Borat

[Forgotten Man]

yakshemash! I Like, it's NICE!

If one goes into that movie expecting not to be offended, they'll be offended. Some times it's ok to laugh at our selves.

Now, the bedroom wrestling scene... that part wouldn't be missed.lol

FM~

 

[John in Covina]

Abort Borat

I watched only part of it, and while some parts were funny, other parts made me well, embarrased and I simply gave up on the film. Some situations were actually painfully stupid to me so that was enough. A part II would be a waste of film in my eyes.

 

[Edward]

Doran, I did indeed hear about the village's objections. I do see the offence; while I don't think any exploitation was intended and again the joke was our Western condescening attitude towards people in those sorts of place, I can well understand that I might be offended too were it me, maybe not so much by the portrayal as the fact that it might help to propogate stereotypes among those ignorant of life there. We had a similar kerfuffle a few years ago when the soap opera Eastenders had some chracters going to visit their long-lost Irish side of the family, and Irish village life was portrayed as a ridiculous twenties-style deprived existence, with pigs running free in the house et al. Caused a lot of offence among the Irish community not so much for the portrayal itself but for the fact that those behind the show seemed not to know any better, or at least pandered to a market which would just accept that characateur, presented as fact, as a reality. (Eastenders, you will note, while often laughable is not a comedy).

As to the Jewish thing, I do wonder whether some devil in SBC gives him an enjoyment in making these Jewish jokes - you know, "I can say this and you can't because I'm a Jew" - it's almost asd if he's daring us to call him an anti-semite.... I remember when the newspapers in the UK first were reviewing Ali G. You could see all of the writers who wanted to slate it as racist hedging round it because back then noone knew who he really was. Obviously we knew Ali G was a character, but no journo wanted to call him racist in case he really was black (his dark Jewish skintone on screen looked such that it was hard to tell). There was a lot of humour to be had in that.

I really don't expect to see a sequel to this - everyone knows now that Borat is a fake, and the crux of the joke always was that he was being taken for real. All such characters are time limited for this very reason. also, I think his intention is now to go into more "regular" acting. Back when he was still Ali G, and even while promoting Borat, he never appeared in public out of character. Once Borat was out and winning awards or at least nominations, he started to appear as himself, which was a change ,suggesting to me that he wants to be perceived as an actor now, and not as the characters.

FWIW, if anyone who likes Ali G - I do - and hasn't seen the Ali G film, don't bother. the film took the character out of the real world and put him in a fictional setting which really didn't work, the humour in the original of course being derived from real people taking him for being real.

 

[Dr Doran]

yakshemash! I Like, it's NICE!

If one goes into that movie expecting not to be offended, they'll be offended. Some times it's ok to laugh at our selves.

Now, the bedroom wrestling scene... that part wouldn't be missed.lol

FM~

The nude wrestling was definitely hilarious. That hairy fat guy ... jeez ... and then them breaking "accidentally" into that conference and the black guy in the suit grabbing them ... priceless.

 

[Forgotten Man]

The nude wrestling was definitely hilarious. That hairy fat guy ... jeez ... and then them breaking "accidentally" into that conference and the black guy in the suit grabbing them ... priceless.

lol

I went with a few friends, wile our group laughed like mad, I did see anywhere from 10-15 people up and run-out of the theater during that scene! lol

I liked the part when he meets up again with his pal and he's dressed as Oliver Hardy lol He speaks in their language but, with the gestures of Oliver! lol lol lol

FM~

 

[Baron Kurtz]

I suspect that SBC fully understands all the possible dimensions and interpretations of his product. (ie. absurd level of paranoia in his own community, absurd representations of anti-semitism from western/middle eastern "characters" etc etc etc)

bk

 

[Dr Doran]

(ie. absurd level of paranoia in his own community,

Even saying what you just said, BK, can get you kicked out of my school. Isn't PC wonderful? If I EVER said that in school outrage would result, and a response would be typed up and distributed in an hour. News conferences, email trees. "The Jewish community is very concerned over the stereotype that they are paranoid and wants the administration to look into Doran's anti-Semitic comment." My Jewish friends would certainly take my side; however, the anger and polarizing defensiveness of ALL groups here who feel they have ANY right to feeling disenfranchised in any respect at all (women, gays, Jews, blacks, hispanics, and every possible grouping within the human race with a representative at my university) is at such a fever pitch now that expulsions, recriminations, distressed staff meetings on "diversity"and big stinkie-poos would result. I would certainly be forced to take mandatory "sensitivity training" were I EVER to make any statement like that at school. A formal apology would have to be given by me -- that's if I didn't simply get expelled without PhD -- and a LOT of people who are not even Jewish would be very very upset, writing editorials in the campus newspaper about how "Anti-Semitism didn't die in 1945" and how "racism is alive and well on even the most liberal American campuses." Look at the travesty of justice that happened to Larry Summers.

