Film Review

09 January 2009 02:55 BST

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

Directed by Larry Charles, out November 2nd in cinemas, starring Sacha Baron Cohen, Ken Davitian, Pamela Anderson, 83 minutes.

In a nutshell

Outrageously, unashamedly, lewdly, downright hilarious

What's it all about?

Kazakhstani TV reporter Borat Sagdiyev (Cohen) travels across the US with his producer, Azamat Bagatov, in a bid to discover cultural lessons from the Americans. What ensues is a culture clash of gargantuan proportions and one of the funniest cinematic experiences one could wish for. Borat and Azamat seamlessly move from one excruciating incident to the next as they seek to embrace the "US and A". A chance encounter with an episode of Baywatch and the two are racing to Los Angeles to meet Pamela Anderson. Love is in the air. Not for the faint hearted, this mockumentary threatens to alienate the entire Kazakhstani population as well as Jews, oh and women.

Who's in it?

Sacha Baron Cohen reprises his Borat role that has caused such international attention in the build-up to this film’s release. His comic talents as the loveable, if outright racist and chauvinistic, Kazakhstani reporter, hit the mark every time and he supplies a seemingly endless stream of sensational comedic gems. Ken Davitian ably assists Cohen as the seedy producer and Pamela Anderson provides the focus of the road trip into foreign climes, though how much of it she was actually privy too remains contentious. Forming the butt of many of Cohen’s gags are everyday Americans caught off-guard, though there are brief cameos by the likes of former congressman Bob Barr, who samples some of Borat’s wife’s cheese.

As an example…

"This is Natalya. She is my sister. She is number four prostitute in all of Kazakhstan."

"Are you telling me that that man who tried to put a rubber fist in my annus [anus] was a homosexual?"

Likelihood of a trip to the Oscars

The film essentially plays out as a series of sketches loosely joined by the premise that Borat initially wishes to learn about American culture and then later, marry Pamela Anderson after falling in love with her character CJ from Baywatch. As potential Oscar fodder, forget about it. What this film does deliver, however, is a very relevant sermon on the power of freedom of speech, the concept that nothing is above satire and thus, everyone is fair game. The comedy is a mixture of slapstick and overtly offensive, with a liberal smattering of toilet humour thrown in for good measure. From start to finish, the audience did not stop laughing, which is as good a gauge of a comedy’s effectiveness there is.

What the others say

"Absurd, outrageous, gross, disturbing, insightful, and so funny it’ll burst half the blood vessels in your face." - Empire

"The funniest thing you'll ever, ever see." - The Mirror

So is it any good?

On the surface it may look as though Cohen savages Judaism relentlessly for cheap laughs. And he gets them. However, Cohen exhibits a rare gift for making people say what they think, unwittingly, and consequently, we gain an insight into the workings of certain sections of the US psyche that would hitherto remain covered. To get a mini-stadium full of rednecks cheering as Borat calls for every man, woman and child in Iraq to burn is at worst, very scary. The result is also side-splittingly funny. And there is also an extended nude fight between Borat and Azamat that is unlike anything you will have ever witnessed on screen. Honestly.

Should you be laughing at this? That is the recurring thought as you sit there, surrounded by a cinema full of strangers you can only presume are thinking the same thing. From setting a chicken loose in the New York subway to showing a stranger a picture of his brother’s penis, as the film goes on, this overwhelming feeling engulfs you - This is hilarious. But you really shouldn’t be laughing. Should you?

This is probably the best testament to Cohen’s gift for unsettling, close-to-the-bone comedy and exactly the feeling he would want to instil in his audience. Hail the comic genius that is Sacha Baron Cohen. Long live Borat.

8/10

Adam Bushby

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