Review: ‘Borat!’
Posted on November 11, 2006 @ 10:57 am
If you’ve turned on your TV in the past month, you’re probably already familiar with Borat, Sacha Baron Cohen’s faux Kazakhstani journalist. The media is in love with Borat it seems, and I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d be oversaturated with Borat-mania by the time I actually saw Borat!: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.
It turns out my concerns were well founded.
Don’t get me wrong; Borat! is a funny movie, and Cohen’s character is brilliant in its conception. It truly is amazing some of the things Americans will say when they think nobody — or at least nobody important — is listening. As far as “squirm in your seat” entertainment goes, it doesn’t get much better than watching Borat butcher the national anthem at a rodeo in Virginia.
So, where does Borat! go wrong? Maybe this is just the Borat burnout talking, but even at a scant running time of 83 minutes, I felt the film wore out its welcome well before drawing to a close. The character worked better in short bursts on Da Ali G Show, and the overarching storyline of Borat searching America for true love in the form of Pamela Anderson just isn’t enough to hold together what amounts to a series of guerrilla comedy sketches.
Borat! is worth seeing, but it wasn’t the comedy masterpiece I was hoping for after the overwhelmingly positive reviews and the weeks of relentless hype.
The verdict: B-
My top ten and bottom five movies of the year follow after the jump.
Top Ten Movies of 2006:
- V for Vendetta
- Little Miss Sunshine
- Clerks II
- Jackass Number Two
- The Last Kiss
- Mission: Impossible III
- The Prestige
- Nacho Libre
- An Inconvenient Truth
- Beerfest
Bottom Five Movies of 2006:
- Art School Confidential
- Through a Scanner Darkly
- Lady in the Water
- Silent Hill
- Superman Returns
Looking back at that list, it occurs to me that I see way too many movies.
Posted by Jess | Filed Under Pop Culture |
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[...] IMDb | Apropos of Something | Defending Borat | Film Narrative | Forever Geek America» Anthony Hines» anti semitic» Dan Mazer» disgust» fucked up shit» gross» hilarious» Ken Davitian» Larry Charles» Luenell» mockumentary» Peter Baynham» racist» Sacha Baron Cohen» so very wrong» Todd Philips» [...]
My generation had Andy Kaufman. Nuf said.
I love Andy Kaufman! When I used to host talent shows back in college and do little comedy sketches between the acts, Andy Kaufman was my biggest influence.
I also drew heavily on the vibe between Sonny and Cher on The Sonny & Cher Show when I worked with my partner. How’s that for an unlikely combo for comedic influences? Sonny, Cher, and Andy Kaufman.
Didn;t like Borat.
I found it depressing.
so many hateful people. I like to pretend those poeple don’t exist.