Larry Charles to direct Borat movie

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theater i saw it in was packed, the audience loved it

― latebloomer: none of th movies make scence but they r good. (latebloomer), Monday, 6 November 2006 01:46 (nineteen years ago)

i saw it with a room full of tons of college aged frat christian types... so both the frat bus and pentecostal scenes were at times a bit on the uncomfortably quiet side. not to mention the frat dudes were just pretty disturbing. that was one of those scenes that i was talking about upthread... where real americans just about out do borat's exaggerated cariacature.

i wish alan keyes would've said something crazy.

i knew absolutely nothing of this movie other than recognizing cohen when i saw it. i could only think of i kiss you murat at first, but got over the similarity pretty quickly.
m.

― msp (mspa), Monday, 6 November 2006 02:13 (nineteen years ago)

we thought the fratboy stuff was fake when we saw it! it was just... too perfect.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Monday, 6 November 2006 04:06 (nineteen years ago)

well it was obviously staged to some degree (because of coverage/camera angles), but some of those comments were probably "impromptu."

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Monday, 6 November 2006 04:13 (nineteen years ago)

yeah that fratboy scene, even if it was real (and i've seen no evidence it wasn't), was shot or edited in a way that made me question whether it was acted as i watched it. (after the hooker and the random baywatch book at a yard sale, everything became suspect.) maybe it's rose-colored glasses, but i don't remember questioning the scenes on the HBO show, and i didn't really enjoy doing so as i watched the movie.

― W i l l (common_person), Monday, 6 November 2006 06:47 (nineteen years ago)

wahh

― cousin larry bundgee (bundgee), Monday, 6 November 2006 06:51 (nineteen years ago)

Saw this last night. Yeah, it was filled with incredibly funny scenes, but I don't think it was as clever as some maybe woudl've expected it to be. A lot of the humour stems strictly from stereotypes of backwards Eastern European / Middle Asian folks, not from ridiculing Westerners (for example, the cheese-eating scene, where the humour had little to do with the politician in question). Don't get me wrong, it was still funny as hell, but not particularly subversive. Also, the fact that you didn't know which scenes were "real" and which were scripted (unlike in the TV series) took away some of the "oh my god, these are real people" factor. For example, the guys in the frat boy scene might've been genuine, but surely the "chance encounter" with them was scripted, and their comments heavily edited (which doesn't mean their comments weren't still scary).

In my opinion, the whole anti-semitism thing, as funny as it was, was too heavy-handed to be an effective social commentary. Also, even if Pamela Anderson was in on the joke (which I suspect she was), the scene with her was too close to a sexual attack to make me laugh. Borat getting people to agree (or disagree) with his sexist comments can be funny, but playing a sexual attack for jokes is a bit too much. In comparison, I don't think people would've laughed if he would've started to hurl anti-semitic rants to the Jewish couple who's house he was staying in (which would've been in character). It's only funny when the joke's on the bigot/sexist.

I really liked the main story in the film, and I don't think I've laughed so hard at the cinema for ages, but I think the film was too much in between a social satire and a politically incorrect comedy to be effective as either. A totally enjoyable film, but less than the sum of it's parts.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 6 November 2006 09:16 (nineteen years ago)

To be frank, in countries like Finland the film is less likely to reinforce any stereotypes on Central Asians rather than the stereotype that all Americans are dumb and ignorant.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 6 November 2006 09:21 (nineteen years ago)

I saw it last night. I laughed a lot.

― C J (C J), Monday, 6 November 2006 09:27 (nineteen years ago)

^^^hippy x-post

― If you fuck with Jimmy Mod, you call down the thunder (The Famous Jimmy Mod), Monday, 6 November 2006 10:48 (nineteen years ago)

???

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 6 November 2006 10:53 (nineteen years ago)

>> To be frank, in countries like Finland the film is less likely to reinforce any stereotypes on Central Asians rather than the stereotype that all Americans are dumb and ignorant.

That's the point though isn't it??

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Monday, 6 November 2006 11:42 (nineteen years ago)

I guess so, that was just an observation. But since a lot of people here already think that way, it's hardly a subversive stance. It would be more effective to try to reveal the hypocricies all Westerners share, but I guess that'd be too difficult even for someone like Cohen.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 6 November 2006 11:47 (nineteen years ago)

reveal the hypocricies all Westerners share

What hypocrisies do "all" Westerners share?

