By Mr. Will Wong
It’s been 14 years since we’ve heard from him, but we’ve often wondered about BORAT. How would he see the “U.S. and A.” in the Trump era? Has he gotten over his Pamela Anderson obsession? What kind of a father would he be?
BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM is a mesmerizing Sequel to 2016’s epic introduction to Kazakhstan’s most disgraced Reporter. Inasmuch is it is as offensive and laughable as its predecessor, this followup directed by Jason Woliner (Parks and Recreation) ventures into even more daring territory in today’s current climate.
Borat (Sacha Baron Cohen) decides to gift his 15-year-old daughter Tutar (Maria Bakalova) to Vice President Michael Pence, bringing him on an adventure to America. We follow him and his daughter as they seek to understand the culture of Republican America. Tutar must undergo a physical transformation and everyday Americans unknowingly are thrust into outlandish unscripted scenarios and forced to maintain their composure. The results are just as funny this time around.
Cohen tackles topics the Pandemic, abortion, women’s rights and of course government corruption which while his character leans to a Republican sensibility, backhandedly the Film is all about Liberal sentiment. And yes just to confirm, Rudy Giuliani is a creep as we witness in an interaction between his aspiring Journalist daughter and the polarizing former New York Mayor in a hotel room after Borat pushes to gift her to him after a failed attempt with Pence, crashing his convention in a Trump costume.
One of the Film’s craziest moments is Borat crashing a Right Wing rally, taking to the stage and singing a satirical song about sending the Left including President Obama off to Wuhan, getting the crowd going and singing along proudly as a bunch of foolish racists, is the stuff of legends. The Film is a brazen look at the disgrace of America that while examining a very sad reality, inherits the brilliance of the first Film. Cohen is a hero and his message is timed perfectly as the country is called to vote in the weeks ahead. While Cohen heads and shoulders owns this entirely, kudos goes also to a searing knowingly-unknowing performance by Novak.
BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM arrives on Amazon Prime Video Friday, October 23, 2020.
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