Horrible, horrible film.

Rating: 1/10 (8 November 2007)

Let me start by saying that I actually like Sacha Baron Cohen and his characters, including Borat. I think that he is a true talent, and that his technique and timing are impeccable.
This film, to me, was a real disappointment. You see, the charm of the television show was that it lambastes a wide cross-section of people, and the audience is pretty much in on the joke. The movie lacked both of these elements. It focused almost exclusively on unsophisticated middle-Americans, who are almost too easy a target for parody, to the point that his pranks lack any kind of diversity or inventiveness and almost begin to seem cruel in many cases. To me, Cohen is at his best when he takes on the cultural elites and those who take themselves far too seriously (feminists, academics, politicians, vegans etc.), not just poor, often well-meaning shlubs who were unlucky enough to encounter Borat and his cameras.
The other major flaw was the fact that Cohen insisted on carrying a bizarre and stinted narrative throughout the movie. Everyone who goes to see this film knows that Borat isn't a real person sent to interview Americans on behalf of Kazakhstan, so the subplot of his slimy producer and their relationship just seems forced and out of place. The worst scenes of the movie are the ones of Borat and the producer arguing. It makes a film that is already struggling that much more difficult to enjoy.
There are surely some laughs to be had, but you are better off buying DVDs of 'The Ali G Show' to see Cohen at his best, rather than wasting time on Borat.