Review of Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006) by Harry W — 19 Jan 2014

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan loses its edge when you've seen it enough times so that you can predict what will come next, but it's still a hilarious mockumentary piece from Sacha Baron Cohen at his finest.

Borat not only shocks and offends viewers, but has them laughing constantly at the way that Americans treat foreigners and the way a foreigner may shock America with such traditions that they deem awkward in social context, and that's the basis that Larry Charles uses as a director to direct Sacha Baron Cohen through so many strangely awkward plot dynamics which caused the police to be called 91 times during the filming of Borat. And through hilarious improvisation and a script that was somehow nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, Borat ensures that it gets genuine reactions out off unsuspecting figures and has the viewers laughing constantly of the shocks of excessively awkward behaviour that a man acts out in a journey through America.

On the basis of the writing effort from Sacha Baron Cohen is the single thing that ties the entire film together: the titular character Borat.

The character Borat is great, and arguably Sacha Baron Cohen's greatest character since Ali G. His characterisation of Borat is strong because it makes him a friendly and culturally strange figure who is also talented at making situations incredibly awkward hilariously. And the dedication Sacha Baron Cohen has to his characterisation of Borat is utterly hilarious and so effortful that it plays as the backbone of all the success in the film. It's too easy to forget that Borat is not an actual person because Sacha Baron Cohen puts in such a convincing effort for the character. It convinces everyone and makes the viewer laugh, and since it does both of those it succeeds greatly as a comedic effort.

Ken Davitian also does a hilarious job in the supporting role of Azamat Bagatov because he seems more native to Kazakstan than Borat himself which adds to the credibility of the film.

Essentially, on the sole basis of Sacha Baron Cohen's efforts and the simple fact that the entire world was tricked into contacting the police 91 times because of his hilarious talents as a comedian, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan is a classic comedy film with irrefutable hilarity.