Satire in One of Its Finest Cinematic Moments: In Short, FUNNY!

Rating: 9/10 (5 November 2006)

I'd been waiting to see this movie for a long time, and I was not disappointed. From the very beginning, to the very end, the movie will make you laugh. Cohen (Borat) is brilliant, as is the material. The key lies in a hilarious blend of Borat's innocence, naiveté, preoccupation with everything sexual, and Borat's fear of Jewish people. In addition to the material, the film is also hilarious because of Cohen's ability to play the straight man with such conviction, in the presence of complete strangers (usually). Cohen's character pushes the boundaries of nearly every politically incorrect subject, and while this in itself is not funny, the fact that Cohen is making fun of people who are really racist or sexist or bigots in real life IS what's funny. This is what people don't understand. In fact, 5 minutes into the movie, a couple sitting next to me in the theater actually got up and left the theater. This movie, this actor, the character he created (Ali G is equally funny), and the material IS NOT being insensitive or racist or xenophobic or politically incorrect. What this movie is doing is actually making fun of people who are really like this; that's why it's called satire. Cohen is turning the mirror unto the face of the real enemy, ignorance, while simultaneously advertising the scary reality: that there are people in this world who hate others because the color of their skin, or their sexual orientation, or the higher power they worship differs from what they are used to. These people are everywhere; maybe it's your next door neighbor, maybe it's you. So, if you see Borat and find it disturbing, it's either because 1) you don't appreciate the satirical quality of this film; and/or, 2) you are one of these people that the film is making fun of, and don't appreciate the kind of inequality or unfair treatment with which your perspective is being dealt.