| Product: |
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (DVD) |
| Date: |
19/11/06 (453 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Very very funny and provocative
Disadvantages: Not that I can think of any
During writing of this review, DVD is still not out for sale but film is being shown in cinemas worldwide. I have seen it few days ago and could not resist writing few words about it and share my views.
Sacha Baron Cohen is well known comedian since his early starts on Channel 4 and his alter-ego Ali G. After being recognized as entertainer with brand new fresh ideas in modern TV comedy, Cohen created another alter-ego character, Borat Sagdiyev, TV reporter from Kazakhstan.
Film Borat is probably one of funniest films ever made, and only time will tell how successful will be after big screen showing finish.
Although film was criticized by Kazakh government (which was already great marketing boost for the film), and by some specific groups (feminists, gay groups, Jews..), it already took the status of most acclaimed screening in 2006.
For those who have seen Borat for the first time, it was probably a shock, some might find it offensive but the film itself tends to cause this sort of reactions with audience.
Borat, played by Cohen, in journalist who leaves Kazakhstan and travel to America to find about cultural differences between two countries, and also learn something that might be useful for him and Kazakhstan after his return.
Film plot seem very simple and the whole story is about little episodes of Borat in America. He seems to be completely lost while meeting people on street who will not appreciate traditional Kazakhs greeting accompanied by kissing, or chick that he carries in underground.
Eventually, Borat falls in love with Pamela Anderson while watching episode of Baywatch and from that point he and his pal Azamat take a journey in derelict rented van from New York to LA where Borat hopes to find Pamela and marry her.
Cohen very wisely chooses location and events to film his work. On one of their stops through US they will attend rodeo event where he sings imaginary Kazakh national anthem with background music of Star Spangled Banner, which obviously bursts into huge fury within the audience and it is time to run from there.
The political speech about G.W.Bush prior the singing where Borat speaks double meaning message, actually criticize American president in the front of him fans an followers is one of classic moments in film.
At that point every viewer of the film starts to realize that Borat does not make sarcastic fun of Kazakhstan at all. He is chauvinist, sexist, anti-Semitist Asian, TV reporter with east European accent, exactly what is the perception of people from this part of the world in eyes of America.
In other words, everything that he does is actually what many ignorant people in US think that people in Eastern Europe and Asia would do.
Borat openly shows that there are huge cultural differences in our world, making it even more obvious with his hilarious behavior in formal situations such a dinner with people who belong to high American society.
He is provocative over the limit, and speaks about things that would never be spoken in situations he finds himself. He strikes into the hearth of Puritanism, makes from every situation an incident and makes people to laugh their hearths out.
Borat is film that needs to be seen, and whoever finds is offensive should ask is there are really reason for this.
Cohen specifically criticize Jews through his humour, and being Jewish himself gives just another line of originality to the film, considering that he does it in a way, that even non-Jewish people might find his humour offensive.
There is nothing dangerous in Borat film, but it is dangerously entertaining and that is all.
Although the main emphasis is on sarcastic humour, every single person could find some bits in the film where Borat criticize audience itself and they way of thinking about something they do not know (like Kazakhstan, this somewhere-in-Asian-misteriuos-country)
Personally I didn’t know a lot about Kazakhstan before that film, but I knew that they do not keep women in cages and do not drink fermented horse urine.
However, Borat made me to gather more information about that country. If one of the purposes in film is to decrease amount of my and everybody else’s ignorance about places we have prejudices, that this film is just on the spot.
But if only aim was to make people painfully entertained, then it is a masterpiece.
Summary: When you see that film, if you find it funny, you will come back to it probably many times after
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