In the age we live in, it’s difficult to find sources of entertainment that are free of political correctness.
The original film that starred Sacha Baron Cohen as the Kazakh reporter Borat, “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” was released in 2006, and was full of incredibly offensive material. Borat’s jokes knew no limits, including open misogyny and anti-semitism.
Going into the sequel “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” many thought Cohen would dial it down a bit, to accommodate for the cancel culture that we see in 2020.
Dear God, were those expectations wrong.
“Subsequent Moviefilm” built on the original in every possible way. While the original film relied more on pranks and Borat’s hilarious, unwestern ways, the sequel feels much more like a film. It’s plot line is much more well-defined.
Cohen’s co-star Maria Bakalova is the main reason that “Subsequent Moviefilm” feels like a movie and not like an episode of “Impractical Jokers.”
Bakalova plays Borat’s daughter Tatar who, on her trip to America, is exposed to western culture for the first time. Her and Borat’s developing relationship over the film creates a clear beginning, middle and end, while the original film mainly focused on pranking and Borat’s inner self, or more specifically, his obsession with Pamela Anderson.
Bakalova’s pairing with Cohen created a dynamic relationship that the first film lacked. Audiences can enjoy Borat having a clear relationship with someone. Bakalova should be commended for bringing out the best in Cohen.
Most surprisingly, “Subsequent Moviefilm” built on the incredibly inappropriate yet hilarious humor of the first movie. The first several minutes of the film explains where Borat has been the past 14 years causing viewers to already cry laughing about 30 seconds in.
Cohen’s Kazakh character arguably makes even more absurd comments about minority groups than in the first movie. Every time you think Borat is becoming more progressive and western, he says something so awful – yet hilarious – that you’ll be looking right back at the Borat we know and love.
These incredibly offensive comments are partly made up for by commenting and interacting in a hilarious manner with the politics of today.
The first Borat relied on Cohen’s pranking of unsuspecting Americans, and their reactions to his incredibly un-western behavior. “Subsequent Moviefilm” arguably improves upon this due to the presence of Bakalova.
Borat uses her femininity to prank and confuse suspecting Americans time and time again, sometimes to a point where I looked away from the screen due to pure disgust.
Perhaps the most impressive part of “Subsequent Moviefilm” is the way that it adapted to the events of 2020. We are made to assume that the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted filming, but Cohen and his team could not have handled it better.
Viewers get to see an absolutely hilarious outlook on the pandemic from Borat’s perspective. Cohen and his writers also managed to intertwine the story and pandemic in a way that’s so surprising that it made my jaw drop by the end of the film.
Expectations were low prior to the release of “Subsequent Moviefilm,” but they were still blown out of the water. Cohen and his team managed to take everything unique about the first film and make it better while still maintaining the unique aspects of Borat and his character.
If you need a break from politically correct comedy, this is the film for you. But fair warning, it is not for the faint of heart.
Follow JD on Twitter @jdconte617.
