The Borat Movie

[pete]

it's like saying showgirls was good but that scene with elizabeth berkley using ice to play with her nipple wasn't HOT.

[for petes sake]

*** SPOILERS ***

not-so-funny:

-Pamela Anderson abduction
-naked wrestling
-the "hooker" who was clearly an actor

Wrong
Dead Wrong
They were never at any point expecting anyone to think she wasn't an actor.

Both these scenes were purely included for brainless shock value.  While this instance was certainly the most extreme example of it, the whole "let's get the hairy, fat guy naked" scene just isn't funny to me when it's scripted.  Having both of them run around in the hotel and through the convention there was funny because you could see real people's reactions to what was happening and it didn't feel so tired and cliche.               

The Pamela sack scene also felt staged.  Knowing Baron Cohen's modus operandi, to have the climax not be unscripted felt awkward and lame. 

And with regards to the filmmakers' intention to have the Hooker come across as being an actress, you know that for a fact, huh?  I'm pretty sure that up until the ending you're supposed to have no idea.   

It's a simple matter of these things feeling like they were staged and therefore not being funny.

it's like saying showgirls was good but that scene with elizabeth berkley using ice to play with her nipple wasn't HOT.

it's like saying Baron Cohen's scripted moments aren't as good as his unscripted ones.

admin edit: use edit/modify to make two replies in one post.

[Chest Rockwell]

I agree with you in general, that the unscipted scenes with the "plot" were the weakest scenes, but the naked wrestling was fucking hilarious. It spilling out into the convention was pure gold.

it's like saying showgirls was good but that scene with elizabeth berkley using ice to play with her nipple wasn't HOT.

it's like saying Baron Cohen's scripted moments aren't as good as his unscripted ones.

what?

[RegularKarate]

SPOILERS

Both these scenes were purely included for brainless shock value.  While this instance was certainly the most extreme example of it, the whole "let's get the hairy, fat guy naked" scene just isn't funny to me when it's scripted.  Having both of them run around in the hotel and through the convention there was funny because you could see real people's reactions to what was happening and it didn't feel so tired and cliche. 

Here's the thing though:  The movie needed about three or four unscripted moments to carry the plot (as stupid as it sounds, it wouldn't have done as well without at least SOME kind of plot) and the hotel scene was the most brilliantly funny scene they could have scripted.  Shock value?  sure, but the fact that he was naked was just the start... it was the fight itself that was so funny... i
             

And with regards to the filmmakers' intention to have the Hooker come across as being an actress, you know that for a fact, huh?  I'm pretty sure that up until the ending you're supposed to have no idea.   

It was pretty evident that she was an actress.  The conversation, the fact that she took the night off... none of this was even remotely believable... I think it's possible that she wasn't a real actress, that they hired a real prostitute to give those lines, but the situation doesn't seem at all like they were trying to convince anyone that it was real.

[cron]

in my eyes,  the best two scenes are :
borat vs the rodeo
the frat boys

those two are an example of what sacha baron does best, portraying ignorance.
what i like about the film, and the reason i will defend it in any further conversation, is that it wouldn't exist if people, especially those in favor of a 'global economy' and wild capitalism, knew more about global interaction and duh, other countries and cultures . that's his license to do all the crazy stuff.  my dad has a friend from the portuguese navy who told a US marine, when he asked about his country, that portugal was a small country between texas and mexico. the marine bought it. to me , this movie damages the image of USA wayy more than Kazakhstan's. that was just the pretext, it could've been greenland, portugal, hell  even mexico. i feel like i'm stating the obvious but borat succeeds in showing how we've failed as decent human beings in the western world, miserably.

edit: shit, i just rewrote the article on page 3.  that is my last attempt on writing anything serious .

whatever, this film is great success high five etc etc.

[Ravi]

And with regards to the filmmakers' intention to have the Hooker come across as being an actress, you know that for a fact, huh?  I'm pretty sure that up until the ending you're supposed to have no idea.   

What difference does it make if she was an actress?  All that matters in that scene is the reaction of the people at the dinner table who really think that Borat invited a hooker over.

[pete]

for pete's sake is going to HATE jurassic park when he watches the behind the scene.

[I Love a Magician]

Just watched Borat on Stern. I fucking hate Howard Stern. He kept asking about Hitler and if Kazakhstan helped kill the Jews and all that shit and you can tell that Cohen's getting irritated with it. Really pisses me off when I watch a Borat interview and the interviewer tried to be in on the act and be all smarmy and shit.

[picolas]

the part where stern said "did your country go around and help the nazis to kill all the jews?" was pretty sad. shows how feeble and empty his idea of humour is. and you can see a little tiny piece of stern understands it's the dumbest possible thing to say immediately after he says it in his body language. he would either ask hideous questions or repeat/explain what borat had just said.

[for petes sake]

SPOILERS

Here's the thing though:  The movie needed about three or four unscripted moments to carry the plot (as stupid as it sounds, it wouldn't have done as well without at least SOME kind of plot) and the hotel scene was the most brilliantly funny scene they could have scripted.  Shock value?  sure, but the fact that he was naked was just the start... it was the fight itself that was so funny... i           

SPOILERS

I agree with you about the necessity of having scripted scenes to carry the film forward.  Most of the time they worked for me...the running of the Jews part gave me a cramp in my side from laughing so hard.  However, the wrestling scene just didn't because it felt like that type of thing I'd seen before in a hundred other idiotic frat-boy movies (maybe less extreme, but the same idea).  It came off as stale and tired especially when compared with everything else in the film.  I guess this is just a matter on personal preference.       

It was pretty evident that she was an actress.  The conversation, the fact that she took the night off... none of this was even remotely believable... I think it's possible that she wasn't a real actress, that they hired a real prostitute to give those lines, but the situation doesn't seem at all like they were trying to convince anyone that it was real.

For me it wasn't.  When she entered the house I remember cringing with anticpation at her introduction to the owners.  Of course when she started walking around and introducing herself to everyone I knew that she was an actor, but it still felt like a let-down considering the fireworks that could have flown if she had been a real hooker put in that situation.  Also, considering the ridiculous shit they got people to everywhere else in the movie, getting a real hooker to knock on the door of a southern mansion didn't seem out of the question.

[Kal]

the part where stern said "did your country go around and help the nazis to kill all the jews?" was pretty sad. shows how feeble and empty his idea of humour is. and you can see a little tiny piece of stern understands it's the dumbest possible thing to say immediately after he says it in his body language. he would either ask hideous questions or repeat/explain what borat had just said.

I did not see this, but take in consideration that both Stern and Cohen are JEWISH. So maybe there was something else behind it.

[hedwig]

the part where stern said "did your country go around and help the nazis to kill all the jews?" was pretty sad. shows how feeble and empty his idea of humour is. and you can see a little tiny piece of stern understands it's the dumbest possible thing to say immediately after he says it in his body language. he would either ask hideous questions or repeat/explain what borat had just said.

I did not see this, but take in consideration that both Stern and Cohen are JEWISH. So maybe there was something else behind it.

i bet you picolas already knew stern and cohen are JEWISH. pretty much everyone in the universe knows they are JEWISH.

[bonanzataz]

i bet you picolas already knew stern and cohen are JEWISH. pretty much everyone in the universe knows they are JEWISH.

WHAAAAA?!

[picolas]

i know they're jewish. it doesn't make what stern said funny in any way. i'm not saying the question was offensive. i'm saying it sucked at being funny.

[Pubrick]

sacha baron cohen for best actor.