It has been 14 years since journalist Borat Sagdiyev embarrassed the nation of Kazakhstan with his visit to America and resulting documentary. He has spent those 14 years in a gulag but is now being released. The Premier of Kazakhstan has an important task for him: return to America and bribe the US Vice President in order that Kazakhstan regain favour.
The first Borat film, released in 2006, was brilliant. Spinning off Borat, a secondary character in the TV series Da Ali G Show, into his own movie, writer-actor Sacha Baron Cohen created a hilariously funny film that combined candid comedy with staged skits. The success of the candid scenes was almost entirely due to the off-the-charts chutzpah and nerve of Cohen. Not only funny, the movie also made some interesting social observations, especially in demonstrating the superficiality of modern society.
This film is the first Borat movie or release of any kind since the 2006 film. The fact that Cohen even decided to make it is interesting as you would think you can only make a candid film about a particular character once: they're bound to get recognised the second time round (even after a 14-year break).
This was my fear before watching this: surely Cohen can't get away with it a second time? However, I needn't have worried. Through disguises and picking on people who've never heard of Borat, Cohen manages to replicate the candidness and anonymity of the first movie. The other major positive is here he isn't working alone: Maria Bakalova does a great job in playing Borat's daughter Tutar, getting many of the candid scenes and taking the pressure off Cohen/Borat.
The result is a film that is, in spells, as funny as the original. Some great laugh-out-loud moments.
However, it isn't as consistently funny as the 2006 film, with some scenes that miss the mark. There are still some good social observations but they aren't as many or as profound as in the original.
Overall, very entertaining and well worth the watch, especially if you enjoyed the 2006 film.
The first Borat film, released in 2006, was brilliant. Spinning off Borat, a secondary character in the TV series Da Ali G Show, into his own movie, writer-actor Sacha Baron Cohen created a hilariously funny film that combined candid comedy with staged skits. The success of the candid scenes was almost entirely due to the off-the-charts chutzpah and nerve of Cohen. Not only funny, the movie also made some interesting social observations, especially in demonstrating the superficiality of modern society.
This film is the first Borat movie or release of any kind since the 2006 film. The fact that Cohen even decided to make it is interesting as you would think you can only make a candid film about a particular character once: they're bound to get recognised the second time round (even after a 14-year break).
This was my fear before watching this: surely Cohen can't get away with it a second time? However, I needn't have worried. Through disguises and picking on people who've never heard of Borat, Cohen manages to replicate the candidness and anonymity of the first movie. The other major positive is here he isn't working alone: Maria Bakalova does a great job in playing Borat's daughter Tutar, getting many of the candid scenes and taking the pressure off Cohen/Borat.
The result is a film that is, in spells, as funny as the original. Some great laugh-out-loud moments.
However, it isn't as consistently funny as the 2006 film, with some scenes that miss the mark. There are still some good social observations but they aren't as many or as profound as in the original.
Overall, very entertaining and well worth the watch, especially if you enjoyed the 2006 film.