"Although Kazakhstan A Glorious Country, It Have A Problem, Too: Economic, Social, And Jew." --- Borat (Sacha Baron Cohen)

Rating: 8/10 (14 April 2007)

"Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" (2006)
Directed By: Larry Charles
Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen & Ken Davitian
MPAA Rating: "R" (for pervasive strong crude and sexual content including graphic nudity, and language)
Sacha Baron Cohen is probably best known for his work on the hugely-popular "Da Ali G Show". One of the characters portrayed in the television series was Kazakhstani television reporter, Borat (played by Cohen). Borat was famous for being anti-Semitic and for being a nymphomaniac. There is not a person in this world of which this man has not made funbut, just to be safe, Cohen decided to expand his character to the silver screen and, thus, we have "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan". I had heard a variety of things about this movie. This movie is one of those that you will either love or you will hate. It's a crude, rude, and deeply shameless movie that takes aim at everyone, from President Bush to Jews. "We support your war of terror," Borat cries to a crowd at a rodeo. Nothing is left unscathed when Borat comes to America and, surprisingly enough, I enjoyed every minute of it. I adore movies that are politically incorrect (i.e. "Thank You for Smoking" and "American Dreamz") and "Borat" is probably the most incorrect of them all.
Kazakhstani TV personality Borat (Cohen) is sent by his country's government to give a report on "the greatest country in the world"--yes, the United States of America. Heading to New York first, Borat and his documentary crew begin to interview various people and make friendsor, more appropriately, enemiesall over the city. But, when Borat happens upon a rerun of "Baywatch", he falls head over heels in love with Pamela Anderson. Soon, Borat begins a road trip across the United States to California so that he may find Pamela and marry her. You have probably heard about the multiple lawsuits against Sacha Baron Cohen and this movie. That is because many (some say all, but I seriously doubt that) of the scenes were shot without a script and with unknowing individuals who fall prey to Cohen's performance. This means that this movie, aside from the actual character of Borat, is as real as possible. I understand why the people in the movie would be angry about being fooled, but I can't help but to assume that this is why the movie worked so well. The genuine reactions of these random people to Borat are priceless and provide more laughs than the title character himself.
The performancesokay, performance is absolutely flawless. Having never seen "Da Ali G Show", I wasn't sure about Sacha Baron Cohen and, in all honesty, from the previews, he just looked very annoying. I was prepared to hate him, but, once the movie started, I just couldn't help but love him. He's hilarious and immediately engaging. The only other performance is that of Ken Davitian who plays Borat's partner in crime Azamat Bagatov. He provided a stark contrast to Cohen's over-the-top performance and his inclusion was probably one of the smartest things the filmmakers did. If not for Davitian's more subdued character, Cohen's Borat would probably have irritated me more than he already did. The rest of the cast predominately included unwitting victims to Cohen's game and, though I am sure that some of them are probably staged actors and actresses, I won't waste time trying to differentiate between the actual actors and just regular people. Though, if they were actors and actresses, they did a good job.
This movie is an open-and-shut case. It's a simple comedy, much like "Jackass Number Two". A grown man does stupid stuff and we laugh--this isn't rocket science and it certainly shouldn't be treated as such. On the negative side of things, the character of Borat really did get on my nerves from time to time. On top of that, some bits just didn't entertain me as much as they just disgusted me. For example, when Borat and Azamat are running through a hotel completely naked, it was just awkward and gross. But, when everything was said and done, "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" is easily one of the funniest movies of the year. It is crude, offensive, and just plain weird, but very effective. Sure, you may feel guilty for laughing at the end, but the important thing is that you will laughfor the entire time.
Final Thought: "Borat" will make you laugh and that is enough reason to watch.
Overall Rating: 8/10 (A-)