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by Flick Chick Vique

I give Borat 3 1/2 Red Vines for being outrageously funny.

I first wrote this in my Ladies Room Lowdown for Talledega Nights:

But an actor, whose talents have previously escaped me, is totally on my radar now.  The guy who plays the French driver, Sacha Baron Cohen, had a movie trailer for a flick that looks hysterical.  If it turns out to be as long on laughs as the title, it will be a big hit.  Keep a look out for Borat:  Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.  For this venture, the multi-named talent goes by one of his alter egos: Borat Sagdiyev.  Boy all that’s a mouthful!!!

Well, I’m here to tell you that the movie is as funny as its title is long!  Done mockumentary style, the movie chronicles the adventures-or more accurately the misadventures of Kazakhstani TV journalist Borat as he comes to America.  The purpose of his trip is to report on the greatest country in the world and bring his findings back to his homeland.  The mockumentary feel is complete with grainy video, Russian credits that are subtitled and ‘undercover’ footage.  When Borat sees an episode of Baywatch in his hotel room, he becomes obsessed with finding Pamela Anderson, the most beautiful woman in the world.  His trip suddenly turns into a cross-country spectacle, where he spreads brotherhood, outrage and unwitting insults along the way.

In one of the best ‘fish out of water’ scenarios to come out of Hollywood in a long time, we see the well meaning but uneducated ‘foreigner’ bumble his way through such antics as an interview with some senior feminists, driving school, etiquette class, the subway system, a red-neck rodeo and much more.  The situations are hilarious and so outrageous that you will want to know what was staged and what was real.  For you see, the majority of the stuff is Sacha being Borat with real people in real situations.

If that doesn’t sound too funny to you, just imagine a third world idiot going about his business of eating, bathing, ‘eliminating’ and more-any time, any place that seems appropriate to him- a street corner, a park-you name it! 

That being said, as you can well imagine, off-color language, nudity, and crude, sexual content are pervasive.  Oh yeah.  And did I mention he’s a raging anti-Semite?  I’m surprised it only got an R rating! 

But all this makes for a hysterical film, in no small part-literally- thanks to Sacha’s intrepid co-star, Ken Davitian (various TV shows: ER, The Closer), who plays his producer Azamat.  These two engage in a death match that gives whole new meaning to ‘fighting dirty’.  The scene will put your ability to hold onto your bodily functions to the ultimate test!

His other co-stars are mostly plain old everyday Americans…some nice, some bigots, all clueless to Sacha’s ‘act’. 

If you’re easily offended, stay away.  If you’re not easily offended, stay away.  If you think all’s fair in comedy then come and enjoy.  You might feel guilty laughing, so start dealing with the guilt now because you’re going to be laughing your patootie off!