Film Review: Borat (2006) B-

Date Viewed: 3/12/07
Venue: DVD

So I finally got around to seeing Borat (and no, I refuse to call it by it's lengthy 'official' title) and wound up liking but not loving the controversial mockumentary.

For anyone who doesn't know, Sasha Baron Cohen plays Borat, a fictional Kazakhstani television reporter who films a 'documentary' as he travels the U.S. with his burly producer Azamat (Ken Davitian). Borat is blessed with limited English, an ignorant worldview, and no social graces whatsoever.

Borat the character is very funny. Watching Cohen spew out badly mangled english filled with crazily offensive Kazakhstani ideals (towards women, the mentally challenged, and especially Jews) is akin to watching South Park's Cartman. You laugh because the prejudices on display are a) so pathetically stupid, and b) the person behind the prejudices is so incredibly 'out there' that the satire is inescapable.

The problem I have with Borat is that for the majority of the film, he is dealing with 'real' people. People who've been duped into believing that he and his 'documentary' are real. And yes, some folks say and/or do some wrongheaded, racist, and sexist things when presented with Borat's brand of behavior. Despite these idiots' awareness of the camera, I still feel uncomfortable with these scenes. I don't quite get the joke of setting up idiots to be idiots on camera. It feels cheap and too easy a target.

Not everyone comes off so poorly, in fact, many of the folks Borat comes across I would label as saintly for their patience with his awkward cultural differences. But again, this is an exercise in pushing people to extremes to see how they'll react. Obviously some react better than others.

Something must be said for Cohen's performance as Borat; no matter the circumstances, no matter that a guy on the subway wants to kill him because Borat kissed him, Cohen always remains in character. It's quite a feat considering the myriad of potentially dangerous situations he places himself in.

Borat is at its best when it focuses on Cohen and Davitian, and not necessarily their documentarian 'subjects.' Watching Borat mistake a yard sale for a gypsy encampment or the two of them freaking out over supposedly Jewish bugs makes for big laughs. I wish the film was more about them, rather than also trying to make a larger satirical statement about America.

This is not a film for the easily offended. If you think South Park is even occasionally offensive then you should avoid Borat at all costs. But if you like your satire heavy, and you don't mind watching people goaded into reacting, then I can't help but recommend it for genius performances from Cohen and Davitian.

Beyond that, I do find something troubling with this film (and its success). Borat really feels like the next evolutionary step from MTV's Jackass (which I can't stand, by the way). Much like reality television, we are truly blurring the lines between what is considered 'real' and 'fantasy.' Instead of merely pushing the boundaries of the human body, or of taste in a fictional setting, we are now pushing each other's boundaries, seeing how far we can push one another before something interesting happens. And yes, art should always have the freedom to push boundaries. But I have a problem with this troubling genre. Pushing people's buttons just to get a reaction might provide some worthwhile insight and maybe a quick laugh, but more often than not I'll bet you simply wind up offending, infuriating, and disrespecting a completely innocent person. I get the subversive element to it, much great art is subversive in nature, but I say at least have a target to subvert (Michael Moore seems to have a handle on this), and leave everyone else alone.