The laugh's on Borat, the shudder's on the Americans... but isn't this just Candid Camera, basically?!

Rating: 5/10 (18 January 2007)

Scattershot satire/documentary of Baron Coen's cult character Borat the Kazsakhi reporter doing the American odyssey and dodging every prejudice possible along the way, including his own. Probably as many rigged as authentic set-pieces, and plenty of big, as well as failed laughs. Coen (who can't stop reminding me of a young John Cleese) is immensely talented in his very raucous, low-brow and puerile humor style, although I haven't seen any Ali G skits- or the movie. But to me eventually, this is basically Candid Camera, a made-for-TV skit collection.
The laugh's certainly on Borat... and the shudder's on the Americans. But it also makes me wonder: how many try-outs to prove the alleged idiocy of the whole American society without scoring ANY points did they actually make? A howler is the posh dinner party!
5 out of 10 from Ozjeppe.