Borat (2006) ***

Rating: 8/10 (26 November 2006)

I still go to the theater, but rarely on a Friday or Saturday night. My wife, who's always into "what's new", spontaneously suggested seeing this last evening and since it sounded humorous enough I took the chance. I'm glad I did, since I ended up having a great time and got to see a funny film with an appreciative audience who was in hysterics from start to finish! I'll say right from the beginning that my experience was enhanced by seeing this as movies were intended to be seen - with a fun audience having a great time together in the theater. I don't think it would nearly have been as much of a good time at home alone.
Borat Sagdiyev (Sacha Baron Cohen) is a modest TV personality living in the "backwards" (as the film portrays it) country of Kazakhstan, located in Central Asia. He sets out on a mission to America to make a documentary, first arriving awkwardly in New York City and then making his way slowly to California to search for Pamela Anderson after seeing her on an episode of Baywatch on his hotel television and falling in love with her. His wild and crude journey through the USA is continuously funny, and the rapid pace at which the gags are fired away is constant and never lets up. This is already a film that's being called disgusting, offensive, insensitive, you name it -- and I admired that it crosses many politically correct lines and may certainly get some panties twisted here and there, for people who take things too seriously. It's hard to dislike the naive character of Borat and I can't remember the last time I had this much fun with a comedy at the movies. *** out of ****