Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Well, Borat is back, just in time for a politically divided, socially distanced America, anxiously awaiting any outcome of the upcoming presidential election. Deep down, people feel like this is the best time we could use another dosage of Sacha Baron Cohen’s Kazakhstan character (very unlike anyone from Kazakhstan, mind you) and his docu-mocku-satire antics. However, there are a few problems. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan was like catching lightning in a bottle: I assume not enough people knew the character existed within the Ali G universe, so the joke worked extremely well, and caught many audiences off guard. Bruno was the exact same film plot wise, but trying to outdo the former film in every single way (laughs, dares, and results), only to feel more fabricated, forced, and of the same-old narratively. Could Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan escape this outcome?
Well, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm does end up feeling like it is of the same rulebook as the original Borat. Look, I know the humour is going to hit the same way, given its nature, but a completely refreshing plot that doesn’t feel the same patterns even remotely would have sufficed. I’m talking about a Sacha Baron Cohen character being a fish-out-of-water foreigner in America with a partner of any sort, with both partners having a falling out and an unholy reunion of some sort. Now, what I will say is that Borat Subsequent Moviefilm does attempt a few twists and turns, including a blindside well towards the end that may catch you completely off guard (not unlike what South Park was trying with its season 24 special). In those ways, I have to hand it to Borat Subsequent Moviefilm for at least trying to break away from the same formula even a tiny bit. Clearly, this storyline helps Cohen and company get their best results, so they don’t want to split away from it too much. It makes for a less surprising end result, but if you’re here for the jokes, that won’t matter.
Cohen is joined by Maria Bakalova in a superstar turn.
On the topic of comedy, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is exactly what you signed up for: offensive situations that reveal the ugliness of others, or upsets passersby and participants enough to create its own laughs. However, somewhat like Bruno, this sequel does try to land some jokes a little too hard, creating a bit of a forced result. The beauty of Borat is that you always feel like the journalist is naive and completely out of his element. Here, when Borat accidentally stumbles upon a porn video trying to look up a beloved recipe (I’ll leave that for you to find out), it feels far too laid out, like this is Cohen trying to screw with people, and not Borat stumbling somewhere unaware. It just isn’t as funny. On the other hand, there are so many jokes and gags where we see the Borat of old, and the comedy unfolds a little more organically. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t laugh out loud — either out of hilarity or audacity — a number of times in this film. Cohen and his revolving door of writers are just really good at what they do, even when the well feels like it’s running dry.
Then there’s Maria Bakalova as Borat’s daughter Tutar who serves many excellent purposes, when this character could have been completely misused. Tutar is now the new Borat, of whom no one suspects a thing of. See, Borat is too well known now (and it’s part of the plot here, hence why Borat himself creates disguises throughout the film), so Tutar can go in his place and create new circumstances that are completely fresh. Bakalova nails each and every opportunity, transforming from one of the Borat side characters we’ve seen before, and becoming a fantastic source for laughs. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm also knows exactly how often to feature her. We see her enough that she is vital to the film, and she doesn’t overstay her welcome as to make Borat irrelevant entirely. Both father and daughter Sagdiyevs are featured just enough. It’s veyy nace.
All in all, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm doesn’t really show us a side of America (or the world) we’re unfamiliar with: Borat did that well enough the first time around, and the hideousness of the last number of years has already exposed this side even further. Hell, are any of us surprised by the infamous scene that everyone is talking about at all? I’m sure not. Don’t go in to Borat Subsequent Moviefilm expecting something new, as societal commentary, a documentary satire, or as comedy. Expect more of the same as before, and you’ll be okay. This Borat followup is a fairly good chuckle here, and a deep cringe there. It might be what you want in 2020, and it might not be either. It does try to have a half hearted attempt at sympathy as well, including Tutar’s discovery of her own individuality and female empowerment, and Borat’s confrontation with a holocaust survivor (the one person Cohen revealed his true intentions to: not featured in the film, though). However, these get quickly brushed aside for more offensive payoffs, but what else is new in Sacha Baron Cohen’s world, right?
Also, one last final note. No matter how you dissect it, Rudy Giuliani looks terrible in this film. You didn’t escape Sacha Baron Cohen at all, Rudy Giuliani. You may have escaped a sexual scandal, but not much else. There’s no fake news about inappropriate touching, grooming, and preparing for a post interview session of sorts. Even if you were “tucking in your shirt”, what about the rest of the subtle coercion? There’s also the claiming that COVID-19 was created in a lab to kill people, but we can focus on this nonsense another day. This scene has nothing to do with Hunter Biden: your scene was shot months ago, as proven by your past discussions of Cohen. Nice try. I don’t mean to get political, but scummy people are scummy people, no matter what their political affiliation. Good luck trying to get out of what will likely be the most watched film for a while.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.