How the hell has Borat not been cancelled in 2020? It's a wealthy Western man caricaturizing a poor Kazakh in public spaces as a crazy and ignorant racist. He's basically inciting racism while wearing blackface and people are like, "He's so hilarious! haha"
For people claiming Sacha Cohen is "oh, so against PC-culture, he doesn’t care", then why does he retired his other 'satirical' characters like: Ali G (black culture), Dictator Aladeen (Arabs), Bruno (gay people)? Oh, that’s right, he is scared of 'cancel culture'. Cohen has a Golden Racism Pass for Borat because American 'cancel culture' is veeeery selective on who they target, and this is due to the famous American ignorance. Here is the loophole: all ex-Soviets countries/cultures are free to ridiculed. American humor has always been about making fun of other countries. They also love making fun of immigrants’ accents. But since they don't want to be seen as racists (even though they are), it's their loophole to still make jokes at the expense of certain nationalities. It’s a vile double standard.
Borat is a racist caricature of a central Asian person, no it's not funny, and no it's not 'satirising racism' to perpetuate hateful stereotypes about Central Asia. And miss me with the, 'this movie mock America and not Kazakhstan' shit. Can you imagine the outrage it would provoke if the very same movie was filmed mocking black people? Or trans people?
And meanwhile, Sacha Cohen is the spokesman for the ADL which polices the portrayal of Jewish people. Oh, the irony.
The introduction to this review starts with one word: OUGH.
Make no mistake in assumption about this movie: It is politically incorrect, gross, misogynistic, racist and stupid. The good news in this is that most of this gross stuff is turned around, the stereotypes it starts with are basically shown to be not true.
I think the presentation of Kazakhstan, and especially it's people, was unnecessary for all of it's messages however, and I can fully understand every outrage about these parts and suggested images of them.
It took me a while to realize that apart of the Kazakhstan part and the character Borat and his played daughter pretty much everyone is not an actor and was not giving insight about the movie, or which kind of movie it would become.
It really wonders and baffles me how they pulled all of this off: What they did do, and maybe more how they must have filmed it. Because I have my doubts that they went around with a huge visible camera.
It is just absurd, and who they found and pranked in it, you would be like "nobody is ever like this" - except they were.
Some of the most absurd parts include a handbook for how girls are to be raised, and what they are not allowed to in Kazakhstan, such as driving a car or being a journalist. Take this a step further, as it was likely intended to be, and it shall be applies to religious conservatives and the bible.
Others conspiracy theories about Democrats, covid19, and Jews, and either disproving them, mocking them by calling the believers scientists or well...even topping them with one of it's own.
The other thing...well, they surely don't know any boundaries. But it also must mean you need to be pretty tough to act in this movie; Whether it is posing in a weird Borat mankini, making the most indiscreet remarks, including racist or antisemitic, to...well offering oneself as a woman visually to a crowd. You really need the correct actors for that willing to do, I suppose.
"fun" fact 1: The people of Kazakhstan did create a petition with 100k people who signed against the release of the movie. Also, no scenes were shot in Kazakhstan.
fun fact 2: I wonder if the movie had a take in guns getting temporary removed from Walmart. There is a scene where one supposingly got one from there and opens fire, and the movie got released on 23th Oct - the guns were removed before 30th Oct.
Rating: 8/10*
This movie tries to capture the magic of the original, but it fails. Just as in the first one, Borat is an idiot journalist ignorant of American culture and deriding it, by first feigning ignorance and then enthusiastically embracing as American the more fringe (and mainstream) elements of it. But whereas the first movie strikes gold because it really does make fun of the more irrational and willingly ignorant parts of American culture, this second one fails because it focuses almost entirely on politics --- and worse, it takes sides.
One could perhaps defend this second movie by observing that politics has been, in recent years, the driving force of American culture, spilling over into all facets of American life, and displacing whatever culture existed with rabid tribalism. Thus, the argument goes, any movie about the culture of the recent years would by necessity have to be about politics. Perhaps. But whereas the first movie boldly derided the cultural norms of all types of Americans by pretending to see them through the unbiased eyes of a very poor country, this second movie seems interested in only making fun of one kind of American: the Republican kind, especially if politically famous. The first movie's genius was in not respecting any Americans. This second movie is merely routine because it embraces one kind of American in its war against the other.
Oh, yes. And just like the first one this movie is way too obscene.
Review by r96skBlockedParent2020-11-01T04:11:54Z
These films are way better than they have any right to be - entirely thanks to Sacha Baron Cohen.
I enjoyed 'Borat Subsequent Moviefilm' more than its predecessor from 2006, which relied too heavily on shock sex humour for my liking - though I did still like it all in all. This sequel is a little more creative with its jokes, whilst still having the necessary silliness and cringe.
Cohen is excellent as he reprises the role of Borat. He made me laugh a number of times, any other actor in this role simply wouldn't be funny - he somehow makes it work expertly, his perfect delivery being crucial.
In the first film, Cohen had Ken Davitian alongside him. Davitian doesn't return which is a shame, but he isn't missed to be honest. Maria Bakalova steps in very well, I feared her Tutar character was going to be irritating but she's anything but - Bakalova holds her own alongside Cohen.
It's amusing, in ways that are indeed funny but also in ways that you know you shouldn't be laughing at - though that's critical to these films working. It also has the same Punk'd feel that the original production has.
Good satire.