Borat : Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

Subversive masterpiece or racist, sexist, anti-Semitic waste of time? Masterpiece, hands down. Yes this film contains all those bad behaviors and yes as they were exhibited I burst out laughing. I laughed and laughed both from amusement and discomfort, but through it all the film is endearing at its core. Sacha Baron Cohen and his co-writers along with director Larry Charles (responsible for many hilarious episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm) have created a classic comedy which totally pushes right past and rips up the envelope of taste. But even as I groaned and muttered “oh no” to the screen, I found myself rooting for Borat on his mission to understand America which turns into a quest to find his princess. “Awkward” doesn’t do justice to some of the situations he ends up in but hysterical does apply to most of them. I loved this film and grew to love this character. I am a bit in awe that he pulled this movie off without getting seriously hurt or killed or ending up in jail. I have to respect this movie at the very least for his fearlessness as a comedian. Finally a box office smash (on less than 900 screens) I enjoyed seeing!
Favorite moment: Saying goodbye to Luenell after a night on the town.
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