Isn't the environment of free speech at America's major universities a truly fine thing? God bless the Lounge.

But back to Cohen -- I think you are right that he is making fun of his own. That's a great thing to be able to do.

 

[Miss Brill]

I'm 12 years old in my heart, so I thought the scene where he was talking about his sister teasing his brother & his brother breaking out of his cage was the funniest in the movie. I laugh just thinking about it. [huh]

 

[Hammelby]

I'm 12 years old in my heart, so I thought the scene where he was talking about his sister teasing his brother & his brother breaking out of his cage was the funniest in the movie. I laugh just thinking about it. [huh]

"You cant have this..." I agree! Soo hilarious Miss Brill!

 

[Miss Brill]

"You cant have this..." I agree! Soo hilarious Miss Brill!

High five! lol

 

[Jovan]

I really need to see that movie again. I saw it twice and it didn't get less funny the second time. Of course, the naked wrestling was a bit much even for me... *shudder*

 

[Miss Brill]

I really need to see that movie again. I saw it twice and it didn't get less funny the second time. Of course, the naked wrestling was a bit much even for me... *shudder*

Yea, that was bad. They should have left it out, it wasn't that funny anyway.

 

[HamletJSD]

I wasn't thrilled about it the first time. It seemed "sort-of" funny, but two-thirds silly, vulgar, and offensive.

I am willing to give it one more shot, though, since I also didn't like "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" the first time.

 

[Jovan]

Brill: The part where he tells Borat to eat... you know what... was especially unneeded.

HamletJSD: The second time I saw Holy Grail I was laughing uncontrollably at the part where Lancelot charges the castle from a distance. I guess I just find different things funny!

 

[HamletJSD]

Jovan ...

I think it often depends on your mood and/or who you're with ...

I couldn't even tell you how much I laughed the second time I watched Holy Grail. It was as if a veil was lifted and I had to ask, "where was this movie the last time?" Fantastic!

I doubt I will ever find Borat as funny, by any stretch, but I'll give it a second chance before i call it, "NOT funny."

 

[Dr Doran]

My god, listening to men act out Monty Python skits in those horrible high voices and twitty English accents is so repellent that Monty Python is ruined forever for me.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

Did anyone else catch a striking simularity between Borat and Groucho Marx? A bit of an homage perhaps?

 

[Shaul-Ike Cohen]

Regular (i. e. non-stub) nose , intelligent eyes, and a bushy moustache - painted in Groucho's case, glued on in Borat's. And ill-suited suits. The Borat moustache was rather to resemble a fantasy Kazakh, I'd have thought, and the suit to look unsophisticated/post-Soviet.

 

[Jovan]

Don't forget that awful shirt... I saw someone come into my work today wearing that kind of shirt with a tie. :eusa_doh:

 

[Dr Doran]

Regular (i. e. non-stub) nose , intelligent eyes, and a bushy moustache - painted in Groucho's case, glued on in Borat's. And ill-suited suits. The Borat moustache was rather to resemble a fantasy Kazakh, I'd have thought, and the suit to look unsophisticated/post-Soviet.

Excellent points (and I agree that snub noses should not be considered the default nose -- ). The hideous suit definitely was meant to look like a post-Soviet socially retarded twit -- for more hideous Soviet-related clothing, you all must see the film Goodbye Lenin, a masterpiece of detail, with a couple of kids hunting up Soviet-era (not post-Soviet, which is comparatively way cooler) shirts and such for their mother who still believes that the iron curtain is up -- some ill fashion there, too.

For a fine look at post-Soviet but much cooler, more western-looking wear, the Slovak village in the horror film Hostel has it pretty down pat. (I travel to Poland a lot so I am pretty familiar with all the permutations of style and stylelessness of the general post-Soviet world or what is represented as such.)