A Comedy the World Has Needed

Rating: 10/10 (11 November 2006)

I've just witnessed one of the most crude, unapologetically discriminatory films of all time....... and loved it!
Borat is pure comedic genius. The fictional character (Borat) is a creation of British actor Sacha Baron Cohen who hails from "Da Ali G Show." Borat is a Kazakhstani television personality on a mission to the United States, the "greatest country in the world" to film a documentary so that his country may learn about the culture of the USA. Borat himself is a paradox; he greats us with a Polish "Jak sie masz" but his physical appearance is of Middle Eastern descent. It should not be difficult to understand that Borat does not represent anything remotely Kazakhstani, but rather, a clever manifestation of western ignorance of other cultures. How many audience goers actually knew he was speaking polish? All his hilarious quips and accounts of his 'beloved country' should be taken with a grain of salt - I highly doubt they have cars pulled by donkeys in Kazakhstan. Those who enjoy this film will see the political incorrectness of his opinions and crude behavior as the highest form of social satire in a time where political correctness goes hand in hand with western cultural dominance and civility.
While America is far too easy a target in the film, it is also the most appropriate target. Here is a nation that touts itself as the beacon of truth and freedom, in a time where the war on terror is also a cultural war. A place where Christian ideologues criticize Muslim extremists, yet turn their gaze from evangelists and the 'revival movement' and their antics; talks shows discuss the prejudices against women in the Middle East and try to fathom how anyone could live in such a place, believing their society to be more equitable to members of the opposite sex; a place whose citizens consider themselves friendly and tolerant towards others, but ignite into a rage if you greet them on a subway train, let alone speak to them. What Sacha Baron Cohen has effectively done is turn the magnifying glass back onto ourselves: the movie no longer concerns itself with the crazy antics of Borat, but the cultural reactions and sometimes unsolicited opinions of some of the unfortunate people who found themselves in this movie. In this way, the movie really does become a documentary, showcasing Western culture at its worst.
Critics of this movie will point to the multiple instances of discrimination, the anti-semitism, and other outlandish behavior of Cohen as hateful and morally degenerate; however, these moments are so completely ridiculous in their execution that you would have to lack any sense of humour, or even INTELLIGENCE to take anything seriously that Borat does. Cohen himself is part Jewish, so the anti-semitic claims have no basis here. It's not anti-Kazakhstani (for reasons discussed earlier). If anything, it might be anti-western but Cohen is British and apparently, lives in the U.S. This film merely pokes fun at some of the socio-cultural ideas and behaviors of western society.
I highly recommend this film! The audience was laughing so hard at times you couldn't even hear the film anymore. The world has been needing a movie like this in a long time.