At the Golden Globe Awards, Sacha Baron Cohen clasped his Best Actor trophy and said "I had my co-star's two wrinkled Golden Globes on my chin and I said to myself 'I should get an award for this' ". After he delivered his acceptance speech, i was more determined to watch Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. I wanted to watch it last November but Janice dismissed it as slapstick and a waste of time. Our country being the Philippines, one can still watch movies before it is released in VCD and DVD formats by the producer.
This movie exists to offend and I had a grand time at being offended. The star of the movie is Borat, a reporter from Kazakhstan, who is ordered by his government to make a documentary about American life and culture. As he travels across the US, he meets people in actual situations with hilarious results.
There is no plot. Just a series of hilarious events culminating to the part where Borat tried to put Pamela Anderson Lee into a matrimonial sack while she was at a book signing at Virgin Records. Pamela, really ran for it.
I have never been to America, but one thing that the movie showed me was that Americans are obsessed with political correctness. Borat, ignorant of such delineations, did things that politicians(there were three congressmen who made cameo appearances) would never dare do. He came across a gay pride parade and invited two muscular gay men to his hotel room for a game of wrestling. He met with the leaders of the feminist movement and made chauvinistic jokes and wondered why the women didn't laugh with him. He even went to a Christian gathering, presided by a state supreme court justice, and had himself subjected to a prayover by the church members even though he was a Muslim.
While I was watching the movie, I realized that I too had become obsessed with political correctness. Sometimes, I found myself wondering whether I should laugh because the self-righteous voice in my head kept scolding me for finding Borat's antics funny. The movie even made fun of some of my convictions but I couldn't help but giggle. I must stop taking myself too seriously.
America, the benevolent country that she is, can be tolerant of transgressions but her tolerance has its limits. The hostess of a very formal dinner with the city's top businessmen will smile even if you hand her a small bag of your excrement and will even show you how to work the toilet but will not hesitate to kick you out if the hooker you invited shows up at the door. America, does not like it if you sport a mustache and if you have a Semitic lineage because you are going to be suspected of being a terrorist. Uncle Sam, would also be very offended if you sing " Kazakhstan, greatest country in the world/ Number one exporter of potassium" to the tune of The Star-Spangled Banner, during the opening ceremonies at a rodeo.
Since the movie is supposed to be a documentary, do not expect prestine cinematography. Sometimes, it's like watching an amateur video which gives it an at-the-scenes feel.
I finally saw the part where Sacha had his co-star's testicles on his face , but, I am more interested on how the participants of a real estate convention felt when they saw two naked people barge into the convention room and rolled around on the stage as they tried to strangle each other to death.
Ultimately, the movie is a test of tolerance. It pushes you to think and rethink and to redefine what is acceptable for you. You won't get insights into the meaning of life or love, but, instead, the movie serves as a litmus paper to test your level of political correctness.
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