Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make...

... Benefit Glorious Nation of Khazakhstan

(I think that's the correct full title... yes I did that from memory. Can you tell I'm an Ali G fan?)

I am shocked how much press this movie is getting. When I heard there was a Borat movie coming out, I figured it would flop since it's such an obscure character, especially here in the states. But the ensuing complaints and reactions by the Anti-Defemation League and the Khazakhstanian government have made this a top entertainment story.

Quick primer for newbs: comedian Sacha Baron Cohen has a British TV show called Da Ali G show in which he takes the guise of three characters- Ali G, a British version of a wigger (white guy adopting urban black culture); Borat, a Khazakhstanion journalist covering American culture; and Bruno, a gay German model also thrust in American culture- in order to mess with unsuspecting people. Ali G usually interviews famous people like politicians et al, while the other two do a sort of comedic gonzo journalism. Lots of awkwardness and silliness.

He's been compared to Andy Kaufman, in that the line between the "joke" and reality is often fuzzy. I think that's fair (I'm a fan of both and that type of deconstructive, involving comedy in general, especially the kind that makes you feel uncomfortable).

Borat is my favorite of the three characters and apparently many others share that ooinion, since they made a movie about him now and it's getting positive reactions. I plan on seeing today as the 2nd part of a cinematic double-header (after Saw III- yep, should be a fun afternoon).

I bet he's loving it

There was some fuss over a Muslim character he played a while back because he is a Jew but it was a fuss about nothing.He can be quite funny though.Did he not do a song with Shaggy?

Re: Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make.

and Bruno, a gay German model also thrust in American culture

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Bruno's Austrian .. yes, we've had "insulted groups"

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I've seen all of the Ali G shows that HBO showed, and the one Ali G movie. I like the humor, although it is sometimes, well, often, painfully embarassing to watch. I find it interesting that it at once satirizes racism, and also show us that we seem to need some ethnicity, or group, that we can look down on. Side note: Kazahkstan finds the Borat character so threatening that it has been running commercials for Kazahkstan on US TV!

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it is sometimes, well, often, painfully embarassing to watch

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Isn't it?


Holy crap was that movie.hilarious.

(and Saw fans need not worry about this new sequel being a let-down: this latest installment still delivers the goods)

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I dunno, maybe it's the fact that I usually can't stand uncomfortable/awkward comedy... this guy just doesn't make me laugh. Ever.

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I hate uncomfortable/awkward comedy. I can't watch fish-out-of-water stories.

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The Kazakh embassy in Britain has published a statement saying that at the end of the day, they're really in Cohen's debt ... as this movie has given Kazakhstan the kind of international publicity it has never had before.

The "shock" there seems to have been in Kazakhstan about this movie does seem a bit .. lame though. I haven't seen the movie, and I won't - it's just not my kind of humour - but from the previews I've seen, it does seem so ridiculous that you'd have to be an absolute moron to think that it in ANY way resembles the real Kazakhstan. Especially as they seem to show Kazakhstan as a backwards *European* nation. Kazakhstan is just the random obscure token place far, far away. It's western culture he's really making fun of from what I can tell.

God I hope he makes a Brüno movie though. I'd *love* to see the outrage happen here

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I've not seen the film but I've seen the odd tv show version.

It pretty much exists to make fun of insular attitudes in the West... the fact that a belief in the superiority of our own culture can make it easy for us to believe a load of hokey nonsense about a far away land we've barely even heard of.

It's the flip side of what Louis Theroux did with his weird weekends. When the Brits look at the communities explored by Louis, we can easily think we are superior and mock them... but according to his words on the cover of the videos, that was never Louis Theroux's intention.

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Borat does make fun of Western attitudes, but also other countries' perception of America and Britain. And a lot of the "victims" actually come of looking really well. I see many of the Americans acting nice, open and warm to his silliness. So it works both ways. That's the beauty of it- it's improv in the purest sense.

This New Yorker of course also gets a kick out of his interactions with New Yorkers in the beginning of the movie. My fellow citizens made me proud

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He was just on the Today show, in character, so I gather his movie was the #1 box office earner this weekend?

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I dunno, maybe it's the fact that I usually can't stand uncomfortable/awkward comedy... this guy just doesn't make me laugh. Ever.

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I'm not a big fan of the "uncomfortable/awkward" comedy either. I guess thats why Im not a big fan of "The Office." That show is all about the uncomfortable silent "humor"

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You people are weird... that's the BEST kind of humor!
(Even better when it happens in real life)

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As far as awkward humor goes, I would point out that the Daily Show does a lot of that in its interviews, by Samantha Bee, and others. Of course with them, we are more in on the joke, as they are parodying reporters. Much as I enjoy them, I also find them at times painful, because they also have a go at the interview subjects who seem to be innocent and unsuspecting.

I saw Cohen out of character, in an interview about his TV show. He said that he had 30 seconds to convince the subject that he, "Ali G.," was the dumbest guy on the planet!

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Colbert does much better "awkward" interviews now than the Daily Show, but none of that comes anywhere near what Cohen does. He makes people genuinely angry or deeply uncomfortable, wereas Daily Show and Colbert (and Letterman in his prime) just confuses them.

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I was never fond of the Daily Show interviews, except those by Stewart himself (although the reports without interviews were often hilarious). Colbert's were better because it was more immediately obvious to the interviewee that he was playing a role.

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As far as awkward humor goes, I would point out that the Daily Show does a lot of that in its interviews

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Yep... I can't take much of the Daily Show, either.

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Yep... I can't take much of the Daily Show, either.

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I can't help but wonder if that is mainly for its political slant? I love it, and never miss it. But, sometimes I put my hands in front of my face, and peek out through my fingers, at some of the interviews. Still, I find them hilarious. I do hope that they tell the hapless interviewees what was up, after the interview is over!

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You know, people, the best comedy involves a significant element of cruelty. You all seem to missing that key point of humor...

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I disagre utterly.