Friday, March 16, 2007

Borat


Sascha Baron Cohen made a name for himself with "Da Ali G Show" and it´s irreverent brand of sociological humor. In all honesty, I was never a big fan, most of the bits I saw usually revolved around his Ali G or Bruno characters. I always managed to miss any instances where Borat was concerned. I was skeptical upon hearing the production of the film had commenced and wasn´t too convinced that it´d be any kind of success. Boy was I wrong. Upon seeing the first trailer for the film version of "Borat" my skepticism was quickly stomped away.

Some time later and we now have before us the DVD release of "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan." The film is essentially a series of hidden camera style sketches cobbled together making for one hilarious film. What works best is the way Cohen completely throws himself into his character never breaking for an instance and capturing the reactions of his unsuspecting "victims" on camera. What Cohen as Borat often reveals is a revelatory commentary about the United States and all its ignorance. From racism to misogyny and beyond the film is one of the best comedies of last year.

The film is built around a simple premise, the nation of Kazakhstan sends a reporter, Borat, to America with his right hand man/producer Azmat (Ken Davitian) to learn what they can about the States and bring this knowledge back to his people. Leaving you to wonder what Joseph Campbell might say about this hero´s journey. While visiting New York, Borat quickly discovers that America isn´t as welcoming as it might seem. As he watches TV in his hotel room, he catches an episode of "Baywatch" and suddenly finding himself smitten by the feminine wiles of C.J. Parker, who he doesn´t realize is really Pamela Anderson. Thus, Borat sets out to a) complete his mission of bringing back the wealth of knowledge from America back to his country and b) marrying Pamela Anderson and bringing her back, too.

All of this is really just set up, the thread Cohen needs to string us along on his adventures through America. Virtually every scene is chock full of laughs and done in a very outrageous and over the top manner, with his comedic antics running the gamut from slapstick to situational to gross out toilet humor. It´s like a really great episode of "South Park," with much more bravado, minus the story and more ways to offend people than you ever thought possible.

Cohen´s antics may often come across as exaggerated and they are, because it often elicits the truest responses from his "subjects." His outlandish behavior seems, at first, naive but then delves into the absurd, then wades through outrageousness with a roguish thumbing of the nose at America proper. Still, the film is sometimes mired by its own inability of when to say when, and the lack of a "thesis" to bring the series of vignettes together, other than their madcap host. The humor is sometimes too sophomoric for its own good, straying away from the much funnier situational humor. The naked wrestling bit had this reviewer cringing and scratching his head in disbelief rather than laughing along. Nevertheless, despite these shortcomings "Borat" does manage to create some memorable moments chock full of genuine over the top laughs.

Sascha Baron Cohen made a name for himself with "Da Ali G Show" and it´s irreverent brand of sociological humor. In all honesty, I was never a big fan, most of the bits I saw usually revolved around his Ali G or Bruno characters. I always managed to miss any instances where Borat was concerned. I was skeptical upon hearing the production of the film had commenced and wasn´t too convinced that it´d be any kind of success. Boy was I wrong. Upon seeing the first trailer for the film version of "Borat" my skepticism was quickly stomped away.

Some time later and we now have before us the DVD release of "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan." The film is essentially a series of hidden camera style sketches cobbled together making for one hilarious film. What works best is the way Cohen completely throws himself into his character never breaking for an instance and capturing the reactions of his unsuspecting "victims" on camera. What Cohen as Borat often reveals is a revelatory commentary about the United States and all its ignorance. From racism to misogyny and beyond the film is one of the best comedies of last year.

The film is built around a simple premise, the nation of Kazakhstan sends a reporter, Borat, to America with his right hand man/producer Azmat (Ken Davitian) to learn what they can about the States and bring this knowledge back to his people. Leaving you to wonder what Joseph Campbell might say about this hero´s journey. While visiting New York, Borat quickly discovers that America isn´t as welcoming as it might seem. As he watches TV in his hotel room, he catches an episode of "Baywatch" and suddenly finding himself smitten by the feminine wiles of C.J. Parker, who he doesn´t realize is really Pamela Anderson. Thus, Borat sets out to a) complete his mission of bringing back the wealth of knowledge from America back to his country and b) marrying Pamela Anderson and bringing her back, too.

All of this is really just set up, the thread Cohen needs to string us along on his adventures through America. Virtually every scene is chock full of laughs and done in a very outrageous and over the top manner, with his comedic antics running the gamut from slapstick to situational to gross out toilet humor. It´s like a really great episode of "South Park," with much more bravado, minus the story and more ways to offend people than you ever thought possible.

Cohen´s antics may often come across as exaggerated and they are, because it often elicits the truest responses from his "subjects." His outlandish behavior seems, at first, naive but then delves into the absurd, then wades through outrageousness with a roguish thumbing of the nose at America proper. Still, the film is sometimes mired by its own inability of when to say when, and the lack of a "thesis" to bring the series of vignettes together, other than their madcap host. The humor is sometimes too sophomoric for its own good, straying away from the much funnier situational humor. The naked wrestling bit had this reviewer cringing and scratching his head in disbelief rather than laughing along. Nevertheless, despite these shortcomings "Borat" does manage to create some memorable moments chock full of genuine over the top laughs.

No comments: