Yet, I was not astonished. Anytime someone shows up another party, be it intellectually or humorously (or, worst of all, both ways) there are bound to be immature and money-grubbing morons looking to make an unethical buck. That none of the rubes could figure out they were being put on bespeaks the utter idiocy of the American public at large. Now, it’s hard to believe all the scenes were taken cold. After all, could the frat boys have had the Pamela Anderson video needed to despoil Borat’s dream? Yes, she’s a frat boy fantasy, but still, Occam’s Razor says it was a setup, and indeed, all the alleged lawsuits may be just a part of the publicity campaign.
Nonetheless, the film suffers none the worse for it. And, if all the scenes were truly done cold, it bespeaks much of the goodness of the poorer and more disenfranchised members of society than the well off. Blue collar folk, the black gangstas, and the gay paraders, all embrace Borat with humor and grace, whereas the rich and white often scorn him.
And, despite the harsh attacks on the film, culturally and socially, and despite there being nothing too deep here, Borat is a wonderful critique — nay, full out assault — on the asininity of Political Correctness, for, despite all the claimed offenses in the film, none of the people who appeared and filed lawsuits suffered anything they did not inflict themselves, due to their own arrogance and biases, and fully knowing they had signed proper legal releases, which is included at the film’s credit’s end.
Borat is the sort of a film that comes along at a certain moment and finds its niche (the hysteria and xenophobia rampant post-9/11), due to events in the real world, but will not long be remembered once the situations that made it so popular fade. Nonetheless, even in 50 years, there will still be a dozen or so scenes that will give one laughing pains the way a Moe, Larry, and Curly eye gouge still does. And that sort of staying power is still worth something in the ephemera of Hollywood these days.
Article comments
1 - Jordan Richardson
One of my favourite comedies ever. Thanks for revisiting this.