Racism and Satire aside.. it really wasn't that funny

Rating: 6/10 (29 November 2006)

Borat has somehow managed to get a fairly high score. There has been much talk from it's critics of it being racist and needlessly offensive. The defenders of it claim it is all satire and people need to 'chill out.'
The portrayal of Borat as a Kazakhstani is fairly generic. If you were to go into the film thinking Cohen is expecting you to see it is an accurate portrayal then the joke is on you. It's obviously exaggerated, as most of the movie is.
On top of this (as in any movie showing 'how stupid Americans are') the people he interviews and their reactions have obviously been selected to accentuate this exaggerated approach. Some scenes are so exaggerated they would be considered slap stick, and then the slap stick moments are so amateur that it might as well be an episode of 'punkt' or 'candid camera' If you like Jackass, you might like this, but it's probably far too tame.
The other thing that many have been mentioning is whether certain parts were staged or whether it was 'all real' Most people have caught on that the scene with Pamela Anderson is staged. The thing to ask is... was it all staged? I wouldn't be surprised. There are 'reports' of people in the movie taking Cohen to court, but whether these are actually part of the marketing and publicity of the film is yet to be revealed.
The main thing you want to know is if the film is worth seeing. It comes across as an extended version of a TV skit. The first half hour is entertaining enough, the remainder of the movie is a bit flat.
My Advice: Don't see it at the cinema. It might be worth hiring the DVD when it comes out if you're really bored and can't find anything else.