The Borat Appreciation Thread

[Wes]

I unintentionally hijacked the Madonna thread with Borat discussion, so we might as well start a new thread about the awesomeness of Borat (and Ali G and Bruno).

 

Borat is a reporter who hosts his own show detailing various aspects of Western culture to the people of his home country, Kazakhstan. He's also not a real person.

The brilliance is that Borat (acted by Sascha Baron Cohen) uses real situations to create comedy. He remains completely in character as he interviews people about getting a job, buying a house, playing sports, etc. And the people he's interviewing have no clue. Imagine "Punk'd" except the person being punked never learns it's a joke.

 

Borat's cultural upbringing also helps expose the bigotry and ignorance of the people he is talking to. For example, he went to a country western bar, and performed a song called "Throw The Jew Down The Well" which was recieved with applause and sing-along.

 

 

http://www.borat.kz/ Borat's official page.

http://www.boratonline.co.uk/ Borat fan site.

HIGH FIVE!

[Not For Sale]

U S and A!

Every...body...dancing...now...

[Chrissie]

Borat is awesome!

 

He was soooo funny at the EMA's! Esp when his little brother stole Chris Martin's trousers!

[Teddymonster]

Bring it Ali G...bring it! I love that guy.

[nemesis-storm]

Well it seems people of Kazakhstan dont think he's great

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4436190.stm

 

Kazakh 'challenge' to Ali G star

 

Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen is reported to be facing possible legal action over his spoof Kazakhstan TV host character Borat Sagdiyev.

In his act, the British star best known for his Ali G character, has portrayed the central Asian country as a nation of drunks who are cruel to animals.

 

The Kazakh Foreign Ministry said it may move to prevent Cohen presenting the country in a "derogatory way".

 

The comments come after Cohen hosted the MTV Europe Music Awards in Lisbon.

 

He adopted the Borat role for the appearance - a performance that included an arrival in an "Air Kazakh" propeller plane flown by a pilot holding a vodka bottle.

 

'Utterly unacceptable'

 

Cohen's Borat character first surfaced in the Ali G Show on Channel 4 in the UK.

 

Kazakh foreign ministry spokesman Yerzhan Ashykbayev did not detail what form any action might take.

 

But speaking to journalists at a news briefing in capital Astana, he said: "We do not rule out that Mr Cohen is serving someone's political order designed to present Kazakhstan and its people in a derogatory way."

 

He said Kazakhstan reserves the right to take legal action to "prevent new pranks of the kind".

 

Mr Ashykbayev described the comedian's MTV appearance as "utterly unacceptable, being a concoction of bad taste and ill manners which is completely incompatible with ethics and civilised behaviour".

 

A spokesman for the Kazakhstan Embassy in London said he could not immediately confirm the report from the Reuters news agency.

 

 

 

[Jose Eber]

Sacha is getting a bit long in the tooth.

 

(This is all a bit old too isn't it?)

 

What's next, Ricky Gervais fans?

 

The whole 'throw the Jew down the well' fiasco was actually edited to look like everyone was singing along -- but you have to know, this was after a several hour long set which the audience in the bar knew this guy was in character (read some of the newspaper articles -- believe me, that town wasn't pleased the way Sacha made them look).

 

I'm more of a Bruno fan for some reason. I think Bruno is hilarious. Its amazing what a fake mustache can do.

 

"Djes, a mustasshe izza a verrry intarestingk item"

[shesaidboom]

I am big like can of Pepsi.