Indeed, High Five!

Rating: 8/10 (16 March 2007)

I have now watched Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan twice in the last two days and I am still left a bit undecided on the film. Now, I must admit that the film definitely did make me laugh and that it did make me laugh quite loudly a some points, but I wonder if the laughter was a product of the actual comedic content of the film or to what lengths Sacha Baron Cohen would go to entertain his audience and after viewing this film it is quite obvious that he will go to some extreme lengths for some laughs even if those lengths can turn out to be quite tasteless and crude.
Playing the character Borat from his popular cable television show Da Ali G Show, Cohen's character embodies every stereotype held by a number of Americans for individuals from a "third world" country: heavily accented English, unfamiliar with a number of modern appliances, and quite barbaric in issues concerning equality of women, etc. Add to that a thick mustache and black, curly hair Cohen comes across as "Muslim" which is an image that is oftentimes synonymous with "terrorist" in the minds of a number of Americans. To add an even stronger sense of realism to his character Cohen does in fact speak in a foreign language, Hebrew, at various scenes in the film and his partner Ken Davitian speaks Armenian adding gloss to the two men's already impressive acting jobs.
The film itself is quite simple. Borat along with his producer Azamat, Davitian, travel to the U. S. and A. to acquire knowledge in order to benefit their home. These problems include economic, social, and Jew (Cohen was called anti-Semitic by a number of individuals, but he is Jewish himself). After arriving in America after a lovely tour of his home village, Borat hits the streets of New York and tries to introduce himself to a number of individuals which often result in open acts of hostility towards our lanky host. Such scenes continue throughout the film when Borat visits Washington D.C., Atlanta, GA, etc., which results in a number of people revealing their prejudices unawares on camera, and some of their sentiments can be quite harsh especially the owner of the rodeo and the frat boys.
Did Cohen play fair when he and director Larry Charles or can Borat be seen as a film in which a number of Americans expose their warts and all on film for an audience of millions to see? It is hard to say, but with all honesty, some of the individuals showed a great deal of patience with Cohen's character when he was pushing them to their limits. An interesting film that could be viewed from a number of perspectives, Borat definitely is not a film intended for wholesome family entertainment, but one that might show the prejudice and bigotry rampant that hides beneath the wholesomeness