Borat (1 & 2)

BORAT: CULTURAL LEARNINGS OF AMERICA FOR MAKE BENEFIT GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN (15)

D: Larry Charles

20th Century Fox (Sacha Baron Cohen & Jay Roach)

UK/USA 🇬🇧 🇺🇸 2006

84 mins

Comedy

W: Sacha Baron Cohen, Peter Baynham, Anthony Hines & Dan Mazer [based on the TV character created by Sacha Baron Cohen]

DP: Anthony Hardwick & Luke Geissbuhler

Ed: Peter Teschner & James Thomas

Mus: Erran Baron Cohen

Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat Sagdiyev), Ken Davitian (Azamat Bagatov), Pamela Anderson (herself)

Based on the character made famous on Channel 4's Da Ali G Show, Borat is a fictional Kazakh TV presenter and journalist who travels America as a somewhat naïve foreigner, interviewing various people on subjects varying from evangelistical Christianism to feminism, etiquette, politics, religion and homophobia, provoking a series of embarrassing reactions from those not in on the joke.

The film has been heavily criticised in Kazakhstan for making fun of it's people, but it made an absolute fortune for writer/producer/star Sacha Baron Cohen.

It is very funny, but almost xenophobic with its stereotypes and incredibly politically incorrect with its humour. Great comedy always comes at the expense of offending someone though.

7/10

Sacha Baron Cohen in Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM: DELIVERY OF PRODIGIOUS BRIBE TO AMERICAN REGIME FOR MAKE BENEFIT ONCE GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN (aka BORAT 2) (15)

D: Jason Woliner

Amazon/Four By Two/Oak Springs (Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines & Monica Levinson)

US 🇺🇸 2020

96 mins

Comedy

W: Peter Baynham, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jena Friedman, Anthony Hines, Lee Kern, Dan Mazer, Erica Rivinoja & Dan Swimer [based on characters created by Sacha Baron Cohen]

DP: Luke Guissbühler

Ed: Craig Alpert, Michael Giambra & James Thomas

Mus: Erran Baron Cohen

Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat Sagdiyev), Maria Bakalova (Tutar Sagdiyev), Dani Popescu (Premier Nursultan Nazarbayev), Manuel Vieru (Dr. Yamak), Tom Hanks (himself)

Sacha Baron Cohen returns as the unfiltered Kazakh journalist, a character that came to prominence in the UK on the comedy series “The 11 O’Clock Show”, before becoming more famous with the 2006 mockumentary that took him to America.

Since he was relatively unknown in his original screen outing, it was interesting to see how a follow-up film would work, especially since the first film wasn’t taken well by the people of Kazakhstan.

This time around, Borat Sagdiyev once again visits America, this time with his daughter, who he plans to offer as a bribe to US Vice President, Mike Pence. However, his daughter discovers feminism and becomes a journalist in her own right, interviewing a well known political figure in a gobsmacking scene that will certainly cause quite a scandal.

Aside from the controversial moments, the film seems quite happy to mock Middle America, republican voters and politicians, as well as the coronavirus pandemic that has affected the entire world. All in time to be released prior to the 2020 presidential election... as though the media have ever been bias about such things.

I’m all for political satire, but this felt more like bullying. Picking on the little guys who the filmmaker’s believe are totally beneath them. I always find it more entertaining when comedians punch up, rather than down... and perhaps this would have been fine if the film was funny, but it really wasn’t, despite its attempts to capture the essence of the original film.

5/10

Sacha Baron Cohen in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm