Fourteen years after the first “Borat,” Sacha Baron Cohen announced the return of his iconic character in “Borat 2,” aka “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.” The announcement was met with mixed reviews: some people were too happy, almost as if someone announced newer Disney Christmas movies for adults; others did not expect much. Is it possible for the same kind of humor to win a nation twice?
No matter what you think about Borat, there’s no denying the character’sexposé of sexism and racism is too real; no plastic surgery or jewelry image retouching services can hide the unpleasant reality of prejudice, ignorance and all that jazz.
What Has Borat Been Up To?
After the release of the first film, Borat Sagdiyev has become two things: a celebrity in the world of mockufiction and real life, as well as an embarrassment of his homeland, Kazakhstan. The second movie shows Borat’s attempts at atoning for his sins.
His mission is to restore Kazakhstan’s glory by making amends with the US of A. To prevent his execution, Borat has to bring a “sexy gift” to a member of the Trump Administration. He can’t give gifts directly to Trump after he defecated outside Trump Towers, so he set his eyes on Mike Pence.
His gift Johnny the Monkey (Kazakh Minister of Culture and a celebrated porn star) does not make it to Pence. His recently-discovered daughter, 15-year old Tutar, devoured the monkey out of hunger. To win his nation’s favor, Borat decides to offer Tutar to Pence instead. During Pence’s convention, however, the father-daughter duo is ejected by security. Realizing there is still hope, Borat plans to give Tutar to Rudy Giuliani, another politician who is close to Trump.
The film is a journey of Borat attempting to make peace with America, learning that there is more to his daughter (and women, in general) than being just offerings to men and living in a world on pause due to the pandemic.
How Does “Borat 2” Fare?
Things have changed a bit, but “Borat 2” is still a reminiscent copy of its predecessor. In the first movie, Borat shocked viewers with a straightforward “foreigner” asking a gun seller which gun is the best defense against the Jews. It was a story of white frat boys believing that minorities had power in America.
The new Borat evokes these gags and outdoes them with fresh ones: a pastor against the abortion of the baby Borat “put inside” his daughter, a dress retailer recommending a dress that seduces unwanted men, and a cosmetic surgeon who is too happy with the idea of creating a Jewish nose.
Once again, Borat becomes a projection of the American resentments and fears, which he not only reflects but magnifies to extremes. The people who claim they are scandalized by Borat’s regressive ideas are as equally (if not more) regressive.
Cohen corners conservatives into a form of self-parody, subjecting them to a classic carpet-bombing – only this time, they are on the other side of it. What’s alarming is they indulge Borat, which makes the scenes cringey and funny at the same time.
Finally, the piece de resistance of the film is Cohen’s “gotcha” moment involving Rudy Giuliani. The former New York City mayor finds himself in a compromising situation when he allows Tutra (disguised as a journalist) to remove his microphone in a hotel room on the bed. Shocking as the visuals are, the scene is Cohen’s plea to viewers to vote in the upcoming elections.
The Pandemic Stops No Borat
COVID-19 was not enough to keep Cohen from exposing the reality of American living. The pandemic brought out ignorant people still roaming out of their homes despite the threat of the virus. Cohen capitalizes on their ignorance. He doesn’t have to lay bear traps when he comes across rabid, gun-toting Americans.
In the film, Borat encounters two men who trap themselves with him, all the while trying to convince him that the Democrats are to blame for COVID-19. In return, Borat asks for their help in writing a song about the “Wuhan Flu.”
Bottom Line
“Borat 2” is a transgressive comedy that criticizes conservatives, as well as a call to action for viewers to “make the nation great” by voting wisely. The subsequent film may not be as funny as the original, but with the U.S. elections right around the corner, the man in the mankini makes his message clear: vote for a better America.
