Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

Twentieth Century Fox | 86 minutes | 2006 | R | Directed by: Larry Charles |
Standard DVD reviewed by: Matt Brighton

There aren't many movies I make it out to theaters for as I've become so spoiled by DVD, my home theater and the lack of, well…annoying people that populate such movie theaters. Yes, the home theater revolution has made snobs of us all and is turning us into audiophile introverts. That said, there are some movies you just have to see in the theater and this was one of them for me (along with "X-Men 3", "Blood Diamond" and yes, "Jackass 2"). In case you've been living in a cave the last six months, the name Borat is undoubtedly one that will ring a bell. For those craving a bit of history, Borat is the brainchild of Sacha Baron Cohen and one of the two main characters from his HBO show "Da Ali G Show" (the other character is Ali G). Of the two, Borat is the more likeable yet he still manages to do just about every un- political correct thing in the book. He gets away with it, of course, smiles and says "Very Nice" and all is well. The movie is essentially a mockumentary much in the vein of "This is Spinal Tap" which also worked so many levels. Once we've seen the film we no longer ask ourselves "Is Borat ready for America" but "Is America ready for Borat?"

Borat Sagdiyev (Sacha Baron Cohen) is dispatched to America so that he can report his findings to his loyal TV viewers. Once here, he and quirky producer (Azamat Bagatov) are given a crash course into the inner-workings of America. From rude New Yorkers to polite Southern belles, Borat takes it all in. He manages to catch a rerun of "Baywatch" and falls head over heels for the one and only Pamela Anderson. This changes his mission as he pursues her across the country so that he may make her his wife. She doesn't know this, of course and it's the journey across this great land of ours that's most of the fun. Along the way, the duo learns to drive, get comedic lessons and meet some of the most outrageous personalities that this country has to offer. This is topped off by the moment when Borat finally meets the woman of his dreams.

"Borat" is more like "The Adventures of Borat" in that it plays like a series of skits. It's off color tone will certainly offend as many as it entertains but any movie worth its salt should. The movie has been hailed as "the funniest movie ever made" and while I'm not sure I'd elevate it to that high of a standard, it is fairly entertaining and had me laughing out loud during most of it. Yes, there are some questionable moments such as the naked wrestling scene between Borat and his producer (I'm still trying to get that out of my mind) and we watch as Borat mangles the Star Spangled Banner much to the dismay of the audience. But you know what? It all seems to work. Borat is such a likeable personality that we overlook what he's actually doing and just enjoy the experience. Take all of that into consideration and then realize that "Borat" was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay (it lost to "Little Miss Sunshine"). Very nice!

The true look and feel of a documentary is something that "Borat" does best. If you're expecting some glossy, typical Hollywood movie then you best look someplace else. Granted, some scenes do look better than others but many of the scenes are done with less than stellar cameras. The 1.85:1 anamorphic image looks good at times and not so good at others. I think this goes without saying that this is one movie where you don't really care how it looks, so long as you can tell what's going on screen. Colors are a bit washed out and I noticed a little bit of edge enhancement but so what, we've got naked men wrestling on screen here, right?

The Dolby Digital 5.1 track also leaves a lot to be desired but again, we have to consider the source. To say that this is a dialogue-driven movie is to say that Sacha Baron Cohen is just a tad bit hairy. That's to say that the surrounds do come into play, but not that often. Your center channel will et a workout here and that's not necessarily a bad thing. When drunk frat boys and chickens flying around, do we really need to hear that in perfect 5.1 sound? Well, ok, it probably would be nice but what we get is a fairly decent mix that sounded just fine to me. Pay attention to what's going on screen and listen closely – the rest is just details.

The movie clocks in at a scant 86 minutes and you know there were bound to be some deleted scenes. As it stands, there are and some I really wish would have made the final cut of the movie. We're given 5 such scenes as well as a compliation of the best of the rest. Go figure. There's no audio commentary but we get a news report from the rodeo and a spoof on "Baywatch". I'm sure Fox is just getting this DVD out there so that they might double dip again later this year and that's fine because when it comes to supplements, this comes up short. Love it or hate it, "Borat" is here and he isn't going away anytime soon.