Movie Review: "Borat"

I have now seen this movie twice. I didn't want to review it after the first time I saw it because I wasn't sure if my affection for the character clouded my judgement of the movie. But after seeing it last night I can honestly say I absolutely love this movie.

The plot, not particularly relevant to the movie going experience here, centers around Kazakhstan reporter Borat going to the U.S. and A. to film a doucmentary about American life in order to learn lessons and improve the fate of people in his home country. While in New York he watches Baywatch, falls in love with Pamela Anderson (whose stomach he wants to make a "romantic explosion" on) and heads cross country to Hollywood to marry her.

This movie is offensive but it is equal opportunity offensive as everyobdy who sees it will be offended. There are those who think the movie is anti-semetic but I disagree. You have to remember that Sacha Baron Cohen (who plays Borat) is Jewish himself. He had to deal with bigotry growing up and has decided to make fun of the bigots not the objects of those bigots scorn. The perfect example of that in this movie is Borat's stay in a B&B outside Atlanta run by a perfectly wonderful old Jewish couple. They let strangers into their home, make them home made meals very late at night because they assume their guests are hungry, fluff their pillows for them and engage in polite conversation. They are the most harmless couple in the world. Yet Borat shows his ignorance by being completely terrified of them and running in terror from the house in the middle of the night.

The highlights of this movie are too numerous to mention in detail. Needless to say Borat's encounters with people on the subway in New York, with black youth in Atlanta, fine dining with upper class southerners, drinking with frat boys, are relentless comic fodder. See this movie. You will be offended and you will laugh the whole time you are.

Rating 9.5/10