The joke's on us, and Kazakhstan is in on it.

Rating: 8/10 (18 September 2007)

Java Man Reviews "Borat: Cultural Leanings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" (2006, R). Directed by Larry Charles. Written by Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Peter Baynham & Don Mazer. Starring Sacha Baron Cohen, Ken Davitian & Pamela Anderson. Running Time: 83 minutes. This review originally appeared in LakewoodBuzz.com.
OVERVIEW:
Borat (Cohen) is a Kazakh TV journalist who has been assigned to come to America and make a documentary about our people and culture. He also happens to be a sexist, racist, chauvinist, and any other "ist" one could possibly imagine. In his NYC hotel room, he sees an old Baywatch episode, becomes smitten with Pamela Anderson and decides to head for Hollywood--in an old ice cream truck--in order to make her his bride.
On the way, he and his crew, including his slovenly producer Azamat (Davitian) encounter a cross section of everyday Americans, upsetting and insulting every one of them as they go. He bickers over women's brain size with feminists, parties with drunken frat boys and visits the home of southern conservatives with a prostitute as his date. When invited to sing our national anthem at a rodeo, he is at first greeted with cheers, until he revises the lyrics and the audience viciously turns on him. He barely escapes.
REVIEW: 3 1/2 OUT OF 4 JAVA MUGS
"Satire is a sort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discover everybody's face but their own." Jonathan Swift
When this film first came out, there was a lot of talk about how the nation of Kazakhstan was displeased about being the victim of Cohen's unkind cuts. We laughed. But as we file out of the movie, we realize that it is America, not Kazakhstan, whose face is discovered in Cohen's Swiftian mirror. I suspect that the central Asian nation, with its recent increase in tourism, may have been in on the joke.
In fact, the British Cohen (who is also Jewish) is following in a great satiric tradition made popular in the coffeehouses of early 18th century England in the stories of Addison and Steele, as well as Swift. It is called the "Innocent Eye" or "Fish out of Water" technique, where an outside observer innocently reacts to the absurdities of the predominant society. Cohen takes it to its limits, and thus the well-deserved R rating.
There are many gross-out moments, especially when Borat nude wrestles with his fleshy producer; but there are also huge laughs, as we look on while people just like us become Borat's victims. Cohen stays in character even when he is about to be pummeled. In fact, Borat--and not Cohen--has traveled the movie's promotional talk-show circuit. His appearance on Conan O'Brien's late-night show was especially disgusting (and, of course, funny).
Director Charles deserves a lot of credit here. No stranger to comedy, the Seinfeld veteran somehow convinced all these people to cooperate, shot the scenes with a straight face, and got each set-up done in one take. (Once the marks knew they were made, the crew would have to wrap the set and make a quick getaway). The American location work is engaging, but the opening scenes in Kazakhstan are wonderfully bizarre. (They were actually shot in Rumania).
Suggestion: When the nude wrestling sequence starts, take a trip to the refreshment stand.