Back in 2006, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan made headlines across the globe by bringing his popular Channel 4 persona to the U.S. for a brutal look at America. Lawsuits followed, as did plenty of controversy as those humiliated in the satirical, and often surprisingly hard-hitting, comedy fought back against the things they'd said of their own free will. Will the same happen again? Well, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (we're just going to call it Borat 2 from this point) is bound to be every bit as controversial, though it just so happens to be pretty damn hilarious as well.
Picking up fourteen years after the events of the first movie, Borat is sent to the U.S. to deliver a gift to a powerful American, and you've no doubt already heard plenty about who it is he takes aim at here. Without spoiling anything, it's fair to say that those scenes live up to the hype, and this sequel comes at a time when it will be welcomed by many, and hated by plenty. Regardless of your political persuasion, there are lots of laughs to be found and a surprisingly sweet story anchored by the performances of Sacha Baron Cohen and newcomer Maria Bakalova. If this movie doesn't turn her into a massive star, 2020 really is the worst year of all-time, because she's an immense talent and does some incredible work here.
At this point, playing Borat clearly comes easy to Cohen, but he gets to show off some other personas too, and is never not funny. His work here is definitely an upgrade from the hit-and-miss Who Is America? on HBO, and he manages to touch on a lot of timely subjects, exploring them in a way that does more than just play for laughs. Humour is obviously subjective, and your mileage will vary with some parts of the movie - particularly the scripted scenes - but the "set-ups" are excellent, and there are a tonne of moments which will leave you exclaiming, "Really?" As well as an incredibly sweet father/daughter story, Borat 2 addresses everything from the current political climate to anti-Semitism, fake news on Facebook, and, obviously, COVID-19.
Talking of the pandemic, in an alternate universe, this movie would have dominated the box office this weekend, but it's instead being released on Amazon Prime, and it's hard not to sit back and watch this without feeling like this is the way quality titles should debut. There was really no other choice for the sequel than streaming given what's happening in the world right now, but it's hopefully a sign of things to come, especially as film fans are desperately craving new content in what's proving to be a year of delays. The business model aside, and Borat 2 feels like a movie which will be talked about for a long time to come. Honestly, it's hard to imagine anyone not having a good time with this (well, aside from the obvious candidates). Throw in one of the best cameos we've ever seen, and we can only hope this Subsequent Moviefilm leads to another. Very Nice!
Offensive, hilarious, and a movie perfect for the madness of 2020, Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm features Sacha Baron Cohen on top form and an incredible star making performance from Maria Bakalova.