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Movies / Upcoming / Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

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Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)

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Reviews Counted:204

Fresh:186

Rotten:18

Average Rating:8/10

Consensus: Jagshemash! Borat gets high-fives almost all-around for being offensive in the funniest possible way. Part satire, part shockumentary, Borat stars Sacha Baron Cohen as the gleefully sexist, homophobic, and anti-Semitic title character on a cross-country trek to learn more about our strange nation; along the way he dredges up the seamy underbelly of American prejudice and ignorance. Now the cat is out of the bag, what will Cohen do for an encore?

Runtime: 86 mins

Genre: Comedies

US Box Office: $128,387,996

Synopsis: Jagshemash! Sacha Baron Cohen, the star and creator of HBO's "Da Ali G Show," brings his Kazakh journalist character Borat Sagdiyev to the big screen for the first time. Leaving his native... Jagshemash! Sacha Baron Cohen, the star and creator of HBO's "Da Ali G Show," brings his Kazakh journalist character Borat Sagdiyev to the big screen for the first time. Leaving his native Kazakhstan, Borat travels to America to make a documentary. As he zigzags across the nation, Borat meets real people in real situations with hysterical consequences. His backwards behavior generates strong reactions around him, exposing prejudices and hypocrisies in American culture. In some cases, Borat's interview subjects embrace his outrageous views on race and sex by agreeing with him, while others attempt to offer a patriotic lesson in Western values. Wa-wa-wee-wa! Hilarious. Jaw-dropping. Inflammatory. Dangerous. Subversive. Borat, a satirical Kazakh journalist caricature invented and portrayed by Sacha Baron Cohen, has been called all this – and more. Borat became a phenomenon in the U.K. with the comedy series "Da Ali G Show," in which Baron Cohen's outlandish humor and razor-sharp satire on anti-Semitism, misogyny and racism, came to life through his creation's bizarre behavior and interviews. Baron Cohen's innovative and unique work has brought him two BAFTA awards. "Da Ali G Show" was a worldwide phenomenon, and Baron Cohen is the only person to twice host the European MTV Awards. Dictionaries added two words based on his characters' "inventive" use of the English language, and even the Queen Mother was a fan. In addition, Baron Cohen received critical plaudits for his role opposite Will Ferrell in this summer's blockbuster comedy "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby." Also, Baron Cohen was the voice of the King of the Lemurs in "Madagascar." Even before its release, critics heralded BORAT: CULTURAL LEARNINGS OF AMERICA FOR MAKE BENEFIT GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN as one of the funniest pictures of all time, and it became the highest-rated comedy on the Internet Movie Database (IMDB.com). The film's humor and acclaim stem from its comedy "dream team": Sacha Baron Cohen, Larry Charles from "Seinfeld" and Jay Roach, director of the "Austin Powers" films. Baron Cohen and Roach are the film's producers, with Charles serving as director. The production of BORAT – as one might expect about a project centered on the character – was unlike any other. Baron Cohen, whose commitment to the role is unwaveringly intense, stayed in character through the shooting, and elected to conduct publicity and interviews promoting the picture, as Borat. --© 20th Century Fox [More]

Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Pamela Anderson, Ken Davitian

Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Pamela Anderson, Ken Davitian

Director: Larry Charles

Director: Larry Charles
Producer: Jay Roach
Studio: 20th Century Fox

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make...

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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Click to read the article

Full Review Source: In Film Australia | comment Comment
11/24/06
Luke Buckmaster
Luke Buckmaster
In Film Australia
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A film that ignites the baser passions, satisfies the lowest common denominator and makes sure that it offends equally. That is the film's weakness and why it is a quick hit with no lasting value.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
11/18/06
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Frequently uproarious and occasionally side-splitting%u2026but it's very hit-or-miss, prone to stretches of unnecessary crudeness and flat one-liners.

Full Review Source: Film and Felt | comment Comment
09/19/09
Gabe Leibowitz
Gabe Leibowitz
Film and Felt

Often functions hilariously as an exposé of squirming American tolerance shading into condescension toward the rest of the world

Full Review Source: CinePassion | comment Comment
08/28/09
Fernando F. Croce
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion

Borat is the rare comedy that operates without a safety net. Cohen and director Larry Charles' film provides constant laughter and surprises while daring the viewer to be rightfully offended.