― ONIMO's losing the plot (GerryNemo), Monday, 6 November 2006 11:51 (nineteen years ago)

Well, I don't think it'd be too hard to get similarly racist or homophobic comments out of, say, Finns. But my comment was merely an observation, I don't think the film would've been improved by having Borat travel to every Western nation. It's just that the "American's are bigoted and don't know anything about the world outside US" joke is a bit played out, even if it's partly true.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 6 November 2006 11:55 (nineteen years ago)

How is racism or homophobia hypocritical?

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Monday, 6 November 2006 11:58 (nineteen years ago)

Perhaps that was a bad choice of words. Though I do think most Westerners would say they believe in equal rights in principle, even if in practice things aren't quite that way.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 6 November 2006 12:03 (nineteen years ago)

Here's a new pitch for Cohen: dress up as an ignorant redneck American and come to, say, Helsinki or Paris, observe the snug comments you'll get.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 6 November 2006 12:05 (nineteen years ago)

He doesn't have to do that because there are Americans vacationing in Paris 24/7/365, reinforcing all the typical American stereotypes. That's why Europeans believe those stereotypes. OTOH, 99.9999999999% of Americans have never met a naive, well-meaning but spectacularly rude and ignorant Kazakh journalist. That's why the joke works (and why it is NOT played out).

― NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Monday, 6 November 2006 12:15 (nineteen years ago)

Yes, on the other hand even places that don't have experience of real actual Americans have plenty of exposure to them due to TV.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Monday, 6 November 2006 12:26 (nineteen years ago)

Fave 'cameo' in the movie -- the other guy in the elevator.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 6 November 2006 13:25 (nineteen years ago)

Least favourite part about it for me = leaving the cinema and going back to the car, my bloke decided to walk like Borat and say "very nice, how much?" every time he passed any women on the street. I hope he stops doing this soon.

― C J (C J), Monday, 6 November 2006 13:34 (nineteen years ago)

This was the first movie I've seen in a very long time in a completely sold out theater - and this was at 10:30 on a Sunday night!

This is a college town, there were lots of, um, let's just say "male college students" in the theater, and you would not BELIEVE how quiet it got during the Winnebago ride.

My only real qualm with the film is that "eh-HIGH eh-FIVE-ah!" is going to become this year's "I'm Rick James, bitch!", which will be a shame, because it was very well used in this (the telegram scene was one of my favorite least-likely-to-be-remembered moments [also the bear in the ice cream truck, staged as it seemed to have been]).

― hang down like sleeve of wizard (nickalicious), Monday, 6 November 2006 14:22 (nineteen years ago)

during the wrestling scene @ my sister's screening in a satellite town of manchester, 2 scally hardnuts stormed out of the cinema banging and slamming doors as they went. how they larfed.

― pisces (piscesx), Monday, 6 November 2006 14:51 (nineteen years ago)

I liked it, started slow (or maybe it's just that I had seen all the intro stuff in previews) but I laughed a lot more in the second half.

The only part that the audience was audibly uncomfortable with was when Borat was showing off the pics of his son's cock.

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 6 November 2006 14:59 (nineteen years ago)

26.4 million opening weekend on 750 screens, next week it's gonna expand to 2,200.

― rems (x Jeremy), Monday, 6 November 2006 15:54 (nineteen years ago)

"Borat made me depressed and unemployed!"

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 6 November 2006 15:59 (nineteen years ago)

Ha haa ha!

― Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Monday, 6 November 2006 16:34 (nineteen years ago)

Tuomas, do you know who Bob Barr is? That makes the joke rise above mere gross-out.

― Eppy (Eppy), Monday, 6 November 2006 16:37 (nineteen years ago)

Similarly, the fact that he had a sit-down with Alan Keyes to talk about wrestling and showering with gay guys?

― kingfish prætor (kingfish 2.0), Monday, 6 November 2006 16:38 (nineteen years ago)

The southern dinner party guests speak.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 6 November 2006 16:57 (nineteen years ago)

"People in the congregation don't need to be embarrassed about anything I did in the movie," he said. "I can't endorse the movie. It's R-rated.

