Borat returns to America in “Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm”
Borat returns to take a politically charged trip through America, this time with an unlikely companion.
The only thing more dangerous than COVID-19 is a democrat … or at least that’s what a featured civilian in “Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm” would like you to believe. Back in America, and more politically charged than ever before, Sacha Baron Cohen returns as Borat and navigates multiple locations throughout America to expose Americans at their darkest moments.
It’s been several years since Borat has been held captive for making the original “Borat” film and Kazakhstan is now a laughing stock because of him. Now, in order to be released and redeem the nation, he must bring Johnny the Monkey to the Vice President of America — Michael Pence.
Before he leaves he finds his long lost daughter, Tutar, played by Maria Bakalova. Tutar wants to go to America with Borat but he declines. Following his arrival in America Borat finds that Johnny the Monkey has eaten himself and Tutar snuck herself in with the now deceased monkey. The two must now find a way to redeem the legacy of Kazakhstan.
Taking the same mockumentary approach as the original “Borat” did, unscripted moments within the movie remain thrilling and thought provoking. Sacha Baron Cohen is able to reveal individual’s hypocritical beliefs that allows the audience to reflect and laugh at them. In many ways, this film resembles what you would see on reality television.
As a character, Borat himself is an exaggeration of the extremist beliefs oftentimes found in many of his encounters throughout the film. Borat participates and engages in antisemitism, sexism, racism along with other bigoted beliefs. While we don’t like Borat as a person — he’s offensive and crude, and his morals are extremely low — we come to enjoy Borat’s antics because he is a satirical representation of someone that comes from a heavily conservative and rural background. Borat exists to serve a purpose, which is to reveal a ridiculous nature not so far from reality.
However, I would argue that the offensive nature of the jokes is meant to be ironic to reveal the sad reality of some beliefs. By taking this approach in a more lighthearted way, we are able to reflect on problems that dwell within our society through a means of comedy which, in turn, tend to make the subject matter easier to approach.
This movie is much more politically charged compared to the first one. In a time where our nation is more divided than it’s ever been, this movie inherently favors one of these sides. And with our country in this divisive state, the film doesn’t cater to both sides, which will inevitably put some people off if they prefer to keep politics out of their movies.
The hijinks and situations that Borat gets himself into also detracts from the main plot — which often comes across as an afterthought. While I prefer the thought-provoking and insane places that the film goes, people who watch this movie for its plot will be disappointed.
If you’re looking for an introspective movie about the current state of American culture and something that pushes the boundaries of what comedy can be, then this one’s for you. However, if you prefer politics excluded from your movies and want more of a safe and traditional comedy experience, then I would suggest you skip this one.
“Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm” is now available to stream on Amazon Prime.
Title: “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”
Star Rating: Four out of five stars
Good:
- Unscripted moments are incredibly thrilling
- Pushes the boundaries of what a comedy film can be
- Scenes are relevant and thought provoking
Bad:
- Some of the jokes are reused from past films
- Humor might be offensive to some viewers
- The plot itself feels like an afterthought
