Borat (2006)
February 20, 2025 10:12 AM - Subscribe
Full title: Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. [TRAILER] Kazakh journalist Borat Sagdiyev (Sacha Baron Cohen) travels to America to make a documentary. As he zigzags across the nation, this mockumentary mixes in encounters between the Borat character and real people. His backwards behavior generates strong reactions around him exposing prejudices and hypocrisies in American culture.
Directed by Larry Charles. Screenplay by Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Peter Baynham, Dan Mazer. Story by Sacha Baron Cohen, Peter Baynham, Anthony Hines, Todd Phillips. Based on the character Borat Sagdiyev, created by Sacha Baron Cohen. Produced by Sacha Baron Cohen, Jay Roach. Cinematography by Anthony Hardwick, Luke Geissbühler. Edited by Peter Teschner, James Thomas, Craig Alpert. Music by Erran Baron Cohen.
90% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
You can see streaming/rental options for your services/locale at JustWatch.
Directed by Larry Charles. Screenplay by Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Peter Baynham, Dan Mazer. Story by Sacha Baron Cohen, Peter Baynham, Anthony Hines, Todd Phillips. Based on the character Borat Sagdiyev, created by Sacha Baron Cohen. Produced by Sacha Baron Cohen, Jay Roach. Cinematography by Anthony Hardwick, Luke Geissbühler. Edited by Peter Teschner, James Thomas, Craig Alpert. Music by Erran Baron Cohen.
90% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
You can see streaming/rental options for your services/locale at JustWatch.
I have been to Kazakhstan and Romania, and believe me in Kazakhstan very nice people, even far from the cities. In Romania, on the contrary, people are rude almost everywhere.
posted by vitospit at 10:20 AM on February 20 [2 favorites]
posted by vitospit at 10:20 AM on February 20 [2 favorites]
I've never been to Kazakhstan, but I go to Romania most years, sometimes for as long as a month or so. They're complicated people, but I wouldn't call them rude. On some vectors, they're actually very, very polite. I mean, a shopkeeper will probably talk to you like you're a dumb asshole, but if you get lost, you can ask literally anyone for help and they'll likely go out of their way to get you to where you are going, and they may well invite you to dinner.
Mostly what you're seeing in this film is extras having fun at the film's expense, knowing that the production didn't know anything about Romania and wasn't really trying to show Romania. It's sort of the equivalent of if a crappy Hallmark movie shot a scene "in Saudi Arabia" in the Mexican desert and locals cut up in the background, knowing the filmmakers weren't going to catch them.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:32 AM on February 20 [3 favorites]
Mostly what you're seeing in this film is extras having fun at the film's expense, knowing that the production didn't know anything about Romania and wasn't really trying to show Romania. It's sort of the equivalent of if a crappy Hallmark movie shot a scene "in Saudi Arabia" in the Mexican desert and locals cut up in the background, knowing the filmmakers weren't going to catch them.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:32 AM on February 20 [3 favorites]
I guess I didn't know that about Romania vs. Kazakhstan, but I do think filming it in Romania and including all the local Romanians crudely mocking the production to its face is extremely on-brand, and arguably more appropriate to the creative direction of the film than shooting in Kazakhstan with local actors would have been.
posted by Phobos the Space Potato at 11:21 AM on February 20 [5 favorites]
posted by Phobos the Space Potato at 11:21 AM on February 20 [5 favorites]
Yep, the fact that Baron Cohen is speaking Hebrew throughout is, in all seriousness, one of the funniest things about this movie. Personally, I simply can't watch any of his improvised movies, I am literally doubling over with empathic cringe the whole time. Very funny concept and performance, though.
posted by wnissen at 3:29 PM on February 20 [1 favorite]
posted by wnissen at 3:29 PM on February 20 [1 favorite]
It's really worth knowing that he's speaking Yiddish and Hebrew, because it makes the scenes where he is seemingly being antisemitic play very differently. The people at the B&B for example have said they were not informed this was a bit, but could absolutely tell because actual virulent antisemites do not customarily babble in Yiddish.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 3:33 PM on February 20
posted by DirtyOldTown at 3:33 PM on February 20
There are several entertainers who are now dead to me because of... misplaced allegiances, and he is one of them.
posted by Lemkin at 10:14 AM on February 23
posted by Lemkin at 10:14 AM on February 23
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My kid: I'm grateful this came out before I was born, so I can enjoy it without the all the Borat impressions and catchphrases.
Me: VERY NICE!
Fun fact: all of the scenes in Kazakhstan were actually filmed in rural Romania. This is not only noticeable if you know Romania/Romanian, but kind of jarring as the background people are frequently just yelling truly filthy swears and insults at the camera.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:14 AM on February 20 [10 favorites]