It took me a while to getting around to watch Borat. I had seen bits of Borat on "Ali G" DVDs, and he struck me as not so interesting. But the film certainly is. It is one of the most dividing bits of culture in recent history, and it is no wonder. I found I got all the same reactions just in little me: rolling on the floor laughing... cringing with embarrassment... flinching with revulsion... Seriously, this film is really hard to watch, but impossible not to.
I bow to Sacha Baron Cohen's sheer balls. In the name of comedy he mortally insults a stadium full of drunken rednecks at a rodeo. He has a naked fight with a 200-kilo man who sits on his face. And he speaks blatantly offensively to policemen, politicians, street gangs, and worst of all, to organized feminists. I know I could not come within a million miles of doing any of that.
I wonder what Cohen is like in person. When he is in character, he is vile. And dead funny. And like the best comedians, he puts the finger right on the most sore spots of what's wrong with our world, racism, misogyny, war-lust, ignorance...
Cohen out of character on Letterman.
Cohen as Ali G, interviewing "Beck and Posh".
Update 19/7:
Pascaleiev said...
"When I first saw the Ali G Show, I didn't know he was a role. And I found he was an incredible mix of outraging, funny and sometimes even cute in his badly raised child style. Always shocking yet never mean."
Yes! Exactly right. And that is another reason I don't sympathize with people who get so damn offended: if you are not the type who get automatically offended by some things, it is clear that he is not mean. If Borat or Ali G were real people, they would just be brought up wrong or something, they are good people.
He's the same jerk in persom. He's come close to getting his ass kicked in public several times. Just another Hollywood self destructive personality.
ReplyDeleteActually he is British, not Hollywood.
ReplyDeleteAside from being Jewish, and Oxford-educated.
Of course none of that would prevent anybody from being an a-hole.
He is said to be the complete opposite in person. He couldn't really be the same person as Borat anyway, since he's Jewish himself. He is an Orthodox jew as well, and his fiance is supposed to be converting. He is supposed to be quiet and soft-spoken and polite. I can't say how true that is since I don't know him, but everyone who does know him says the same thing. The anonymous person above is former of the two types of person critics were afraid would misunderstand this movie: There are those who are offended by Borat, and those who applaud and agree with him.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds more likely.
ReplyDeleteHere's a clip of Cohen out of character on Letterman.
ReplyDeleteI think he is a comedic genius. The only thing I don't approve of is the unethical way they set up the interviews. Basically, they lie.
Sure, they lie. But it's hard to feel sorry for some of the people they ambush, like those college kids on that road trip. They tried later to play it off as drunk talk, but they knew what they were saying.
ReplyDeleteAnd they knew they were on camera, on a "documentary".
ReplyDeleteBut the college kid scene was not a set up interview, it was ex tempore -- the production team met them in a bar. The kids agreed on the spot.
ReplyDeleteI am talking about the interviews with people like Boutros Ghali, which are pre-negotiated using a fake company identity and fake web site.
I don't feel sorry for any of his interviewees. If anyone, I'd feel sorry for Cohen and his team. If you have to lie to get someone to co-operate with you it seems to me you are rather cheap.
You have a point.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, if they were bright, they would figure out they were being had. Nobody is like Ali G or Borat in real life.
Or at least they could be like James Lipton, who came off with flying colors.
There are people like Ali G and Borat in real life. I'm happy for you (and a little envious) that you have not had the displeasure of meeting some of them. The whole point of the Ali G character is that they do definitely exist.
ReplyDeleteI still don't feel too bad for some of those people who are tricked. Once they get talking, I don't feel too badly for them; they hang themselves. Maybe Cohen gets in there under false pretenses, but the damage they do is with their own words. I haven't seen every show, so maybe this is not always true, but for a good example see the Newt Gingrich interview.
When I first saw the Ali G Show, I didn't know he was a role. And I found he was an incredible mix of outraging, funny and sometimes even cute in his badly raised child style. Always shocking yet never mean.
ReplyDeleteBut I don't know Borat, apart from his WikiQuote page.
Still, I expect his deliberately bold and controversial style would not offend me. An "outrageous" comedian bears a subtle difference with a real outrageous person: if you're discerning, you'll realize he's making you think and observe. Education through the example of what not to do.
I've seen low-level humour. Things not only not funny, but with very low intentions like genuine racism, homophobia or other forms of hate. It's unmistakeable. Somehow, I never mistake the looks with the core. "Shocking" humour is simply a genre. One that's uniquely hazardous with people who don't "get" it and take you literally.
Just my two kazakh rupees of primitive philosophy...
One thing I did learn from the Borat movie: If you're ever in the market for potassium, Kazakhstan has the best potassium in the world.
ReplyDeleteYes, Borat is amazing because he can make the most unbelievably outrageous statements and still appear innocent.
ReplyDeleteFor example, the way he says "is it possible to make a shit in your house" in Guide to Politics. Unf*ckinghilarious!
"If you're ever in the market for potassium, Kazakhstan has the best potassium in the world."
ReplyDeleteYou see? Borat IS educationative. We also have delicious goulash. My grandmother's secret recipe is to add the musk glands of musk rat. Is very good. You want a taste, yes?
I am doing now documentary on Africa. They say man appeared in Africa. I am searching if man evolved in Africa after that. First, I'll go study the brain size of African politicians. Leader always strongest and smartest, right? Like Kazakhstan.
Then, I compare with brain size of apes. Finally, make polls among Africans and Apes to compare rates of approval of group leader. I have just graduated in Interpology, now I know how to climb polls like apes.
If I survive, next I go make same study in America. If I don't find American apes, I take opossums instead. Fair enough to American politicians, yes?
After that, maybe I write review of room cozyness in tropical island hotel. You know the hotel in Guantanamo Bay? Always welcomes non-american tourists. I'll give them secret goulash recipe to help business.
Borat? Ook-eek! At last, I know name of man with yellow hat!
ReplyDeleteI like him, him is funny! Squeek!