Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Heralded as one of the funniest movies ever made upon its release last summer, Borat: No Way I'm Retyping That Whole Title Every Time may have been a tad overrated by the time the Mrs. and I got around to it. The concept of a British-Jewish comedian duping Americans into thinking he's an uncivilized, anti-Semitic journalist from a backwards former Soviet-bloc nation bursts at the seams with comic possibilities. Borat works best as a satire, when Cohen uses his fake alter ego to expose the bigotry and ignorance of Americans who deserve it. A great example is the ride he hitches with a group of crude frat boys from South Carolina, one of whom is probably a future U.S. Senator (speaking of which, Cohen does a good number on former Congressman and noted hypocrite Bob Barr). But too often Borat devolves into a mean-spirited attempt to offend people who, mostly, are just trying to extend common courtesy or hospitality to this buffoon. It's lowball humor, but more vulgar. The whole movie, most of which is improvised, alternates between furious laughter and downright embarrassing situations (or both—a now infamous nude wrestling scene manages to cause simultaneous laughter and nausea). Borat is not a film for those with delicate sensibilities, but then that's part of Cohen's mission; to stick it to people who take life far too seriously.
- July 26, 2007
DVD Extras
1.85:1 widescreen; 5.1 Dolby Digital. An extremely well-assembled DVD, with funny menu screens that look like old Soviet industrial films; two sets of deleted scenes (only one scene funny enough that it could have made the final cut); a Kazakhstah homage to Baywatch; Rodeo News Report; a featurette on the Borat world promotion tour.