its production. Since the movie is done in the style of a
documentary, director Larry Charles doesn't really have to make
the movie more than what it is. I mean, nobody's seeing Borat
expecting groundbreaking cinematography or anything like that.
And for me, I thought it was a little tough to judge the
Oscar-nominated (!) screenplay — credited to Sacha Baron
Cohen, Peter Baynham, Anthony Hines, and Dan Mazer — when
one considers just how blurry the line between scripted and
unscripted is here. There are moments that are obviously
scripted, others that obviously aren't, and then there's the ones
that could go either way. But it doesn't really matter just how
much went into the writing process, because the movie's success
does not hinge on writing or direction, but on its star and how
he interacts with the unsuspecting people he encounters.
Sacha Baron Cohen is
nothing short of hilarious as Borat, showing a crude
insensitivity that is almost likeable because of his good-natured
demeanor in the role. The character is outspokenly prejudiced,
but Baron Cohen plays Borat with such a naivete that it's really
hard to believe he's serious. He also plays the role of a sort-of
lightning rod, prodding rather non-PC reactions from people.
While his "excited foreigner" behavior and his
scatological gags draw the appropriate (and hilarious) responses
from people, his innocent yet racist/sexist behavior receives
responses that have to be seen and heard to be believed. And
that's the thing with Borat. His outrageousness is funny enough,
but it's the reactions and responses to his antics that truly
push the comedy along.
Borat is one of
those movies that viewers will either really love or really hate.
You'll either want to laugh until it hurts, or want to hurt the
people that are laughing. Simple as that. I'm sure Sacha Baron
Cohen noticed there was a market for subversive, anti-authority
humor out there, because this is a movie that not only mocks
political correctness, but also a movie that is a biting satire
of how we ignorant Americans perceive the world outside our
country's borders. And while it might not be the funniest movie
ever made, as the advertising campaign during Borat's
theatrical release may have led you to believe, it's still
hilarious if it doesn't offend your sensibilities. And even if
you do get offended, that doesn't make the movie less funny (or
awkward, as is the case with the naked brawl between Borat and
Azamat). So I'm going to give the mouthful of a title, Borat:
Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of
Kazakhstan, four stars and a high five.
Very nice!
Final
Rating: ****