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

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

Those that have been watchin' Da Ali G Show repeatedly - to get their five minute dose of Sacha Baron Cohen's alter ego, 'Borat' - will be please to know the 82 minute feature film packs a festival of fun. The small screen festivities are carried across with pleasant ease; luckily everything you know/ love Borat for is included.
So who is ‘Borat’ and why is he here? To answer your question simply, he’s Kazakhstani TVs most popular news reporter and documentary maker. Introduced to the public in the Channel 4 series (which aired in 2000) we viewed him documenting his ‘Guide to Britain’. The topics covered Etiquette, Hunting and Henley (in which he kisses the male students and gives the ladies a stern handshake). Thankfully Cohen followed up in the second series of Da Ali G Show, with Ali G, Aiii and eventually Borat was his won entity – which was best captured in 2001’s The Best of Borat. Knowing Baron Cohen was onto a good thing; his Kazakhstani reporter was let loose on the Americans with a big screen outing … Oh gosh!!!
Not the first time in the States but definitely the funniest, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (yes, the films full name) sees him on travels across at least 12 of the 52 states. What he’s up to is made clear from the opening credits. Starting out in his own country - which is sandwiched between Uzbekistan and Russia - he travels to the Big Apple with friend and colleague Azamat Bagatov and the two immediately get into allsorts as only Borat Sagdiyev can do. After falling in love with semi-artificial Pamela Anderson, Mr Sagdiyev (I know, I didn’t think he had a second name either) soon finds himself traveling to California to MARRY her. Filming his journey on the way – to better his homeland – he finds himself taking driving lessons, renting a ‘car’, hiring a prostitute and singing the Kazakhstani national anthem pre-rodeo to the tune of Star Spangled Banner (whilst being passionately booed).
For fans of the character/ legend, this is a brilliant film. You may think watching an hour and a half of acting/ documentaries/ footage of Sacha Baron Cohen in full idiot mode is a bit long, but its not. There’s always something different around the corner; from hiring a bear to protect him to simply staying at the house of a Jewish family?!?! Those who are familiar with the irony Borat’s bundled with will be pleased from start to finish; the ticket fee is well worth your pocket money.
5/5

For more Borat Sagdiyev madness, click here. 20th Century Fox’s Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (Cert. 15) is out November 3