For all the talk about the poison of racism, I rarely hear about its capacity to be quaint. Take the opinions of Borat Sagdiyev (Sacha Baron Cohen), a Kazakhstani "journalist" making a documentary about life in these United States. Borat’s rabid loathing of Uzbeks and homosexuals is matched only by his hatred of Jews. He fears Jews so strongly that an elderly Jewish couple has him shivering in terror, certain they will shift shapes and devour him at any moment.
Despite possessing attitudes that would theoretically make him despicable to Americans not on the extreme left and right, one can hardly feel animosity towards Borat. He hasn’t had the benefit of an education or environment that stresses not so much tolerance as keeping your racist opinions behind closed doors, or even how to use a flush toilet for that matter. Jews and Uzbeks and homosexuals are the unquestioned enemies of his culture, and despite clearly having no interaction with any of them, he takes the conflict to heart.
But Borat lacks that the willful malice and disregard for human life that the vilest racist figures have in spades. His racism even works in reverse, as he displays a deep admiration of black Americans, whom he considers to be the epitome of cool. When Borat asks people how to best defend himself against Jews, or takes on the glossy eyed horror of a recent rape victim upon learning he unknowingly fraternized with gay men, most know not what to do except smile, nod, and politely continue the conversation.
Of course, I could hardly review "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" without mentioning that the protagonist and hero is the invention of Sacha Baron Cohen, a British Jew. It’s a testament to Cohen skill and perhaps even restraint (a word that can be applied to little else in the film) that he can not only make Borat look likeable, but even sympathetic.
Borat’s thoughts on race-relations alone are enough to make him stick out like a sore KKK wizard, but his offensiveness is applied to most other touchy aspects of life. His concept of American culture comes primarily from 1980’s TV shows and movies, filtered through his own lens that assumes all civilized people must despise Jews, consider women to be beneath men and horses, and cage the mentally disabled.
The film is a surreally side-splitting amalgam of documentary and reality TV. Cohen interacts with real people as Borat, which leads to situations so outrageous and uncomfortable they have to be seen to be believed. Some sequences are clearly staged, like a tour of Borat’s village and interactions with his obese producer Azamat (Ken Vavitian).
Others are "real", such as Borat attempting to purchase a nonexistent vehicle part that will attract women or telling a rodeo he hopes that "Premier" George W. Bush will drink the blood of every Iraqi. A few demonstrate Cohen and director Larry Charles’ ability to blur the already thin line between fact and fiction, as I couldn’t tell whether or not Borat’s RV ride with drunken frat boys or interactions with some potentially unfriendly night owls were real or scripted. Either way, no significant amount of time passes without the kind of hilarious and/or shocking moment that will tempt people to spoil the film to their friends.
Whatever the case, I was pleasantly surprised at how the ongoing story arch, concerning Borat’s epic quest to take Pamela Anderson’s virginity and hand in marriage (even funnier than it sounds), was consistently worked into his discourse with others. For much of the film, I was worried that the possible hilarity of the climax had created an expectation it couldn’t possibly meet. Somehow, it does manage to fulfill most of that lofty potential, even though the closing twist feels a bit forced.
The character first became known to American audiences via "Da Ali G Show" on HBO. Borat’s antics were easily the funniest of Cohen’s three characters, although they all managed to transcend the absurdity of their scenarios to be thought provoking in addition to entertaining. I’ve seen funnier comedies, but none had the ingenuity or deftness to expose so much of the ignorance and frivolity of issues ranging from from racism to politeness. "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" is a delicious treat for fans of the series, and a fitting introduction for those yet unacquainted.
In order to see the film, I had to drive to Iowa City, as 20th Century Fox executives apparently decided Midwestern viewers were too stupid to get the joke and severely scaled back the release. Despite opening on less than one fourth the screens of "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause", it has easily dominated the box office this past weekend, practically guaranteeing that Cedar Falls/Waterloo will get the film. If I can tell you that despite the studio’s atrocious attitude that "Borat" was worth the drive, that should be a bigger endorsement than any star rating I could assign.
5 out of 5
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