- Cast & Crew -

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443453/fullcredits

- Plot -

In the movie, Borat, a TV reporter in his home country of Kazakhstan, is sent to America to learn from their culture and to report about what he finds. He ends up heading from New York to California to track down Pamela Anderson after catching her in Baywatch on TV while in his hotel room in New York and meets many different types of people along his journey, with his friend Azamat (who books his appointments to interview different people and so on) accompanying him on the way.

- Genre/Type of Movie -

This is a zany satire/parody based comedy.

- Thoughts & Opinions -

Well, first off, I can see why this is is seen by some as a controversial movie and why the people of Kazakhstan complained about the stereotypes the character put across, I'd be embarrassed if I came from there.

It is quite funny and interesting to see the reaction of different Americans to him, including a group of feminists in NY and a humour coach. It is pretty uncomfortable viewing though, or it was for me anyway, knowing that the Americans in the movie had no idea about the character or anything, although of course it wouldn't really work had they known but it did seem somehow unfair on them and alot of people seemed very uncomfortable at such an over the top foreigner who says very outlandish and rude things. Some of the things that are said in response to him and what he says are quite surprising and interesting at times though, a scene involving Borat singing supposedly the Kazakh national anthem to the tune of the US anthem, at a rodeo show, springs to mind, where people were clapping though what he was saying wasn't very positive. You can tell that some people are particularly homophobic/racist and wary of foreigners and its this insular part of US (or western in general I suppose) society that the movie is, I suppose, trying to highlight.

It is quite funny in a silly, over the top way in parts, the way Borat behaves, the things he does and says and in other parts of the movie, its really quite uncomfortable viewing, as I said. He uses very strong and sexual, sexist language quite frequently and so I'd say that this isn't recommended for those who are easily offended really (particularly jews).

I feel this probably does have something of a message or a moral behind it somewhere but its a bit too over the top for my personal liking in general, however I can see that some would find this very funny, like those who like to see reality TV contestants get humiliated and I did laugh at it in parts but I did also feel a bit guilty about laughing at it sometimes, considering its not particularly tasteful, really. Then again, if you know much about the character of Borat or the actor, then this shouldn't surprise you.

It also had me wondering near the end of the film, which set of stereotypes it was sending up or questioning but I guess its both, that of a foreigner in another country, otherwise known as being a 'fish out of water' and also of some particularly narrow minded natives, while showing that others are actually quite accepting and tolerant of what would normally be seen as very offensive talk or behaviour, thats almost so over the top in a sense that because he's clearly a foreigner, they let it pass.

I don't know if its particularly fair for him to make Kazakhstan seem such a 'backwards' country but I can see that its done as pure satire really, so it shouldn't, of course, be taken entirely seriously. Its certainly not a movie for everyone though, thats for sure and I think if there was the option to rate it 3.5 stars out of 5, I'd be more likely to rate it that, for me it was somewhere between alright and quite good in parts, so its kind of hard to rate but given that im sure some people will find it quite funny, I went with the higher 4 star rating.

- DVD -

The DVD offers the following bonus features - 10 deleted scenes (of a reasonable length, most are somewhat amusing, showing Borat at different places, like in a supermarket, getting a job, trying to buy a dog and get a massage etc.), a featurette showing the films promotion in different places such as Cannes, Sam Diego and so on and with footage of Sacha being interviewed on US TV shows to promote the movie and a parody advert for the movies soundtrack.

I got my DVD second hand on Amazon for about £3.50 including postage and packaging, so you can buy it really quite cheaply and for that price, its particularly good value for money, considering the extras the DVD includes, or I think so anyway.

I noticed the media/press quotes about the movie on the front and back of the official DVD box (see the photos below) and again I think their a little exaggerated but I've learnt that such quotes should be taken with a grain of salt anyway, thats not to say that the movie isn't funny but I wouldn't like to make out that your likely to burst blood vessels because you'll laugh so much(!)

- Would I Recommend It? -

Well this is clearly a movie that not everyone will laugh out loud at, or particularly enjoy. As I've said already, this isn't for those who are easily offended, if your not sure if you might be offended by this movie then I'd say its best you not try it really, it could be offensive to some, though I don't think it should be taken too seriously either.

I think if you like the character Borat or are a fan of Sacha Baron Cohen, then you should definitely watch this, if you haven't already. It is particularly over the top and zany in some parts and you can laugh at it from the sheer craziness of it, or at least I did at some parts but I equally felt kind of uncomfortable watching other scenes, given the situation and knowing (from what I remember reading in the press regarding the movie when it first came out) that the American citizens genuinely weren't aware about the movie being filmed etc. even if it was all acted, its still kind of uncomfortable viewing in a way but im sure some would find it quite funny, though given some of the sexist and anti semitic dialogue/'jokes', I wouldn't like to think people would laugh due to agreeing with it!

I think its alright, it is trying to make a point which is kind of fair enough and some parts of it is funny in a way. Obviously this isn't a movie for everyone, like I keep saying and its certainly not for kids (hence the 15 rating it has), there is a scene which features nudity and it almost shows too much, put it that way, so again it will be seen as offensive and over the top to some but to others it probably is really funny. I feel personally im somewhere on the fence about it (if you know what I mean lol), not being a particular fan of Sacha, though I'd heard people at work and most everywhere talk about this movie in the past, so I thought I couldn't not watch it eventually, it seems everyone has seen it, so, now I can be included in that statistic! that doesn't mean its an excellent film though.

The DVD can be bought second hand very cheaply for a few quid and it is funny in some parts, so in that respect I would recommend it but I hope its clear that this isn't a movie that will suit or amuse everyone, its not for those who are easily offended but otherwise, for the price and given there's a fair range of extras, I'd say its worth checking out, if you haven't already, just be prepared to cringe as well as laugh!

Thank you for reading my review, I hope you found it useful and thanks, as ever, for all r/r/c's.

Also please be aware that this review, as about all my reviews will be, is posted on both Dooyoo and Ciao under my username which is the same name on both sites (IzzyS).