2008 Woodie Awards
'Borat' highly offensive, absolutely hilarious
Chris Tomera
Issue date: 11/8/06 Section: Entertainment
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Borat, as some probably know, is the creation of comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. Cohen created Borat along with characters like Ali G and Bruno for "Da Ali G Show."
The whole joke of these characters is when he interviews political figures or just random people on the street, he's in character and they have no idea how to react to him.
The story for Borat is that he's a TV personality from Kazakhstan who must travel to the "U.S. of A." to better understand the land of the free and bring back his knowledge to his homeland.
The portrayal of Kazakhstan as a country filled with womanizers and anti-Semites is far from flattering, so much so that this film has been banned in that country. (It should probably be noted that Cohen himself is Jewish.)
Borat travels to the United States, and from his first encounters on the subways of New York, I couldn't stop laughing.
I haven't seen a movie this offensive since "Team America: World Police," but then again, I probably haven't laughed as hard since then, either.
There are so many uncomfortable scenes in the film, (many of which I probably can't write about here) that you just can't help but let yourself go and laugh. The naked wrestling scene in the movie is on par with the vomiting puppet scene in "Team America" as either completely funny or horribly over-the-top, depending on the threshold of your taste.
On the surface level, the jokes seem to appeal to the lowest common denominator, but I believe Cohen's jokes have a subtlety that reveal many preconceived notions people have of foreigners, as well as their own prejudices.
The jokes work in a similar way as the ones from "The Chappelle Show," as some people will take things completely at face value, where as others might see what Cohen is getting at. He's brilliant at poking fun at just about anybody, and it seems hard to get offended when just about every group in society comes under fire.
Borat travels through Washington D.C., the Bible belt, and eventually makes his way to California in search of his obsession after seeing Pamela Anderson on a rerun of "Baywatch."
I know on "Da Ali G Show," many of the interviews are real, and the big appeal is people's unscripted reactions to Borat's odd interpretations of American culture.
Many of his jokes are a play on words that get under the radar, like when he sings the national anthem at a rodeo in Texas and proclaims to support the U.S. "war of terror."
It's hard to see where the line of reality and fiction exists in the movie, as the entire film is shot documentary-style, yet some of the stunts he pulls seem like they would land him in jail.
The movie is rated R for "pervasive strong crude and sexual content including graphic nudity, and language," and it really isn't for those with weak stomachs or sensitive ears.
If you can get past that, you'll probably find yourself enjoying a film that isn't from the same bland, homogenized vat from which Hollywood can be fond of cranking out films.
If your sense of humor is as sick and twisted as mine, I highly recommend this movie. Since all the screenings I tried to get into were sold out the first night, many of you agree.