Full Review Source: Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema | comment Comment
07/10/09
Mark Pfeiffer
Mark Pfeiffer
Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
04/29/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Peter Keough
Peter Keough
Boston Phoenix

Borat's cultural learning is revealing, even if it doesn't adequately convey how it benefits glorious nation of Kazakhstan.

Full Review Source: House Next Door | comment Comment
07/16/08
Ed Gonzalez
Ed Gonzalez
House Next Door

Borat is the funniest film imaginable right now.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
05/18/08
Matthew De Abaitua
Matthew De Abaitua
Channel 4 Film

The most impressive ingredient is Cohen, whose inflection and timing are dead-on as he negotiates a vague accent, a native language composed of gibberish and a sprinkling of Polish, and a way of making tired American jokes funny again.

Full Review Source: Washington City Paper | comment 2 Comments
03/06/08
Tricia Olszewski
Tricia Olszewski
Washington City Paper

America, you got punk'd and the result is horrifying. Borat paints a picture of the American landscape that would induce nightmares were you not laughing so hard.

Full Review Source: BrandonFibbs.com | comment Comment
02/28/08
Brandon Fibbs
Brandon Fibbs
BrandonFibbs.com

The backlash just proves how deep a nerve the faux Kazakh journalist has hit.

Full Review Source: Newsweek | comment Comment
11/01/07
David Ansen
David Ansen
Newsweek

A rude punk-rock snapshot of an America that quails at two men kissing but cheers the notion of George W. Bush drinking the blood of 'every man, woman and child in Iraq.'

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
07/23/07
Rob Gonsalves
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com

By the end, you're eager to wrap things up. Along the way, though, Borat is a helluva ride.

Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
07/14/07
Joe Lozito
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound

Like great theatre, Borat holds up a mirror to its obliviously intolerant audience ... that serves as a shocking, but entertaining wake-up call.

Full Review Source: DVD Review | comment Comment
07/10/07
Felix Gonzalez Jr.
Felix Gonzalez Jr.
DVD Review

Borat may be marked as a clownish, regressive foreigner, but as often as not in America he seems right at home.

Full Review Source: Eye for Film | comment Comment
07/02/07
Anton Bitel
Anton Bitel
Eye for Film

The genius of Borat is all in Sacha Baron Cohen's daring, edgy, unrestrained performance.

Full Review Source: UGO | comment Comment
03/24/07
Brian Tallerico
Brian Tallerico
UGO

Not as good as the HBO show. Dumbed down by Larry Charles?

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
03/11/07
Louis Proyect
Louis Proyect
rec.arts.movies.reviews

Uma comédia não apenas engraçadíssima (algo cada vez mais raro), mas também inteligente e repleta de observações importantes sobre a Sociedade norte-americana contemporânea.

Full Review Source: Cinema em Cena | comment Comment
03/08/07
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

... contrary to what the cynical profess, it is possible to cheat an honest man. It's certainly easier to fool the naive and the innocent than your average wised-up consumer of pop culture.

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment 5 Comments
03/06/07
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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Latest News for Borat: Cultural Learnings of America...

June 18, 2008: Bruno Gets a Release Date Opens in new window
Universal has found a spot for Sacha Baron Cohen's Bruno on the release schedule, slotting it against Angels & Demons on May 15, 2009. More...

April 07, 2008: Bill Maher Gets A Religulous New Poster Opens in new window
Noted politically incorrect television host and out of the closet atheist Bill Maher may be the new Borat. Or something like it. He's making a movie with Larry Charles, one of... More...

March 31, 2008: Sacha Baron Cohen's Bruno Goes to Kansas
Just a few short years after baffling and enraging Middle Americans with Borat, Sacha Baron Cohen is back...as Bruno. More...

March 04, 2008: Rush Hour 3 Takes '07 DVD Rental Crown
It may not have been quite the box-office phenomenon that its predecessors were -- and critics may have disliked it enough to keep it down at 20 percent on the Tomatometer --... More...

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