I walked into my local cinema yesterday expecting to watch a very funny comedy film. Having watched Borat before on Da Ali G Show and Borat's Television Programme, I was more than aware of his capabilities, but I was a little disappointed with the whole production. The film is hilarious in places but the majority of it wasn't very good in my opinion. I like the point Borat is making but the delivery wasn't up to the standard as he performs on Da Ali G Show. Sacha Baron Cohen is a very good character actor, as he displayed in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, and his numerous other characters... but I feel he exhausted it too much by making this film. It shows the ignorance of the "US and A" very well which I particularly liked. All round a decent comedy film worth watching purely for the ignorant bliss of Americans, just check out the scene where Borat performs his national anthem in a rodeo house!
"On every street in every city, there's a nobody who dreams of being a somebody..."
Originally posted by RobbieJess: I walked into my local cinema yesterday expecting to watch a very funny comedy film. Having watched Borat before on Da Ali G Show and Borat's Television Programme, I was more than aware of his capabilities, but I was a little disappointed with the whole production.
Yeah, I'm sad to say that it was the same for me. Perhaps I was expecting too much, having read so many glowing reviews from the early screenings, but I really felt that large sections of the film were quite mediocre. The parts that were funny were hilarious, however, and it was probably the funniest film I've seen in a long time. But still, I was disappointed.
At points the film tries too hard to be funny. For example there's a scene where Borat wrestles naked with Azamat in their hotel room. It drags and drags, and the joke of seeing the two men naked soon wears thin. Mind you, the conclusion is hilarious, when they end up in an elevator and later a mortgage broker's conference. When Borat is showing up the foibles of the American people, the film is at its most comic. I felt that the film would have been much funnier sticking to this endeavour, rather than making desperate attempts to win over a juvenile audience with thinly comedic scenes based on nudity.
Agree with all the above. When it was funny though it was priceless. My favourite scenes was when they booked into the B&B that was run by the Jewish couple. And the dinner party.
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Borat is one of the funniest films I've ever watched. It's so rare for comedies to get such attention, and seeing a great comedy (that on top of being hilarious can be seen as subversive in many ways) in the cinema is unfortunately a rarity nowadays. I'm looking forward to the DVD release, when the extras will reveal more about the filming process and hopefully some amusing deleted scenes.
Beware, however, turn off any sense of righteousness before going to see the film, as this will ruin the experience. Be blank. Be amused. I laughed so I cried. *Borat accent* Very nice.
I felt that some of the pacing of the film was a bit stretched. Indeed, I was surprised to note that the length of the film was only about 1 hour and 20 minutes or so, because it felt longer. This is, I think, a symptom of the fact that it was an extended 'reality sketch' show of a sort. The noticible feature of comedy these days is just how blurred the line between reality and fiction is. That, and just how transgressional it has become.
Nevertheless, it was a funny film in parts, with the same satiric bite that characterised Chris Morris' Brasseye a decade ago.
I disagree with the notion that it simply promoted anti-americanism (a charge cited, amongst others, by Mark Kermode on his radio review show). If this was the case, then how can the overwhelmingly positive reviews from american critics and audiences be accounted for? It isn't anti-american, it's anti-imperialist and anti-bigot. If American red-necks and frat-boys are still soft targets, despite being stereotyped as such for the last 40 years or so, then they deserve to be ridiculed for all they are worth. It's not new, as anybody who has heard a Frank Zappa album will testify, but it is still relevant.
So, it is a funny, relevant movie but not quite as 'dangerous' or challenging as Life of Brian still apparently is in certain parts of America, truth be told. I'm not sure it'd be a good choice for a first date movie either!
Borat was one of the funniest comedies I have seen in years, I thought it was laugh out loud most of the way through. Please people, when you try to criticize a film, don’t do it to comedies, there main point is to make you laugh and this film does!
Borat was the tv producers bo!!ocks, great laugh! The cinema audience all were side splitting themselves. Borat should carry a FS certificate- do not watch film on a full stomach.
My query was why a real country was chosen as "Borat's" nationality. Sasha Cohen's target was USA but the collateral damage he did by running down the nation of Kazakstan was unnecessary. Team America using North Korea for their villain was understandable but what Kazakstan's fault was I have yet to ascertain.
