I hate when people tell me that a movie is the “___________iest” movie that I will ever see before I’ve seen it. It’s too much pressure. My two wills battle each other. On one hand you have the will to be cool as shit and go along with the flow of the group. “Yes, I loved when he/she/it went ahead and killed him/stabbed her/blew milk out the nose/committed suicide on death bed of lover. It was dope!” That’s what you find yourself saying even though you hated that scene or even the movie. That’s when your rebel will comes in. “Yeah, I don’t really care for fantastical movies about the holocaust/slavery movies with classic choirs in the background singing as somebody gets beat/scenes where a dumb lady forgoes the love of her life for the sake of her ungrateful family. How you like me now?”

This is a conflicted review of “Borat” The blah blah to the blah blah for the blah blah.” I will never remember the whole title like Yaze just because I’ve decided it unnecessary.

Summary of the plot is, at this point, not needed, right? I mean if you have a pulse you know that comedian Sacha Cohen (of Ali G fame) has created a foreign cousin of the Tom Hanks character, Victor Navorski. Borat is grossier, crassier, naiver with a far less enchanting ultimate goal of Victor’s (when he just wanted to go to the jazz club and get the legend’s signature). Borat wants Pam Anderson. And this is his story.

Pros:

I really really did laugh so hard in certain parts that I felt helpless and unable to muster up the will to laugh again. Cohen’s Studs Terkel like tactic of getting regular people to talk for themselves is genius even if not super original. Who better can show us ourselves but us? The scene with Borat hitching a ride from the future of America, a trailer full of frat boys who are very curious about the “Russian bitches” you can sleep with and “never call again” is so funny that it’s frightening. I mean, duh, we know these guys exist if you look at the Duke Lacrosse team. But these guys with poor naïve Borat who just wants to be with Pam? I hope these guys can effectively blame their behavior on the Jack D.

Relating to my point above, we are a narcissistic society in a way. We love to look at ourselves but we like to do it in a not so obvious way. For example, allowing a spelling challenged elected President to lead us into war is a really effective way of getting ourselves in headlines so we can read about ourselves in a not so obvious way. Or, doing something called “Freedom Fries” instead of “French Fries” when a country doesn’t agree with us. Or, finally, having a movie like “Borat” be number one for a good amount of time. Yes it’s in part to Cohen’s character but we, the country, are guest stars in this movie. We are the ones who run from Borat’s attempt at his traditional double kiss greeting, the ones who agree with him when he slyly alludes to us being barbarians looking for war rather than freedom fighters, the ones who line up for miles to get a signed copy of Pam Anderson’s book, the group of Southern High Society who extend a missionary like patience during a dinner where Borat brings his poo to the table. That’s us, people, on the screen, starring next to Cohen.

The joke to me is that everyone thinks this is a diss to Kazakhstan and that culture but the joke is actually on us. Borat the character is merely a device that we react to, in affect showing who we really are. Of course the “movie” part of it is easy to attack. The Kazakhstan village is actually actors on a movie set. Those people went home at the end of the day. We are the only real ones who are still the same people we were in the movie. When I thought about that, I got uncomfortable. And that is genius.

Cons:

Very small: Balls. I don’t like seeing men’s balls. I don’t like seeing naked men fight to show me their balls. You will know this scene when you see the movie.

And, I have to say, though I haven’t yet figured out why this is, the parade with the Jewish couple made me very very uncomfortable. Though nobody was spared in this movie and I realize there should be no special favors (I mean he does call a black politician “Chocolate Face” however Borat likes chocolate…as you will see in the movie) but I’m never comfortable with blatant specific chiding of that sort. I’ve rationalized in my mind this way: 1) there’s a specific history with his country and Jews that I have no real connection to aside from news headlines 2) Name a group of people who’ve been spared in the name of entertainment….right 3) Borat is not a rocket scientist.

In all, see the movie. I will not tell you it’s the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. I will tell you it’s the “__________ iest” (fill in your own word after you see it) movie that you’ll ever see.