only very occasionally funny

Rating: 1/10 (13 April 2009)

I've been on the floor with laughter quite a few times when watching Ali G on TV, and given the generally ecstatic reviews of Borat, I had high hopes of this movie. While there are a few good gags in the first half (e.g. the feminists' reaction to Borat/the kids' reaction to the bear), most of the film is simply a succession of puerile teenage pranks and/or variations on 'you've been framed' TV humor: present unsuspecting people with a weird situation and film their reactions. If your idea of humor is, for instance, to enjoy watching two stark naked men wrestling on a bed and then racing around a hotel, still stark naked, and laugh at the surprised/shocked/amused reactions of the onlookers, you'll enjoy this movie. But of you like humor that contains a little more artistry and nuance, stay well away. Oh, and as for the supposed social commentary, this is very very lame. Everyone knows that there are some narrow-minded, bigoted people in the US (as there are in other countries). The movie could have done something creative, and funny, with Borat's encounters with them, but instead there only a few brief scenes like this, and they're just facile.