Movie Name: Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Director: Jason Woliner
Producer: Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines and Monica Levinson
Starring: Peter Baynham, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jena Friedman, Anthony Hines, Lee Kern, Dan Mazer, Erica Rivinoja and Dan Swimer
Release Date: October 23rd, 2020
Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Introduction
I have been waiting for this movie for quite some time. Especially after the creator of this character, Sacha Baron Cohen said that he was discontinuing the Borat character. Well, 14 years later, we finally have the sequel to the original movie titled, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.
I will admit that when the original movie came out, I was not really sure who Sacha Baron Cohen was. I had heard of the Ali G. show, but I never really paid much attention to it, until much later.
Since then, some of his movies / TV shows have been mostly hits with a few misses. I think that the original Borat and Who is America? are pretty good. However, Bruno, was not some of his strongest work in my opinion.
Cohen had mentioned in various interviews and speeches that the point of his projects are to dismiss misinformation. You cannot deny that this is what his movies aim to do. They try to show the real side of people.
Having said that, let us look at the trailer and the main premise of the movie.
Borat 2 Trailer
Story / Premise
Sacha Baron Cohen reprises his role as Borat, the 4th best journalist in Kazakhstan. Since the last movie, we learn that he has brought shame to his country and has been punished, ever since the last film.
However, his fortunes are about to change. He is asked to go to America and provide an offering to VP Mike Pence. In exchange he would regain his freedom and not be executed.
When written the premise is quite short and simple, but like any of Sacha Cohen movies, not everything is always straight forward.
Bottomline
I think that this movie was "Very Niiiiice". It took the elements that made the first Borat so great and build upon it. The storyline is more interesting and more relevant.
It was awesome seeing Sacha Baron Cohen again as Borat. Especially in 2020, it feels like something we needed right now. We are at the cusp of a US election and it just feels like we need to disconnect for a while.
The casting was very well done. Maria Bakalova who plays Borat's daughter Tutar Sagdiyev, is awesome in this movie. She really catches the essence of Borat. I always felt and believed that she was his daughter. There are times where we see her crack up in shots. I still do not know how she kept a straight face for most of the movie. That alone is a great feat.
The writing was as you would expect from a Sacha Baron Cohen movie. There are jokes that are in your face and you will laugh out loud. However, having watched the movie twice, there were jokes during the second viewing that I had initially missed. This made me want to watch it a third or fourth time to see what could have slipped my eyes.
When I say the writing, I do not just mean the jokes. There were legit touching moments in the movie, which I did not expect. We have known Borat to be this obnoxious and loud, politically incorrect journalist. However, there are some touching moments in the movie that deal with real issues.
There are scenes where it is easy to say that they were unscripted. However, there were other scenes that this was not as straight forward. That is part of the genius of Sacha Baron Cohen, where he makes the audience wonder what is fake and what is not. In the end though, it is always very entertaining.
There are many parts of the movie that I loved but I will stick to what was in the previews as to not ruin the movie for anyone. My favourite scene was when Tutar gets to eat a cupcake with a plastic baby on top. She swallows the plastic baby. So her and Borat go to a clinic to get it checked out. The rest of the scene is just pure gold. They have this conversation with a Pastor and he is just confused and does not know what to say. This is just one of many scenes where I was dying of laughter.
Some people online have criticized that he is making the people of Kazakhstan look bad. This was also the same argument they gave for the first movie as well. However, those that say that have not seen the second movie. They are just complaining to complain. Will some people have issue with this movie? Of course and that is the point. Sacha Cohen makes movies that make you think. Those that criticize usually have knee jerk reactions. When you look at the true meaning as to why the movie is made, then you understand more what he is trying to do.
The movie has been out only for a day and already America's Mayor is trying to defend what happened in the movie. I am sure there will be others that will try to sue or go after Sacha Cohen.
In the end, this movie is touching, funny and sometimes uncomfortable. If you were a fan of the first Borat film and other Sacha Cohen projects, then you will not be disappointed. If you are not a fan of his work or get easily offended, then this movie is probably not for you. One of my good buddies, said it best, "I have not laughed this hard at a movie in a very long time.". I cannot deny that sentiment. In a time where comedies are few and the quality of them are debatable, this one makes me believe that funny movies can still exist.
Have you watched the movie? What do you think? Either you liked it or not, let us know your comments below.
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