It feels like only yesterday that Sacha Baron Cohen took the world by storm with the release of 2006’s Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. The film has stood the test of time as one of the ingenious and brightest comedies of the 00s. The film led Cohen to a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, a win in Best Actor – Motion Picture and Comedy, a WGA and Academy Award nominations for Best Adapted screenplay.
Fourteen years later, the world is quite different than it was in 2006. Therefore a Borat sequel seemed nearly impossible; however, Baron-Cohen delivered a revolt against the politically correct comedic culture in Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm. A film with an already built-in audience from its predecessor is sure to cause quite the conversation during one of the most critical elections in this country’s history.
What makes this film’s existence even more unbelievable is that it was shot during a global pandemic, making for some of the film’s most eye-opening moments in terms of the country’s divide both politically and in regards to the pandemic as a whole. Cohen delivers on the expected. Along with that dive into the world of Trump supporters and COVID-19 hoax theories, Cohen’s Borat sequel has quite the back story. Since Borat has become easily recognizable in America thanks to his success in 2006, Cohen becomes a master of disguise to infiltrate certain events and places, which make for some of the most significant LOL moments in the film. Cohen’s attempt to bury the Borat persona under several other characters while keeping the Borat character intact was some of the funniest moments on film this year.
Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm is sure to rub certain people the wrong way, and that’s ok. With comedies like this, thick skin is needed to genuinely enjoy a film that feels like it’s from a different time where its creators do not care about the consequences that stem from their outrageous choices. The film is sure to cause controversy with not only its gags but a particular politician put into quite the predicament that had me wondering while watching, “Are they going there?
Cohen makes sure the elements of both the character and the original film are kicking throughout the sequel. This film adds a layer that makes it different but might have created a star in the process in the form of Borat’s daughter, Tutar, played by Bulgarian actress Maria Bakalova. Bakalova steals the show & is sensational as she carries a good portion of the film on her own and has some of the most outrageous moments in the movie, and she plays them to a tee. Bakalova crafts a character and portrayal so charming that it’s hard not to warrant a potential Golden Globe nomination for her performance. The concept of Borat having a daughter, seeing as he’s had quite the set of misogynistic beliefs, was a genius idea. It creates a layer of conflict for the character that concludes with a nice bow on top.
There is no denying Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm is one of the best and most entertaining films of the year.
