2008 Woodie Awards
Borat reflects cultural learning of ourselves
Rudy Ornelas
Issue date: 11/16/06 Section: Lifestyles
- Page 1 of 1
Movie audiences who go watch the No. 1 movie in America, "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" will be able to tell a lot about themselves by the reaction they have as they leave the movie theater.
This movie is a comedy about a man from the incredibly underdeveloped nation of Kazakhstan (not based on the actual nation) who comes to America to make a documentary to benefit his country and help them escape the problems that trouble them which in Borat's words are, "Social, Economical, and Jew."
What comes next is a series of hilarious encounters, with Americans of all types. Rednecks trying to convince him to shave his mustache so he won't look Muslim and instead look more like an "eye-talian," Jews, African Americans, frat boys, high-class society, a driving instructor, a group of feminists and many others all trying to change him.
This film has "Napolean Dynamite," like humor. Things in the film are just so dumb, that they are funny. But unlike "Napolean Dynamite," this movie actually has a message. It makes us aware through the eyes of Borat, some of the flaws in our society.
For example, Borat is extremely homophobic, yet he can't tell who is gay and who isn't. Therefore engaging in homosexual activity without realizing that what he was doing was against his beliefs. He is also incredibly anti-Jew because of the beliefs that were engraved in him since birth. Yet he doesn't even realize it when he stays at a Jew's house.
This reflects the fact that we, as an American society, in many cases, have made our minds up about many things, before even really knowing what they are. Borat's ignorance, which is not malicious, is a very funny way to make us see how stupid it is to be that ignorant. This movie is basically what the 2005 film "Crash" would have been if they had decided to make it a comedy. Same message, different genre.
So if you have seen this movie and all you got out of it was two grown men fighting naked over masturbation privileges of Pamela Anderson, then you need to go back and see it again, because there is much more beneath the jokes. This is without a doubt the smartest, dumb comedy ever.
This movie is a comedy about a man from the incredibly underdeveloped nation of Kazakhstan (not based on the actual nation) who comes to America to make a documentary to benefit his country and help them escape the problems that trouble them which in Borat's words are, "Social, Economical, and Jew."
What comes next is a series of hilarious encounters, with Americans of all types. Rednecks trying to convince him to shave his mustache so he won't look Muslim and instead look more like an "eye-talian," Jews, African Americans, frat boys, high-class society, a driving instructor, a group of feminists and many others all trying to change him.
This film has "Napolean Dynamite," like humor. Things in the film are just so dumb, that they are funny. But unlike "Napolean Dynamite," this movie actually has a message. It makes us aware through the eyes of Borat, some of the flaws in our society.
For example, Borat is extremely homophobic, yet he can't tell who is gay and who isn't. Therefore engaging in homosexual activity without realizing that what he was doing was against his beliefs. He is also incredibly anti-Jew because of the beliefs that were engraved in him since birth. Yet he doesn't even realize it when he stays at a Jew's house.
This reflects the fact that we, as an American society, in many cases, have made our minds up about many things, before even really knowing what they are. Borat's ignorance, which is not malicious, is a very funny way to make us see how stupid it is to be that ignorant. This movie is basically what the 2005 film "Crash" would have been if they had decided to make it a comedy. Same message, different genre.
So if you have seen this movie and all you got out of it was two grown men fighting naked over masturbation privileges of Pamela Anderson, then you need to go back and see it again, because there is much more beneath the jokes. This is without a doubt the smartest, dumb comedy ever.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
True That
posted 11/16/06 @ 10:15 PM CST
I agree with you. If you like timelapse movies check out. ......... www.youtube.com/user/Tubenater
J
posted 12/01/06 @ 2:26 AM CST
Good review Trudy. And in the words of Borat "I Like" keep it up.
Cassie
posted 12/09/06 @ 11:36 AM CST
Wow! Good job Rudy, you got comments!
hmmm... I wonder who that may have been
:-)
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