― kingfish prætor (kingfish 2.0), Monday, 6 November 2006 17:03 (nineteen years ago)

This been posted yet?

Mahir "I Kiss You" wants to sue Borat, in November's Wired magazine:

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.11/play.html?pg=4

― StanM (StanM), Monday, 6 November 2006 17:56 (nineteen years ago)

This movie is great

― deej.. (deej..), Monday, 6 November 2006 18:12 (nineteen years ago)

I thought the story was incredibly well tied to the humor and I think I could pretty well suss when something was rehearsed and when it was spontaneous. The frat boys didn't pick him up while he was hitchiking, obviously, but they were clearly unaware of who he was - they were just in on the hitchiking 'set-up.' Similarly, I'm sure the baywatch book worked the same way - the people acting were entirely unaware.

― deej.. (deej..), Monday, 6 November 2006 18:44 (nineteen years ago)

So what is the story with the dinner party? That article makes it sound like "Satirist views politeness towards assholes as collaboration", which is one of the things that's making me not see it in the first place.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Monday, 6 November 2006 18:45 (nineteen years ago)

Similarly, I'm sure the baywatch book worked the same way - the people acting were entirely unaware.

Even Pamela Anderson? I kinda doubt it.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 6 November 2006 18:49 (nineteen years ago)

the article is very tut-tutting. the scene is funnier, even if the set-up is a repeat from a TV bit. The pay-off is better, tho.

― kingfish prætor (kingfish 2.0), Monday, 6 November 2006 18:50 (nineteen years ago)

Haha, check out the IMDb profile of "Luenell".

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 6 November 2006 18:50 (nineteen years ago)

Even Pamela Anderson? I kinda doubt it.

This I admit was the one thing I've been wondering most about.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 6 November 2006 18:54 (nineteen years ago)

I'm quite sure Pamela was not aware in advance. If she was, its much less funny.

― deej.. (deej..), Monday, 6 November 2006 18:55 (nineteen years ago)

Nice logic there.

Yeah, I know the article is obviously one-sided, but if it reflects reality at all, I don't get what they do to actually deserve it? Or is it just The Jerky Boys: The Film? (yes, I'm aware of what several of his other targets have done).

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Monday, 6 November 2006 18:58 (nineteen years ago)

I honestly don't care if pahMELah was in on it or not, to be honest. It provided a funny and well-awkward climax to the narrative.

― polar bear flashback episode (nickalicious), Monday, 6 November 2006 19:02 (nineteen years ago)

I don't get what they do to actually deserve it?

with the dinner party, it's not that they actually deserve it, it's more just "japery amongst the upper classes."

― kingfish prætor (kingfish 2.0), Monday, 6 November 2006 19:07 (nineteen years ago)

I'm quite sure Pamela was not aware in advance. If she was, its much less funny.

If she wasn't in on the joke I really wouldn't find the last scene funny at all, because the bottom line is that then you would be laughing at a man sexually attacking a woman (nevermind that the woman in question is Pamela Anderson). Yes, the set-up was supposed to make it a satirical, but I found little satire in that particular scene. You're not laughing at Borat the sexist there (at this point he's already become a sympathetic character), you're laughing at him attacking a woman, and I don't think even Pamela Anderson deserves it. As I said, Borat's schtick is only funny when the bigot or the racist or the sexist (or anyone in power) is the object of the joke. Would it have been funny if Borat's would've grabbed the tits and ass of some random women on the street? Or if he would've hurled some racist epithets to the black guys he met?

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 6 November 2006 19:07 (nineteen years ago)

It was pretty funny when he was trying to kiss random dudes on the street.

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 6 November 2006 19:10 (nineteen years ago)

Probably.

xpost

― polar bear flashback episode (nickalicious), Monday, 6 November 2006 19:11 (nineteen years ago)

Yes, and that's exactly because men (as compared to women) are in power. It's the same reason you can laugh at black comedians making jokes about white people, but not vice versa.

(x-post)

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 6 November 2006 19:12 (nineteen years ago)

yes you can

― and what (ooo), Monday, 6 November 2006 19:13 (nineteen years ago)

Tuomos, he didn't try to sexually assault her he [censored to avoid ruining the ending]

― deej.. (deej..), Monday, 6 November 2006 19:13 (nineteen years ago)

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