A Scathingly Brilliant Comedy

Rating: 10/10 (6 November 2006)

In his new movie Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazahkstan (you'll only see me use the full title once in this review), Cohen sets a comedic milestone in film history, soaring above everyone else's heads, leaving all other films in the dust, with its genius blend of documentary, slapstick comedy, sharp political wit, intelligent social critique, and all-out gut-busting hilarity.
From the slums of Borat's home village in Kazahkstan all the way coast of California, nothing is off-limits. Filmed as part mockumentary, part road trip, the movie follows Cohen as he travels across the country as Borat, a Kazahkstani journalist who is on a mission to America to learn more about our culture so that he can better aid the Kazahkstani government. The catch is this, though: everything in the film is real. None of the people, as they were being interviewed, knew that Borat was actually Cohen, allowing a full-out range of comedy to unfold.
The kind of comedy this movie gives has been questioned - many people find it horribly offensive and can't laugh at it. Comedy survives, it thrives, when people take chances. Cohen has taken these chances, and the result is a comedy that knows no bounds. This film is the funniest film of the year, probably even the funniest film that I've ever seen. It is the kind of movie that will have you laughing literally every two minutes or less. More than likely it will be every thirty seconds. You'll burst out laughing, your sides will begin to hurt, you'll be bent over in stitches, but you'll have to compose yourself so that you can hear the next joke that comes along. You can choose to be offended by what Borat says and does, but you'll only miss out on the most amazing comedy in years. I can laugh when Borat is terrified of a couple of Jews that he ends up needing to room with, I can howl with hilarity when he slowly realizes that some gay people may have taken advantage of him, but this doesn't mean I'm homophobic or anti-Semitic. I am laughing at the character. I am laughing at the poor soul who unwittingly plays right into Cohen's clever comedic traps. Cohen is the heart and soul of this film. He inhabits his character so thoroughly and so believably that if you met him on the street you probably wouldn't question him either. People who are offended by this film cling so desperately to their previously conceived notions of decorum, politeness, and properness, that they themselves are revealed to be prejudiced, the very target of Cohen's brilliantly aimed comedic missile. It is precisely our ideas of what is offensive and what is not that make this movie so devilishly hilarious. Lighten up, people - some things really aren't that important.
The low point of the movie occurs when it delves into near Jackass quality with a scene of extensive nudity. But that's just about the only thing that's "wrong" with the film, and it isn't even really wrong. It is hilarious, though, and it works for the scene. It doesn't feel contrived at all.
With Borat, Sacha Baron Cohen has crafted an intelligent, sharp, witty, comedic masterpiece, one with bite, brawn, and scathingly intelligent and clever satire. It has no equal. Nothing can compete, and nothing will stand in its way. Even its detractors only enhance its genius. Merciless, smart, and above all, hilarious, this film heralds a new age of fearless comedy.