As Borat would say, "I like!" but I have to say I didn’t completely love. Lemme clarify – I’m a huge fan of Da Ali G Show, Borat being a particular highlight. And by staying true to its roots, shooting largely improvised guerilla-style, the movie takes discomfort comedy to incredible new levels.It’s often shockingly funny, emphasis on the shocking. Particularly if you haven’t seen star Sacha Baron Cohen’s style of comedy – pushing faux interviews past the point of decency in order to expose prejudices – you’ll likely miss many lines from laughing so hard.
But the fact that this also operates as “commentary comedy” raises the bar, and there are bits that don’t quite measure up. Most of the movie exposes some sort of hypocrisy, but occasionally it just exposes… itself. For example, the soon-to-be-much-discussed nude wrestling scene is unquestionably funny. Staggeringly so, in fact. But compared to Borat getting advice from a rodeo supervisor to shave off his mustache so he “doesn’t look like one of those damn Muslims,” what’s it saying? I suppose one could say it’s about America’s discomfort with overt displays of male homosexuality, but, you know, what culture is known for embracing an extended nude fight between a morbidly obese man and a guy wielding a rubber fist sex toy?
It’s fearless filmmaking, tho – and that’s what makes most of Borat sheer genius. Cohen’s known for never breaking character, even in moments of real physical danger. He takes bumbling Borat on a tour of the country in search of his version of the American dream, tackling race, religion, relationships and more.
And seeing ourselves through Borat’s eyes is unrelentingly, and painfully hilarious. So watch it – even if you find yourself looking away at times.
2 comments:
All sorts of fun. I missed entire portions of dialogue from laughing so damn hard. Very Nice!
I can almost see the dozens of imitators jockeying for position now. I'll bet on Kyrgyzstan as the next hot property.
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