Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan DVD, 2006

Sacha Baron Cohen's outrageously funny comedy creation is a loveable, racist, homophobic, bigoted, anti-Semitic Kazakh who travels to America to make a documentary, talking to TV broadcasters, etiquette teachers and Christian fundamentalists along the way. However, after stumbling across an episode of 'Baywatch' while channel-surfing in his hotel room, Borat becomes more interested in locating and marrying the show's star, Pamela Anderson.

Maligned and praised in equal measure, Sacha Baron Cohen’s Kazakh creation has kicked up a media storm on both sides of the Atlantic. It would be a shame if all this s... more >

Maligned and praised in equal measure, Sacha Baron Cohen’s Kazakh creation has kicked up a media storm on both sides of the Atlantic. It would be a shame if all this sound and fury distracted from the film itself, which is cleverer, more thoughtful, and less cynical than the majority of its critics.
The storyline is simple: Borat, a top Kazakh reporter, is sent to gather information about the USA, stopping off at a Rodeo, learning etiquette, chatting with feminist academics, and developing a crush on Pamela Anderson along the way.

Directed by Curb your Enthusiasm alumnus Larry Charles, Borat seamlessly segues between improvised and scripted scenes, weaving fly on the wall footage with carefully crafted setups. The result is Laurel and Hardy a la Lars Von Trier, but where Stan and Oliver settle their differences by wrestling naked.

The result is as much an celebration of America as it is an expose. For every bigoted redneck or drunken fratboy, there is the reminder that America, as a nation of immigrants, derives its strength, and its comedy, from diversity. And that’s a lesson we can all Make Benefit from.
< less

View all 94 of Milo Wakelin’s reviews