MCJ Homepage
Arts & Entertainment
Film Noir Review
"Borat" will offend everyone!
by Judy Marker, Movie critic
It is already banned in Russia, but last week’s arrival of the long-awaited comic adventure "Borat" turned thousands away from sold out movie theatres here in America.
Easily the longest name for any movie to appear on the big screen, "Borat: Cultural Learning of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" is fortunately just 82 minutes long including credits. "Borat" you see is made to offend just about everyone.
British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen ("The Ali G Show") is Borat, Kazakhstan’s top television reporter. Given the assignment of going to the United States and make the movie as titled above for the 16 million folks back home, he takes only his portly and likeable producer Azamat (Ken Davitian) with him.
First, a little geography lesson on Kazakhstan to better understand the movie. Kazakhstan is a former Soviet republic located in central Asia. Large in size, it covers more than a million square miles. It is home to over 100 nationalities who are generally very poor.
The only thing Kazak in the film is the country’s flag. "Borat" you see was filmed in Romania for the scenes of the homeland and the languages spoken besides English are Polish and "made-up."
Upon arriving in New York City, "Borat" is like a fish out of water. He tries to make friends forgetting he is no longer in Kazakhstan.
What is amazing is that everyone in the film was told he was from Kazakhstan and everyone seemed to believe it. You quickly will discover that "Borat" is all adlibbed, there is no script.
Now about the story, Borat while watching "Baywatch" on his hotel television sees Pamela Anderson and falls instantly in love with her.
Told she lives in Los Angeles, he convinces Azamat that they must go to Los Angeles, stopping along the route to focus on the real America despite their very limited budget.
The result is an incredible journey meeting a wide variety of Americans who volunteer to be in the movie.
This includes a humor coach, antique dealer, car salesman, etiquette expert, rodeo manager and a group of very wild college students.
Borat even hooks up with Luenell, a female escort as he leaves behind a countless list of victims. Seeing is believing and Cohen is so successful with his broken English antics that a sequel is sure to follow.
"Borat" is rated a very, very strong "R" for pervasive strong crude and sexual content including graphic nudity and language including insulting attitudes to religious and ethnic groups. With that said, if you are offended, do not even think of seeing "Borat."
This is one comic adventure that sets its own course. Director Larry Charles ("Curb Your Enthusiasm"), lets Cohen do the story telling and it worked. That is why "Borat" receives my cautious rating of "3-J’s/Worthy Effort!"
