Botched Borat
Besides the friend with whom I saw the film this week, am I the only person on the planet who thinks that Borat is awful?
I admit that I am not a fan of most of Sacha Baron Cohen’s creations—what can I say, as a bottom I’m not fond of assholes–but will also admit that I did laugh my ass off earlier this year at his scene-stealing performance in the Will Ferrell vehicle, Talledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Like it or not, he has a certain outrageous quality that is clearly (and sadly) well-suited to these times. I get it, and applaud him on his achievements. And I get that Borat is supposed to be a “satire”, too. I’m not an idiot.
Borat is one of those films that I don’t think I would have ever sought out had it not garnered such universal critical praise and impressive word of mouth almost immediately. Opening in North America this past weekend in only 837 theatres, it took in an awesome $26.5 million (or a staggering $31,607 average per theatre), more than absorbing its $18 million budget; overseas, it’s made around $21 million to date.
Hmm, the fact that BOTH critics and audiences were embracing this wacky Kazastani–how often does that happen?–had me thinking that I should probably see Borat before the hype got too out of control.
Unfortunately, the opportunity to do just that arrived earlier this week. A gal pal of mine was visiting from Calgary. After a fine and fun afternoon of lunch and shopping, we decided to see a film. Borat wasn’t our first choice but its next screening was in 20 minutes. As we were deciding whether or not to take a chance on the film, a respectable looking woman who appeared to be hovering around 30 or so shared with her friend that she had already seen Borat and described it as “pretty enjoyable”. My friend and I exchanged a look that said, “What the hell. Let’s see Borat.”
The first half an hour or so, I found myself chuckling from time to time, more out of shock than actual amusement. By the hour mark, I was gasping more than laughing while frequently looking at my watch and praying for the movie to end. (Except for once, no matter how bad the film, I will never leave the theater until the final credits are rolling.) It felt like I was being held captive in the theater while a gunman took shots at everyone, and knowing that it was just a matter of time before I was looking down the barrel of that gun myself. Not funny.
Borat is a dangerous flick and after seeing it, its phenomenal popularity is beginning to worry me. It’s certainly not because I feel sympathy or compassion for the anti-Semitic, homophobic, misogynist, war-loving, bible belters that Borat proudly and rightfully exposes, but because I can see some of these types of people actually feeling flattered by how they’re portrayed on-screen and seeing no reason to change despite being the butt of the joke; not realizing that people aren’t laughing with them but at them. Isn’t that funny?
Cheers,
S.R.
