Borat Review
by Jerry at the Movies (Faust668 AT msn DOT com)March 8th, 2007
BORAT (2006)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia and his Alter-Ego
Although the decade of 2000 is not quite at a close yet, let me be one of the few to say that "Borat" may end up as the definitive film on racism and sexism in the 2000 decade. My alter-ego vehemently disagrees. The following interview took place between me and my alter- ego shortly after a screening of "Borat."
Alter-ego: "What a load of puke was that moviefilm of Borat. I prefer Ali G or even the gayest of gays, Bruno, over Borat. This man is not funny and the movie is not worthwile."
Jerry-Saravia: "Not funny? Well, humor is subjective but I laughed throughout."
Alter-ego: "Are you kidding me? Borat trying to saying hello to people in New York City? Chasing them down the street if they don't say hello? Badly singing the national anthem and turning it into an anthem for his belovedly stupid country, Kazakhstan? I am glad Simon Cowell was not in the audience."
J.S: "That sequence at the rodeo sums up perfectly the idea that some Americans feel the war in Iraq is necessary. Yeah, he goes too far and says that Premier Bush should drink the blood of every dead Iraqi - the audience is nonplussed at that statement yet they burst into applause when Borat says every terrorist should be killed. I assume they don't want any correlation between Bush and Vlad the Impaler."
A.E.: "Don't get all Michael Moore on me - the war is just, just ask Elizabeth Hasselbeck and the one or two Republican congressmen who support the war. The rodeo sequence left me in a cold, silent mood. I'd rather watch Roseanne Barr sing the national anthem again."
J.S.: "Okay, you hate the rodeo sequence. What did you think of the character Borat?"
A.E.: "Sacha Baron Cohen made this character monotonous. Borat says 'Very Nice' or 'High-Five' every five minutes. He was more tolerable on the Ali G. Show because his appearances were curtailed. What I did find reprehensible, in this age of racist pricks like Michael Richards, Mel Gibson and Joe Biden, was Borat's anti-Semitic stance. He compares Jews to shape-shifting creatures who can turn into insects, and the nation of Kazakhstan as one racist nation where they have Jews as Bulls with Giant Heads chasing people. And I will not forgive the unspeakably offensive scene where Borat asks a gun dealer what is the best gun to shoot a Jew with. It is not funny - it is offensive and neutralized. And don't get me started on his sexist attitudes - Borat needs to be neutered."
J.S.: "You are right in one respect - some people would probably find those scenes offensive on the surface. But Borat is trying to make us see how racist most people are: their reactions and what they say is what drives those scenes. Don't forget at the rodeo where the rodeo master says that homosexuals should be hung. Borat didn't say that - he merely leads the way for others to say such unspeakably offensive words. That is what makes this film fascinating and hysterical and unique and cringe-inducing - it is a crossbreed of a mockumentary and a documentary. Clearly, scenes between Borat and his manager, Azamat, are staged - the naked wrestling scene is a clear example. But when they enter the conference room and continue to fight in the nude, that was not staged. And as for the gun dealer, he does suggest some guns that could be used to kill a Jew."
A.E.: "I just found the rodeo sequence tasteless, and the whole etiquette scene, the bed-and-breakfast scene, none of this made me smile. Naked wrestling stuff made me cringe. But what about Borat's sexist angle? And him chasing Pamela Anderson? You've got to be kidding."
J.S.: "Again, the character is sexist but Borat is presented as such a naive man, detached from any reality, that you can't fault him for having such sexist and racist attitudes. The man doesn't know better - Michael Richards and Mel Gibson should know better. That's the difference, and the same between the fraternity jocks who feel women should be enslaved and the pastor's wife in the dining scene where she is angry by the unwelcome presence of a black prostitute. Excepting the black prostitute, they come off worse than Borat does, again, precisely the point of the movie. Everyone who reacts to Borat feels that a foreigner, or possibly all foreigners, are naive, foolish people since they are not American. Borat is awakening their racist and sexist sides to show that America has still got a long way to go. Besides, Borat is kind to the prostitute after dropping her off at home."
A.E.: "I am not sure all Americans feel that way, but I see your point. But don't you think that the Pam Anderson scene is a stunt?"
J.S.: "It must be, but it is funny and terrifying at the same time. I love this film and I can't believe that you found it so one- dimensional and unfunny."
A.E.: "I thought the growling bear in the ice-cream truck was funny, particularly when the animal growls at the kids who are expecting ice- cream. I also like the bit about the breast milk from Borat's wife. There are some funny bits and I did not hate the film, but I think the jokes were not as strong as in the Ali G. show. I think these characters work best in short skits, but the last thing I want to see is 'Bruno: Gay Men Make Benefit Glorious Nation of USA for Same Sex Marriage'. No thanks."
J.S.: "I would see that movie. Most recent comedies are stale and here comes Borat with an arsenal of laughs. Humor is subjective but I think this Sacha Baron Cohen guy is a genius."
A.E.: "I think he needs to lay off of the Jews. They've been through enough trauma. Any movie making fun of Jews is automatically unfunny. If I want humor, I watch 'The Producers' or 'The Benchwarmers.' I don't need a 'Borat: The Ultimate Solution'. Remember 'Grace Quigley'?"
J.S.: "Okay, come on now, the movie doesn't approach a Holocaust mentality with the jokes about Jews."
A.E.: "I think Borat is a Holocaust-denier, just like Sarah
Silverman."
J.S.: "I think you have just shown why the film and the character work so well."
A.E.: "How so?"
J.S.: "Borat is a fictional creation and Sacha Baron Cohen is real. They both show that the dividing line between reality and fiction, and this film is the best example of that, is precarious but nonetheless real."
Jerry Saravia: Four stars
Alter-ego: Two stars
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