Borat: Movie & DVD Review (2006)

(Originally published 2006)

In the brash, funny new mockumentary "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan," the question isn’t whether we should be offended by Borat Sagdiyev (Sacha Baron Cohen), who comes from Kazakhstan armed with a motherlode of anti-Semitism and crude malapropisms.

Instead, the movie’s twist--and its genius, really--is whether we should pity those real-life Americans tricked by Cohen, who is Jewish, into revealing some rather telling sides of themselves, such as whether they are anti-Semites, homophobes, misogynists, bigots, racists, you name it.

The film, which Larry Charles based on a script by Cohen, Anthony Hines, Peter Baynham and Dan Mazer, builds its story of deceit around Borat, a likable wreck whom we first see enthusiastically showing us around his muddy village.

There, Borat introduces us to the town's rapist ("Naughty, naughty!"), passionately kisses a woman we later learn is his sister ("She the fourth most popular prostitute in Kazakhstan! Sexytime!"), and enters his home, which he apparently shares with the family cow.

This also is a place that features the popular event "The Running of the Jew," which likely is one reason that the government of Kazakhstan officially has condemned the film. The same also can't be said for North American audiences, which have since made "Borat" a box-office smash. Could it be that they're in on the joke? Or might it be that some favor the bashing? Probably a mix of both, though truly it would take an idiot not to understand that Cohen is aiming for insight here, albeit through a very raw, dark vehicle of humor.

The film's slim premise goes like this--Borat is charged by his country to travel to the United States with his producer, Azamat (Ken Davitian), to make an informative documentary that presumably will allow Kazakhstan to benefit from all that we've learned. But not so fast. It's in New York that he comes upon the television show "Baywatch" and falls in love with Pamela Anderson. Shifting gears, Borat decides to go cross-country to California, where he hopes to realize his own American dream and convince Anderson to marry him.

It's on that road trip that the film realizes its stinging worth--it becomes a nest of vignettes in which Cohen nudges himself into pockets of our culture that some would sooner wish to forget.

For instance, right now Alan Keyes likely isn't a big Borat fan, nor is conservative radio host Bob Barr, each of whom is skewered. There's the scene in which Borat, dressed in patriotic flair, draws cheers at a Virginia rodeo when he applauds President Bush for his "war of terror!" The crowd goes wild. And let's not forget the vendor who is asked by Borat which gun would be perfect for killing a Jew--and then, incredibly, the man shows him exactly which one he’d use. Finally, it’s tough to forget Borat’s revealing interaction with several drunk college dudes, all of whom, you hope, will one day work through their stunted issues surrounding sexuality and become better people.

Or not.

Grade: B+