Borat was one of the best films I've seen in ages. Really funny. I had no idea who Borat was before I watched the film cos I'd never seen him on Da Ali G show but I definitely wasn't disappointed with it.
its the first time iv ever ever been in the cinema when the whole screen has just erupted with laughter. he is such a funny guy and hes actually really brave...and really quite stupid i guess!! imagine what it'd have been like to be under that big bloke when he sat on borats face!! lol
i still have my suspicions that some of it was staged!!
ok, so Borat is absolutly hilarious and a bit omg at the smae time!! i was in norway watching it. (english with norweigen subtitles) and everyone was laughing all the way through i was sat next to a girl, who never swares and evryhting and she was wetting herself!!!! Ilove the bits... *in the hotel running around naked. *when the bear is in the truck and it scares the kids *the rodeo bit * the antique shop actually i like it all!!!!!
One tree hill is the best!!!!! it rules!!! theOC is second best!!!
Sophomoric dreck.The art of the conman is to take in gullible people by pretending you have something when you haven't. In this case Sacha Baron Cohen pretending he is funny by making films.Becoming more famous doesn't make you better, it only gives you a bigger audience.My answer to this film is it's very funny.Not.
I hated this film,,I did not get WHY make a film like that, was it ment to be funny. I was expecting so much more and all i got was some idiot TRYING to do comedy which we know he can do as seen in ali g. But this time i was so dissapointed.
i thought there were some funny parts Antique shop start when hes in kazakstan and the pamela anderson bit
Just because i dont care doesnt mean i dont understand #70 Official Tiger Fan Club Offical No 13 Member of the Ben Chesney fan club Member #93 of the friends fanclub Offical No 1 Member of the 3 Bens fan club ( ='.'= )
i think it would probably have had more impact with me if i'd never heard or seen borat before, since most of the jokes and ideas were on the original ali g show with the borat scenes at the end of each episode. his reactions as to what happens on screen are fairly predictable if you have ever seen him before, although most americans im sure will have never of heard of borat until now with this 2006 film! but i did enjoy it. its obvious that this film will get a wide range of reactions on both ends of the spectrum with viewers, and certainly anyone with a weak stomach or are offended easily are most likely to switch this one off within the first 15 minutes or less.
what really makes this film is obviously not just borat himself (with which sacha baron cohen has massive nerve to play in so many insane situations), but everybody elses real reactions to him, and the fact that those people in the film you wouldve thought would be the less accepting were actually the exact opposite, and vice versa. the film takes a while to start with the "intro" of borat saying hello and introducing you to his family, but as soon as he hits that new york subway you know he isnt going to be in for an easy ride, and those people from now on are certainly not acting (with the exception of course with the pamela anderson kidnapping at the end-haha). the film has definately come out at the correct time, and having an idiotic anti-jewish eastern reporter called borat with his age old beliefs being played by a real life comedic jewish/british actor from the uk is very interesting to see what people really make of the whole idea. but I still dont know as to why borat only speaks polish and not real Kazakh if he is supposed to really be from Kazakhstan, lol- "Jagshemash!?". The official borat.kz website was officially taken down by the kazakhstan big bods saying it did not want western comedy giving its country a bad name, but surely in the name of comedy and free speech it just works out better for the creators of borat, further showing that the country really is out of date with current times. nice!
Watched this last night. It was very funny in parts, but definietly over long. You would say it had more impact and definitely find it funnier if you hadn't seen all Borat's cameos on the Ali G show. Having spent a lot of time in America, I can safely say that the people he met aren't outrageous types but the kind you would meet and live beside if you were to move there.
While it is very funny in parts, it is far from being the work of 'genius' as is touted regularly. I believe a film length feature with Bruno is in the pipeline.
Borat is one of the funniest films I've ever watched. It's so rare for comedies to get such attention, and seeing a great comedy (that on top of being hilarious can be seen as subversive in many ways) in the cinema is unfortunately a rarity nowadays. I'm looking forward to the DVD release, when the extras will reveal more about the filming process and hopefully some amusing deleted scenes. 
Ilove the bits... 
