Posted: 11/09/2006

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

(2006)

by Tony Liccardello

Hysterical. Hilarious. Idiotically brilliant. Borat is a comedy unlike anything seen before on the big screen, one that can bring laughter-induced tears. A comedy that lets the viewer in on the secret that none of its supporting characters know about: that Borat is a character brilliantly created by Sacha Baron Cohen. But this isn’t an ordinary comedy. Many of the sequences are ‘put your hands in front of your eyes’ awkward, much like the British TV show The Office. It is satirical, clever, and gross. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan has, surprisingly, emerged as the funniest film this year.

The story follows Borat Sagdiyev, a naïve Kazakastani who is preparing to leave on a research trip to the US and A. He must gather as much information about America as he can to bring back and help improve his homeland. That is about as much plot as there as you can put down on paper. For once Borat gets to the US and A, he makes various trips ranging from singing a national anthem at a rodeo, lessons from a humor coach, a meeting with a group of feminists, or trying to purchase a gun. Each trip is supposed to help Borat learn about how great a country America is. His trip becomes much more distinct once he sees an old Baywatch episode, as he decides he will do whatever possible to meet Pamela Anderson.

Anyone familiar with Da Ali G Show will know exactly how Borat is structured. For everyone else, it’s like this: 99.9% of the people in this film have no idea who Borat is. They really think he is a Kazakastani, and their reactions are honest and real. That is part of the reason why this film is so compelling. Cohen has created a character that is innocently naïve, quirky, and dumb. When he greets women, he asks them, “How much?” The thick accent provides a language barrier that causes Borat to speak like this: “My country send me to United States to make movie-film.” Mixed with his enthusiasm, accent, and his brilliantly hilarious choice of words, Borat is hysterical to watch with unsuspecting victims.

But there also is substance to this film. When Borat visits a rodeo, the manager tells him that homosexuals should be hung from the gallows. Later, when Borat is singing, the crowd cheers when he says, “Premier Bush drinks the blood of every man, woman, and child in Iraq.” What Cohen has created here is a character that has dived into our society and shown our flaws in an honest way. From racism to sexism, celebrity obsession to ignorance, Cohen has captured what severely plagues our culture.

This film is probably not for everyone, as it is vulgar and obscene, and has one of the more disgusting scenes in recent memory. But it is a brilliant comedy that has shaped up to be one of the best films of this year.

Grade: 5 stars out of 5

Tony Liccardello is a film critic living in Chicago.

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