I haven’t seen Borat, and based on the reviews, I’m not going to, at least in a theater. I’m sure other people will enjoy it heartily, and I don’t think less of them for that; movies that show how professional comedians can mercilessly manipulate and abuse regular people just isn’t my thing.
“But wait - these regular people did it to themselves.” I hear you cry. But the fact is, we’re only seeing Mr. Cohen’s take on the events. How much film did he leave on the cutting room floor because people weren’t willing to go along with his schtick? How were the scenes edited - what did Cohen twist or reorder in order to make people seem more stupid.
Lastly, put yourself in these scenes. You’re trying to be accomodating to a foreign visitor, trying to be polite and pleasant, trying to tolerate his differences. He says something really strange and offensive, and you struggle, becuase you don’t want to be an asshole. Or maybe you thought you misheard him. So you say something stupid, or you find yourself nodding your head. And bam, you’re a yokel on TV, proof to the world that Americans are ignorant racist shits.
Yes, there are ignorant, racist American shits out there. But there is also an artist who is creating the story he wants to tell.
In reading the reviews, I was struck by one thing in particular - the difference in Kurt Loder’s review and at least two others - Creative Loafing and the San Jose Mercury News.
Compare this excerpt from Creative Loafing:
and a gun store owner gladly offers suggestions when Borat asks him which weapon is best for killing Jews
And the Mercury News:
When Borat pays a visit to a gun store in the South, he asks the man behind the counter what kind of weapon he would recommend for shooting Jews. Without hesitating, the salesman suggests a Glock automatic.
With Mr Loader’s review:
In one scene, Borat goes into a gun store and asks the mild-mannered clerk, “What is the best gun to defend against a Jew?” We can see the man hesitate for moment — wondering, perhaps, if he’s really understood the question being posed in Borat’s thick accent. Then, going along, he says, “Well, I’d recommend a nine-millimeter ….” As edited, the clear implication of this exchange is that the clerk is a typical red-state anti-Semite, possibly a violent one. But the man doesn’t give off that kind of vibe at all, and sucker-punching him in this way seems grossly unfair.
Did these people watch the same movie?
Update:
People perceive the same situation differently, depending on how they want to perceive it. Maybe they’re just (to paraphrase you) artists creating the article they want to tell.
If you’re a gun-store owner, and somebody asks you what weapon is good for defense against Jews, what difference does that make? It could just as well be defense against robbers, terrorist Muslims or whatever.
Maybe the store owner just thinks Borat is afraid of these people because he (Borat) thinks they’re greedy bastards, which seems to be a common prejudice against Jews (or at least a cliché).
Anyway, his job is to sell guns. If you think it’s too dangerous to sell guns to people, you have to blame politics, not the gun-store owner. He’s just operating in the context of a society that has the second amendment.
Comment by Ulrich Hobelmann — November 5, 2006 @ 9:14 am
I saw the movie last night. It made me laugh a lot. The movie is not about manipulating regular people into shaming themselves. Instead, the movie is about how people react to a character who is so totally different to their culture. It’s about how people can be exceedingly forgiving, even when we all know that the character has crossed several lines, outrageously.
The only person in the entire movie who is made to look bad is the guy at the Rodeo who tells Borat to shave off his moustache or he’ll look like a Muslim, and who intimates that all gays should be hung. Everyone else is just portrayed as a normal person, trying their best to cope with an apparently insane foreigner.
The clips we’ve seen all suggest that this is Prank TV, but there’s more to it than that. There are moments of pathos, tenderness, extremely funny physical comedy, and several occasions where you’re laughing because you share the good values that Borat appears to be abusing.
Don’t rely on the reviews and the clips for information. This is a very well put together movie with plenty of laughs and plenty of good people in it.
Comment by Ashley Frieze — November 6, 2006 @ 10:40 am
The third review is closest to the truth. The gun guy came off more as confused than racist or crazy. It was obvious he was just humoring Borat.
Other people, like the Rodeo guy, however, definitely didn’t hold back with their vile opinions, and there’s not many ways you can twist and edit those.
To be honest though, I don’t think anyone in the movie looked particularly bad.. it was really just holding a mirror up to how people are. Most people *do* distrust other people when they approach them on the street, most people *would* be outraged if a guest invited a hooker to their house.. etc. I think it highlights how stupid our genuine and accepted practices are, rather than twisting them to show us as ‘bad’.
Comment by Peter Cooper — November 11, 2006 @ 6:10 pm
wow, your a fag
Comment by Bret Bjorkquest — December 2, 2006 @ 12:44 am
Bret,
The fact that I approved your comment should show you how little I care what you think.
Oh, and you’re illiterate.
Comment by jb — December 2, 2006 @ 3:41 am