#sachabaroncohen

Every sequel faces an uphill struggle. That goes double for comedies and it's even harder for a film like Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. The first’s success depended so much on surprise. Amazingly, he manages to do it again. Borat 2 may not have the impact its predecessor did but in certain ways, it could be considered even more audacious than the 2006 film.

Sentenced to a lifetime of hard labor for embarrassing Kazakhstan, Borat Sagdiyev (Sacha Baron Cohen) is allowed to redeem himself - and the nation - by bribing U.S. Vice President Mike Pence. When the prized chimp he was given dies, Borat decides to use his estranged daughter, Tuta (Maria Bakalova). As he readies the fifteen-year-old for marriage, the country becomes embroiled in the COVID-19 Pandemic and 2020 Presidential Election.

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (one of several alternate titles) does not have a scene whose audacity matches that of the naked brawl inside the packed convention ballroom. Well, that’s debatable. In this follow-up, it’s a prominent figure tied to Donald Trump (which Borat hilariously calls “McDonald Trump” throughout) that gets exposed rather than Cohen. Those who get skewered by this mockumentary get it bad. It should say something that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in brownface emerges almost unscorched compared to the rest of the film's targets. Borat 2 exposes sexism/misogyny, antisemitism, nutcase conspiracy theorists, general racism, and flat-idiocy. By now, we're well aware that many individuals only need a slight push to reveal their true colors but the picture still makes your jaw drop. 

Sometimes, he's just trolling those around him by tricking them into believing outlandish lies, making them perform tedious tasks, etc. It's funny but we're comfortable. When he gets a plastic surgeon to admit he'd perform a "sex attack" on his underage daughter if he had the chance, that's when you laugh out of bewilderment. As disturbing and hilarious as it might be, that's just the tip of the iceberg. Most of the people who admit what they do won’t even see this as a learning experience, they’ll just dig their heels deeper into their own biases and stupidity.

The one aspect of Borat that could’ve been improved upon was the story, and why Subsequent Moviefilm has a much stronger narrative. In fact, it’s one of the strongpoints. Between the pranks and outrage, I didn't expect to see a touching and surprisingly emotional father-daughter story. Maria Bakalova is phenomenal in this breakout role. She keeps up with Baron Cohen in every single way and is just as brave - maybe even more. Her comedic timing, improv skills, and energy make you wonder if it would be so bad for the Borat franchise to trade its titular character and focus on his daughter instead.

Fourteen years later, Borat uncovers a side of America you’d think we would’ve exorcized by now in an eye-opening, hilarious way. It's strong throughout but the ending is the stuff of legends before ending on a terrific final note. Though it might not be as shocking a surprise as the first go, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm still had me yelling “WHAT?!” at the top of my lungs. (October 29, 2020)

Bill Kunstler and David Dellinger with Abbie Hoffman’s son Andrew, The First Annual Abbie Hoffman picnic, June 10, 1989, just a few months after Abbie Hoffman’s death from suicide. (Snapped by Allen Ginsberg)

Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7” premiered this weekend and among its most troubling fabrications was having David Dellinger, a consummate lifelong pacifist, punch a courtroom officer. Didn’t happen. Full stop. Jerry Rubin is reduced to a Cheech & Chong character, sidekick to Abbie, which he was anything but, Rennie Davis, ‘Made out to be a complete nerd who’s afraid of his own shadow,” (Davis’ own words on seeing the film on which he wasn’t even consulted!) and there's general overemphasis on factionalism within the group, & disagreements between Hayden and Hoffman. It also completely lacks the cultural and literary context, omitting Paul Krassner, Ed Sanders, Phil Ochs, Judy Collins, and entirely leaving out Ginsberg’s legendary testimony, (Allen is only briefly featured, clownishly, at a march) You can’t fit everything into a film, but these were huge moments in American history. Fred Hampton, seen frequently conversing with defendant Bobby Seale in the film, was never in the courtroom, and Seale was bound and gagged for three days, not an hour or so as the film suggests. Seale is so prominently featured it should be titled the Chicago 8.

You guys! It is 2020 and we have a new president AND a new Borat movie!!! I really didn’t think we needed a new Borat movie but the thing about history is that it keeps repeating itself and making new deplorables for Sacha Baron Cohen to make fun of. I watched this the night before election day since I realized that no matter what happened, I would never want to see these deplorables again. And boy was I right! But what about the wigs? Let’s discuss!

The film begins in Kazakhstan, where Borat is serving hard labor as punishment for the first Borat movie. It is then decided for purposely purely driving a convoluted plot that Borat should go back to the US and gift Mike Pence a monkey. Sure!

Before bidding Kazakhstan farewell, he visits his family and the true star of the movie is revealed: his 15 year old daughter, Tutar (as played by the 23 year old actress and future Oscar winner, Maria Bakalova). We meet Tutar in her natural habitat: a barn where she is died up like a farm animal. Her hair is a matted mess and she has a lovely Frida Kahlo unibrow. I wonder if this bitch is gonna get a glowup?

Fast forward a few moments to the indeterminate southern US, where Borat arrives only to discover that he is too famous to carry out a secret mission AS Borat and must disguise himself. He quickly finds a Halloween Highway store where he buys BULK WIGS and now we all can have closure on where Game of Thrones got all those low budget wigs while giving their money to CGI dragons for so many years. 

It is also discovered that Tutar has smuggled herself into a monkey crate (and eaten the monkey!) so that she may escape the shackles of the Kazakhstan patriarchy and also her own drab brunette hair. Borat does a quick flip and decides to gift Mike Pence his daughter and not a monkey skeleton also so that he isn’t murdered by the Kazakhstan government. 

After a quick trip to a vapid instagram influencer’s house and a beauty salon, Tutar gets the American glowup she (and we!) were promised. The unibrow disappears and heavy cake makeup is applied. This blonde wig of nonsense essentially transforms Tutar into any Real Housewife/instagram influencer/woman you hate at Starbucks which is to say: it is the perfect exemplification of American white female privilege. Ever overprocessed tendril bespeaks a girl who basically wants to be a Barbie doll. And everyone who comes in contact with the new Tutar sees just that.

Borat’s bulk wigs, for their part, do their job of fooling deporables into thinking he is just a normal Southern gentleman who doesn’t know how to use conditioner. But it is Tutar who does all the heavy lifting in this film and her fabulous wig is the key in all of it. Of course, her Mike Pence gifting doesn’t pan out but instead the pandemic changes the narrative in weird and wonderful ways.

Through it all, Tutar becomes more and more empowered as the blonde American girl she has always wanted to be. She and Borat go their separate ways for a bit, and she reemerges with a blonder, straighter, more Fox News worthy wig as she seeks to be her own journalist, not just the daughter of one. I think Gretchen Carlson would probably approve?

I won’t spoil the ending, but we all know that it ends with hobgoblin Rudy Giuliani. But ultimately, it ends with Borat and Tutar reuniting as only they can and a strangely sweet father/daughter film emerging. 

Ultimately, Borat and Tutar return to Kazakhstan not to be murdered, but to become a journalist father/daughter team! Also: Maria Bakalova loses the wig and sports her own hair and in doing so breaks from the overprocessed blonde American dream and fulfills her own destiny. AMEN!

VERDICT: WURQS

Who is America?

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