If you have ever watched Sacha Baron Cohen at work, then you already know he is a brilliant comedian. His genius was obvious in the movie Borat! Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Cohen made a huge impression at the Cannes Film Festival after the debut of the film. In costume as Borat, he made quite a splash wearing the now famous lime green thong swimsuit! This "mankini" swimsuit became quite an icon and has been seen in public being worn by John Mayer and others. Jim Carrey even wore a similar suit in a nod to the film. This swimsuit has become a huge sensation and many have purchased it for its ability to make a huge impression at Halloween and costume parties. It is often seen at the beach as well.
Simply referred to as "Borat", this movie tells the story of a reporter named Borat Sagdiyev who resides in Kazakhstan. He is asked by the Kazakh Ministry of Education to travel to America to learn all about the country and make a documentary to bring back to his home country. There really was nothing that was off limits in the storyline of Borat. Cohen wrote a movie that made fun of anything and everything and it was absolutely hilarious. It ended up being a huge box office hit, earning $261.6 million dollars with a budget of only $18 million. It was even considered to be a critical success as well and earned Cohen a Golden Globe Award. It was even nominated for the Best Adapted Screenplay Award at the 79th Academy Awards.
In the mockumentary style film, Borat must leave behind his wife, mother, sister and townspeople. He takes along his pet hen and his producer, Azamat Bagatov. As they set out on their journey it becomes obvious that they have never spent any time in the west, and they are going to be in for lots of surprises on the way! The cultural differences are vast, hilarious and continually surprising to the audience. Arriving in New York, he soon spots the beautiful lifeguard character, C.J. Parker on the show Baywatch. He immediately falls madly in love with her television character.
While interviewing (and inadvertantly insulting) a group of feminists, he is told that the actress who plays C.J. Parker lives in Los Angeles. In a very timely telegram, he discovers that his homely wife back in Kazakhstan has been killed by a bear. He has a truly hilarious reaction to this telegram and soon realizes he is free to pursue Pamela Anderson. Thus begins an unplanned quest for Borat to journey to the City of Angels to find Pamela Anderson. Since they have limited funds and his companion is frightened of flying, Borat must make arrangements to learn to drive. Then he is faced with using the remainder of their money to find transportation. They only have enough to purchase a rundown ice cream truck. All these experiences are absolutely hilarious due to the cultural differences and misunderstandings.
Borat and his companion meet many people along the way including a comedy instructor, etiquette coach and a car salesman. Everywhere they go, they seem to insult people but never really understand that they are doing so. In addition, they are very bold about everything in life. They talk about anything in public and never seem to catch on that Americans keep a lot of things private. It makes for a very entertaining film. His catchphrases such as "high five", "that's nice", "great success" and others are still memorable today.
As Borat and Azamot move across the country in their ice cream truck on his mission to find Pamela Anderson, they run into many fascinating characters. There are exploits at a high end hotel after receiving training from a group of men who teach him to be "gangsta." Then, Borat has dinner with an etiquette club in the deep south. This provides a hilarious scene involving Borat and a questionable lady he hires to be his date. He visits a rodeo and a fundamentalist church along the way. At one point, Borat is rescued by several southern fraternity boys who teach him all about women, heartache and how to get over a broken heart. Borat even joins an LBGT Pride Parade and learns all about different types of relationships in America. He is even granted an interview with Republican Leader, Alan Keys. Each time he meets a new group of people, he makes quite an impression.
The pair eventually arrive in Los Angeles and locate his beloved Pamela Anderson. They are finally able to talk to her after locating her at a book signing. After trying to abduct her and place her in his traditional "marriage sack", they are arrested. After losing her, Borat realizes that he had a real connection with Luenell. He returns to get her and take her back to his home country. Ending scenes show the effect that Borat's documentary has had on his country and everyone ends up happy. This memorable film is hilarious and shows the true comedic genius of Sacha Baron Cohen.