Is Borat For You?

I haven’t really felt like writing about much recently, but after seeing the movie, Borat, I felt inspired to get back on the keyboard. For those of you who don’t know, the movie is a mockumentary about Sasha Baron Cohen’s character, Borat, who basically seems to have been created to allow him to pretend to be a foreigner and insult…..well just about everyone. If you are easily offended, or even moderately offended by ‘controversial’ humour, then this probably isn’t the movie for you. I felt the film started off slowly with his initial jokes, such as his introducing the people in his home village in Kazakhstan and pointing out the town rapist while chastising him with “naughty, naughty,” to be not particularly funny, but an insight into the fictional world that Borat lives in. He also has a passionate kiss with a woman who he then introduces as his sister, the number 4 top prostitute in Kazakhstan. I felt all this was a little awkward and wondered where he was going with the whole thing. Strangely enough it was the ‘very’ offensive stuff that was the funniest. Now it should be pointed out that the actor is Jewish himself, before being too disgusted at Borats rather ‘medieval’ attitude that all Jewish people are evil, poisoning monsters. One of the funniest parts of the film was when he and his director accidentally end up at some sort of bed and breakfast run by a friendly, older Jewish couple. Borat and his director are terrified that they will be killed during the night (by this harmless pair) and actually make a run for it. At this point I should explain that probably 85% of the people that he interacts with in this movie, aren’t in on the joke and genuinely seem to think that he is a reporter from another country, who is just experiencing severe culture shock. An example of where this works well is perhaps the most disturbing and disgusting scene of the film where he ends up wrestling nude with his fat director in a nice hotel. The fight continues downstairs (after getting on an elevator filled with some shocked other guests, and into a reception room where there is a dinner for a large group of merchant bankers taking place. The looks on some of the people in that room were priceless!

The whole point of the movie is that Borat is sent to America to learn some good stuff that can be brought back and implemented in Kazakhstan. Once there he begins a quest to find Pamela Anderson and make her his wife. Of course hilarity and numerous disasters ensue. There are some things that seem very odd while watching it, but at the end of the film make sense, eg. The rubber ‘fist’ dildo.

In my opinion as well as having ‘shock’ value, the film also pokes fun at America and people in general. The number of people he attempts to greet by introducing himself and then kissing them on both cheeks, who either swear violently at him, or actually run away, shows how fearfully some people live their lives. There is a whole lot of fun and a reasonable amount of frightening nudity here, but you have to have a broad sense of humour and remember it is all a joke to ‘get’ this film. I liked it overall, but my wife hated it (even though she was laughing a lot!). I give it 7 out of 10.