Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Sacha Baron Cohen’s surprise return to his infamous character, Borat, proves that the best form of comedy is the real world making fun of itself. Although it is significantly more staged and scripted than its predecessor, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm exceeds every expectation and provides enough laughs to last the rest of the pandemic. To put it simply, “He make movie of US and A. Great success!”

It is impressive how sudden this film was released. In a world where theaters are shutting down and massive blockbusters are either collecting dust in foreign markets or getting pushed back to 2021, this release was a reviving breath of fresh air. The fact that Covid happened in the middle of its filming, to the point where the writers had to resteer the entire production to focus on the virus, is spectacular in its fluid results. They sprinkle in little hints to foretell the inevitable, building up the best joke over the course of the runtime. The virus is ever present, lurking in the background of each scene until it finally strikes, cornering Borat in a log cabin with two rednecks as he waits for the quarantine to end, and it somehow works perfectly with everything beforehand. Surrounding the plot around the president and his posse of politicians is genius in bringing out the absurdity of modern day media; having a global pandemic be ignored by them, and subsequently Borat, until it was too late was just icing on the cake. With all the chaos that happened this year, there was plenty to poke fun at for an easy 90 minutes of runtime.

I really respect Sacha Baron Cohen as an actor and writer. Not only is he insanely witty and talented, he commits himself fully into his roles. Borat was a revolutionary turn in entertainment, making a feature-length film with the audience being inside the frame and reacting to the story directly, but also being the butt end of the jokes, is genius. Seeing people in their real lives engage with Sacha Baron Cohen’s caricature inspired a different kind of humor that is everywhere in today’s media. The sequel, sadly, has to stray from this style for the most part because of Covid-19, but also with it being filmed during the more ‘connected’ world of 2020. Tweets went out of people seeing Sacha Baron Cohen in his Borat character in Texas, acting as the main advertisement for the film just a few months ago, but this very reason most likely prevented him from acting out scenes as intense as the first film. Many encounters are very scripted because if he said what he said in public, or dressed as he did in public, there would be a negative reaction that would sink his career or the success of this film. The jokes that do make the cut make you cheer and cry with laughter, but it pales in comparison to the bold craft of its predecessor.

Overall, this film is a blast to watch with as many friends as possible (with social distancing) and laugh at how crazy this year was. The commitment to film through the pandemic is admirable, and it pays off in spades. The comedy is crass but brilliant, and each scene is worth watching just to see your political roommate cringe and hide next to you on the futon. It is a very one-sided political film, but Sacha Baron Cohen is known to call out people politically. His dedication to the craft of this film will make it stand out to any other film made during this time, and how much it shows the reality of today will ironically make it as timeless as the original.

Story Rating: 8/10

Character Rating: 5/10

Entertainment Rating: 9/10