USER REVIEWS:
dack 9Probably the funniest movie I've ever seen and destined to be a comedy classic. I couldn't fall asleep the night I saw it because I was still giggling even in the prone position.
Critics are overstating the cultural satire angle. There's more on the Ali G show. This is basically a string of hilarious skits in a Punk'd style. Plus naked wrestling! (oops, spoiler.)
I'd love to know how real some of the gags were. The Pamela Anderson bit definitely seemed staged. I don't think Cohen would subject himself to getting his head smashed into a blacktop parking lot by two meathead security guys.
Regardless, I can't wait to see it again.
crazy 10Hilarous! I laughed and laughed the rest of the day just remembering all the funny things.
Oracle 5"Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" portrays somehat of a make-fun story not only towards Americans, but towards Kazakhstan itself.
Borat's first scene in The "U.S and A" starts with him going down the stairs from JFK airport, but the memorability starts when Borat "Accidently" drops his luggage in the subway, and you guessed it. Along with all of the clothes that he posseses, come hens from Kazakhstan. "Carefull! They Bite!" says the comedian. Scenes like this are what make "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit of Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan", but others just simply dont. In another stupid and typical Borat scene, You find Borat (After his other Kazakhstani friend Azamat strips of him of everything he has) lying on the floor burning his Pamela Anderson picture, and whimpingly crying as if the world was going to end.The crowd started to crack up as if it was the funniest part of the movie, while I was just silently waiting for the scene to end.
For some filmgoers, "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" might have the properties of a cinematic masterpiece that has no diminuitive end towards laughter, as much as some may see it as anyway they please.
Either way, there is still something that makes "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" stand tall, and that is Sacha Baron Cohen. The film's pace revolves around his performance. He is a master at improvisation, and if it were not him who plays Borat, the film would be a dud.
Everytime the film achieves a balanced essence, the director ruins it with a daft scene of stupidity. But surprisingly, everytime the film is an inch away from darkness, Sacha Baron Cohen pulls it up miraculously. Its the critics highest grade of the year, but that may not signify anything until you see it yourself. In this case, I am not telling you to not not see it. Either way, "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" is here to stay for a very long time.
-Oracle
wynns 10I didn't stop laughing until I went to bed that night. How many movies can you say that about?
P.S. palimpsest is exactly right about "acroamatic"
palimpsest 9I second the motion that "Borat" is, by far, the funniest satirical look at certain aspects of our society. At its best, it has the genius of Monty Python - I can see John Cleese playing "Borat" - but with a harder edge in its unsparing mirror of some of our arrogance and pretensions.
The pokes at rural Kazakhastan is more sophomoric but no less funny. (Using a village in Romania for the filming will probably keep him from being killed by outraged Kazakhs.) And it still find it hard to believe how he got releases from some of the people filmed who weren't "in" on the joke from the very beginning. But then again, Americans, as evidenced by what's on The Jerry Springer Show, are willing to do anything in order to be "on TV". Sigh...
Anyway, go see it so you won't be the only who won't know what your friends are talking about when they refer to the scene you want to forget you ever saw...and yet was one of the funniest EVER captured on film!
P.S. Someday there will be a movie about pretentious amateur movie reviewing, in which case the use of "acroamatic" in a review here will surely win a prize....sheesh!
Palimpsest
rutabaga 10If the aisles at the movie theatre were larger, I wouldve been rolling around in them, clutching my chest with laughter. This is quite possibely the funniest movie I have ever seen. From Jackass style physical comedy to sophisticated racism-exposing improv, this movie can only be described as brilliant.
I was setting myself up to be disappointed. With all the hype surrounding it, I was afraid that I was going to be let down, afraid that it just wouldn't be the same as the five minute-ish skits on Da Ali G Show. I wasn't. The first line of the movie, "My name Borat. I like you. I like sex. Is nice!" really sets the tone for the rest of this masterpiece. The introduction to Borat's village and family had me and the rest of the audience in hysterics, and it wasn't even one of the best parts.
As the film went along, I feel it got funnier. In addition to being a master of improv and more sophisticated types of comedy, Baron Cohen really shines in how he becomes almost an akwardness machine. Everywhere he goes, people are left shocked enough for the police to have been called an astounding 91 times throughout the filming. There is one scene that shows this particularly brilliantly. Borat is at a fancy dinner party, and excuses himself. While he is away from the table, one of the ladies states: "The cultural differences are just enormous, but, given enough time, I bet he could be just like an American." With brilliant dramatic timing, Borat appears back on the scene, carrying the product of his trip to the bathroom with a five year old's glee.
Granted, there are a few weak moments. Some of the encounters feel staged, and a couple of the many jokes fall a little bit short of expectation. But really, you don't notice these. You're too busy trying not to hyperventilate from laughter.
My only regret about this film: now that Borat is so well known, the kind of ignorance-based comedy he is best at can't happen anymore. At least he went out with a bang.
P.S. I too agree with palimpsest about Oracle.
good-o 3The Stupidest thing to come to scree this year. Perhaps funny, but this is not leather-skin comedy, just stupidity.
Gatita 5Not a film of great comedy. Sacha Baron Cohen acts well, but he is just so plainly annoying that I almost had to leave. Dosent compare to Little Miss Sunshine. Also, the film makes fun of everyone, especially kazakhs, which the film portrays as sex-hungry animals. Try to survive it.
bigmoviefan 4The best seventh grade movie I've ever seen.
Askransdorf 7Funny but stupid. Cohen masters Borat. He is exceptional. Fun never stops, but if you realize, in the end it is stupid.
lalligood 9Like others, I still find myself giggling about various scenes from Borat. My wife (even though she liked it) already is beginning to loathe that I watched it--and really liked it--since I can't help myself but to work some of the funnier lines into conversations with her...
Watching it on DVD allowed me to A) pause it when I was laughing too much & couldn't hear the dialogue & B) replay several scenes over again.
My only knock on the film is that the sentimental ending was cute but I was wanting one last completely-over-the-top-laugh-out-loud moment to wrap it up.
madmitch 9Hilarious! As funny the second time around as the first. It's amazing what some people will say when the camera is pointed at them.
stevilbot 9pure hilarity and awkwardness. months later i still chuckle over it.
schrowa 10Funny movie but it was also painful to see a backwards glance at our own country. It was really necessary though.
This movie is available on DVD/Video