A truly irreverent mockumentary

Rating: 7/10 (10 February 2008)

In this film Sacha Baron Cohen plays Borat Sagdiyev, a Kazakhstan native sent to the United States to film a documentary that will show his people the way to prosperity. As you might expect, Borat experiences a major case of 'culture shock', leading to numerous humorous escapades.
Cohen demonstrates some sizable comedic chops as he basically carries this film on his own. The character of Borat has an endearing naïveté which causes him to repeatedly get himself into trouble.
If there's one thing I can say about the humour in this film, it's that it pulls no punches. However, while no-one should take anything that Borat says seriously some of the 'enlightened' Americans come off as more disturbing than funny. Maybe it's just me, but unscripted statements endorsing misogyny, racism and homophobia delivered with utmost sincerity are not funny in the least.
Most viewers will probably alternate between laughter and slack-jawed speechlessness like myself but if you can take it all with a grain of salt then you'll get a kick out of this unrestrained mockumentary.