I should say right off the bat that if you’re no fan of Sacha Baron Cohen and his antics, you will not like Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm. If you hated the first Borat movie, then you will really dislike the sequel.
That said, if you’re a fan of both, you might like Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm.
The premise of the sequel is that the first movie brought shame on Kazakhstan, and Borat was punished by being sentenced to a labor camp. Then the world changed, and he’s being reinstated to deliver a gift to (current) Vice President of the US, Mike Pence.
If you’re looking for a movie that shamelessly mocks Republicans, white supremacists, Anti-Choicers, and believers in Q-Anon, you’ve come to the right place. That said, the world has changed since the first Borat movie, and as a result, the film isn’t entirely about its title character.
Baron Cohen was easily recognized in character in more urban parts of the US and you see him regularly greeted by fans. They got around this with disguises, many of which became jokes in and of themselves, but also by introducing Tutar, Borat’s daughter, played by Bulgarian actress Maria Bakalova.
It’s hard to discuss this movie without spoiling the best jokes, and while there were some cringeworthy moments, one of which I just couldn’t watch, I enjoyed the movie overall. There were times when I laughed so hard I was in tears, some where I cringed, and others where I cheered.
The rest of the movie was just okay. Not unpleasant, but no masterpiece either.
Much of the element of surprise that made the first Borat movie special is gone, but it’s still a fun watch. That said, if you admire Mike Pence or Rudy Giuliani, or are anti-choice, white supremacist, or inclined to believe ludicrous conspiracy theories about COVID-19 – as much of the film was shot after the adoption of COVID measures – this movie will probably will leave you butthurt and whiny, so don’t bother.
I’ve heard reviews that claim Baron Cohen was too soft on the people he spoke to in the movie, but I didn’t get that at all. He was clearly doing his best in the special circumstances created by the pandemic and it made for decent entertainment.
Now to address the elephant in the room: the scene with Trump advisor and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Maria Bakalova, playing a teen journalist. Those defending Giuliani claim he was just tucking in his shirt. However, the scene in question leaves little to the imagination: Giuliani is leaning back on the bed as he reaches into his pants, and you can clearly hear him saying something to the effect that he will get himself “started” for her. He’s guilty, and only the sudden entrance of Borat put a stop to another embarrassing incident for Giuliani and the Republican Party.
That said, if you’re familiar with American politics and looking for something light and silly to get you through a couple of hours of being stuck at home during the pandemic, you might enjoy this Moviefilm.
Check it out.
Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm is streaming on Amazon Prime Video
Image: Amazon