Spring Break
The Daily OrangeFictional Kazakh journalist travels the world, one random interaction at a time
By Tim Goessling
Posted: 10/5/06, 9:13 PM EST Section: Splice
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Directed by: Larry Charles
Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen
Five stars
"Borat" is hands down one of the most hilarious movies I have ever seen. This is the type of movie that the laughter is so frequent and so potent I was worried I was going to stop breathing. People are saying this film gives Kazakhstan a bad image; I say, honestly, who cares. Most of the people who see this movie should be smart enough to realize there is a difference between the portrayal in the film and what the country is really like.
Borat is a fictional Kazakh journalist played by British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. The film is a simple story about how Borat discovers true love with Pamela Anderson after being sent to America by his native country. After learning she lives in California, he sets off an epic journey to marry her and "make cosmic love explosion on her chest."
The film has two components: the story and the segments. Both coincide with each other, but function as separate entities. The story parts are scripted sequences about Borat and his traveling companion Azamat. The other components are the segments, unscripted interactions that Borat has with people who do not know he is a comedian in disguise. The sequences contain some of the most hilarious, shocking and offensive material I have ever seen.
The way Borat interacts with random people is what makes it hilarious. He is extremely awkward and uses the people's kindness to get away with his shtick. American people say things you would not expect from them, making the segments shocking, but some comments made regarding homosexuals, blacks and women are despicable and not humorous.
Borat works as a character because he is exposing the harsh truths of America. A criticism of the film is that it is anti-Semitic. In Tuesday's Daily Orange column, Dave Arey quoted Borat's song "Throw the Jew down the Well" as anti-Semitic. Sure, it's anti-Semitic, but it's being sung by a Jewish person to prove a point. The point of that scene is that the American audience in Tuscon, Ariz. was loving the song and cheering Borat on. People worry about Kazakhstan getting a bad image after the film, but the country with the worst image in the film is the United States.
I highly recommend this film to everyone because it will instigate dialogue about where Americans stand on issues regarding race, sex and religion. And in case you haven't figured it out yet, as Borat says, the film, "It's nicceeeeee."
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Chucktown
posted 10/06/06 @ 7:08 PM EST
I can't wait to see this film. Cohen is a genious and all of his characters work on so many levels. He will finally get the recognition he deserves with this film. (Continued…)
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