Is Borat Too Smart for the Average Joe?
Filed under: Comedy, Independent, Celebrities and Controversy, 20th Century Fox, Politics, Toronto International Film Festival, Cinematical Indie
There's an interesting conversation going on over at Hollywood Elsewhere about Sasha Baron Cohen's upcoming film, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, and whether the film is too intellectual for the average moviegoer. Jeff Wells notes that the awareness level of the film in the average movie-goer is not great, even though it's receiving lots of buzz from industry types and critics since it screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. Wells speculates some on why the movie isn't buzzing well with average joes, and wonders whether part of the reason might be that people are hearing that the film basically makes Middle Americans look like a bunch of racist, homophobic dorks.There's been some interesting discussion in the comments, partly on whether Middle America will be interested in seeing a film that basically mocks them out, and partly on whether Sacha Baron Cohen should have delved into other groups like the Black Panthers or Nation of Islam and gotten them talking about the "white devils," to be more balanced. Maybe Cohen will tackle offending those folks in a future film; I certainly wouldn't put it past him. I saw Borat at Toronto (both at the premiere, when the projector famously broke 15 minutes into sold-out screening, and the following night all the way through), and I laughed non-stop, even when I was cringing at the way Cohen is able to elicit the most amazing responses out of the subjects he encounters in the film.From the comedy coach to the etiquette coach, from the old guy at the rodeo wistfully talking about how we should take care of the gays here the way they do in Muslim countries, to the RV full of drunken frat boys (and if those idiots end up getting laid as a result of the astoundingly misogynistic crap they spout during their segment, I truly fear for the future of humanity), the things these people say to Cohen are shocking. And what makes them shocking is that these people are revealing what they really think, because they buy Cohen's routine that he's this bumbling foreigner who is trying to learn our ways.
That's why some of the folks shown in the film have their panties in a bunch -- they got caught on film revealing themselves as bigots, homophobes and morons. The irony is that the kindest, most compassionate person Borat encounters -- the one person who gives him a genuine perception of the humanity that exists in nooks and crannies of America -- is the person you would least expect because of her job. This only serves to underscore Cohen's point. Cohen in his guise as Borat holds an invisible mirror up to those he encounters on his journey, and reveals back to them their innermost selves that they keep tucked away in polite society. Whether that will play broadly to American audiences, we'll have to see in a couple weeks when the film opens, but regardless of the box office, Cohen is simply brilliant.
Now it's your turn to weigh in, Cinematical readers. Is Borat nothing more than crude, racist humor at it's worst, or is it social satire at its finest?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-19-2006 @ 4:52PM
Zack said...
In my high school, it seems like just about every guy is anxiously anticipating BORAT. You can hear shouts of, "It's Niiiice!" and "High Five!" at least once a day. Several teens even had pins with Borat's image from the poster.
This is coming from a high school of 1500 in an Ohio suburb.
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10-19-2006 @ 4:52PM
LuKESTARkiLLER3849206 said...
He make me laugh! So do racist, homophobic middle Americans!
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10-19-2006 @ 4:56PM
bgdc said...
Kim Voyner wrote:"...wonders whether part of the reason might be that people are hearing that the film basically makes Middle Americans look like a bunch of racist, homophobic dorks."
No. I'd guess many in middle america won't see it because he's an apparent foreigner in what appears to be a documentary. They're not just ignorant, racist homophobes. They're also xenophobes!
I don't think the film will generate much in the US at the theaters. On DVD it'll be a smash and word of mouth will push it. I've been trying to pimp borat for years and I must be very selective about the audience. Some people just don't get satire. They don't see the humor in having people expose their real sides. They only hear what Borat says, not holding the interviewees responsible but rather saying Cohen is the bad one.
The LA times has an article ( http://imdb.com/ri/LINK7_HP/BOT_BUCKET/44999/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-borat15oct15,1,7925514.story )about Borat and how he appeals to a small group. The writer seems to believe only the young and low-brow like Borat. Strange as I never picked HBO's demo to be so hot among teens and college kids. At my office we're all college educated and most of us seem to gravitate toward satire (The Office, Daily Show, Arrested Development, Curb Your Enthusiasm - Maybe those are low brow too?). Many people at my office watch Borat on YouTube and quote him quite often. My girlfriend (A Cal grad) is always asking if something "is tight like man's anus?". My bro-in-law (a lawyer) tends to do the wawaweewah and the hand gestures. Guess we're all low-brow.
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10-19-2006 @ 5:41PM
Sean said...
Cohen has shown an ugly side of our culture that most people find too upsetting to handle so they just dismiss it and hate it. people who enjoy his humor, and many young men and women do, thankfully, have that ability to not take themselves too seriously. and far too many americans take themselves very seriously. nobody is absolutely right or wrong and baron cohen brings it out with all of his characters. His Ali G character can bring out very interesting sides of people. You see the people who are bitter towards him and just feel mocked, and those, like pat buchanan, who actually take it all quite in stride, because they are comfortable with their position. He once got a bar of people to sing 'throw the jew down the well' with him, showing some interesting callousness towards anti-semitism. I believe he himself is jewish, so this can't all be fun and games to him. And the fact that these people are gonna come out and sue him cuz america gets to see itself? they didnt care when they thought khazakstan was watching. ignorance breeds ignorance and Borat can show us someone who seems ignorant among those who are really ignorant, when cohen is the smartest man in the movie.
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10-20-2006 @ 12:49AM
A Student said...
Yeah, quoting Borat and watching the Daily Show are the peak of highbrow humor. Only a college-edumacated person and peers could possibly 'get it'. Certainly not the unending sea of unwashed xenophobes in our country.
I've got no problem with Borat necessarily, I just don't enjoy watching him press on people's good will. Like the wine tasters, they take their time to be nice and are forced by politeness into a bunch of awkward situations. It is exactly the type of movie I would expect to do well with kids and people that talk in theaters because they think they're so brilliant.
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10-20-2006 @ 12:27PM
roadkillbuddha said...
Having read your post, I'm thinking Borat's biggest problem might actually be its advertising campaign. Never having seen Da Ali G Show, I had no idea that this is what the character was about. Judging solely by the movie trailers, Borat seemed to be nothing more than Cohen traveling around doing a Kazakh version of Yakov Smirnoff's "in Russia TV watches you" shtick, and I was neither impressed nor interested. But now that I've read your description of the movie, I'm looking forward to seeing it. (Of course, like bgdc, I'm a lowbrow Daily Show and The Office kind of fan).
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12-29-2006 @ 11:01AM
Richard Church said...
Why did Sasha Baron Cohen feel it necessary to denigrate a real country like Kazakhstan to push his humour? He could have just as easily made up a ficticious country like the republic of Kablakistan in the Austin Powers movies... Let's face it, most Americans wouldn't know the difference and it would have made the jokes even funnier -- not to mention more ironic. I see nothing funny about making peole laugh at the expense of an entire nation which has done nothing to deserve such a senseless and unwarranted attack. That's just plain wrong. For his next film maybe Mr. Cohen could try lampooning Israel? Somehow I doubt he would find the concept remotely amusing.
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