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Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit
Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (Larry Charles)
If you don't know who Sacha Baron Cohen is, you've probably at least heard of his most famous character, Ali G.
"Da Ali G Show" was a comedy smash on the BBC and HBO. The schtick is basically Cohen as one of three characters who then intermingle via interviews and such with people who have no idea the characters are put-ons. One of the characters from the show was Borat Sagdiyev, a journalist from Kazakhstan who understands little of the Western world. No matter how absurd or inappropriate the remark, the people not in on the gag usually treat it as a mild misunderstanding born of cultural differences. The
Borat movie doesn't really expand on that premise, which after the dull waste that was
Ali G Indahouse is a relief. The plot of the
Borat movie, such as it is, simply finds Borat traveling across America, ostensibly for his government. But that doesn't really matter. The joy and brilliance of Cohen is winding him up and letting him go. His broken english, complete lack of basic social skills coupled with his natural prejudices against Jews and women make for awkwardness no matter who he comes in contact with.
Borat starts with a glimpse of his small hometown in Kazakhstan before he lands in New York City. Going out with a hidden camera for something as simple as trying to kiss Manhattanites hello on the street is great, and when he lets a chicken loose on a subway car...well, it's just plain funny. Soon Borat is obsessed with meeting a beautiful star from television and the travelogue moves to Washington, D.C. and across the South on the way to California. Whether it's hotel staff, a driving instructor, a car salesman, a group of Feminists, politicians or random people on the street, Cohen never breaks character no matter how outraged, befuddled or bemused the unwitting marks are.
In general the unscripted moments are the best, and while Cohen is hysterical the real secret of success is the reactions of the people captured on film, from the host of the society dinner party who has to teach him basic rules of the toilet, the man backstage at the rodeo who agrees with Borat's solution to dealing with homosexuals or the reactions of the crowd of that small rodeo when he addresses them and tells them how he hopes George Bush drinks the blood of his terrorist enemies, it's the unnamed people on screen who make everything truly special. And while most of the smaller bits inbetween Borat interacting with the unsuspecting are less interesting, the single funniest bit and most sustained laughter comes from a wrestling match between Borat and his producer, Azamat (Ken Davitian), that starts in their hotel room and spills out into the hallway and elevator that really has to be seen to be believed.
The character of Borat works great on
"Da Ali G Show" in seven and ten minute segments. The
Borat movie runs just under 90 minutes, and even though that just barely qualifies as feature length is more than enough. Laughing at basically the same joke for that long is tiring. Not that I ever stopped laughing, there's just nothing else to do with the character that would be nearly as effective and certainly not as funny. Larry Charles, a
"Seinfeld" writer turned producer/director on Larry David's
"Curb Your Enthusiasm" is the right man to manage the outrageousness and painful awkwardness, and though by its nature
Borat becomes repetative, it continually delivers laughs. It's kind of
"Candid Camera" mixed with Larry "Bud Melman from
"Late Night with David Letterman" with a dash of
"Jackass". The bottom line is, it's damn funny.
GRADE: B
