High Five on Yuk-Yuk and Still Funny for Benefit of Audience Sequel

 BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM (2020)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Borat is a racist caricature designed by Sacha Baron Cohen to make audiences uncomfortable with a should I/shouldn't I laugh at the most inopportune moments. We laugh along with Borat because he is a sweet and profoundly ignorant individual from Kazakshtan, who loves America and their racist and, in the case of this delayed sequel, anti-feminist ideals. The first "Borat" film was an explosion of laughs and near-comic hysteria that could leave you nonplussed at how people (often real-life figures) responded to Borat. In those days, Borat was a cult figure on television and Sacha could get away with not being recognized. In 2020, Borat is his most famous creation and it is harder to hoodwink people. This insanely funny sequel is almost as crass and sick a joke as the original and it has many laughs, though it can't quite outclass the once freshly minted original. 

Borat is back in America ("HIGH FIVE!") and has to get his 15-year-old daughter Tatur, (played by a pitch-perfect 24-year-old Maria Bakalova) married to a wealthy gentleman like either Vice President Mike Pence or President Trump's lawyer and former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani (oh, the horror). If Borat doesn't accomplish this mission as issued by the country's premier, he will be executed in his own country of Kazakhstan. Borat, the simpleton who is hated in his own country, keeps his daughter in a bubble from what he deems as western culture realities like a woman owning her own business, a woman driving a car or, worse yet, being kept in a cage! In fact, in one of many uncomfortable moments, Borat buys a sturdy cage for her (and the owner doesn't see an issue with this). In another instance, he buys her a cake with an anti-semitic phrase. In yet another instance that has to be seen to be believed, he dances with her at a Georgian debutante hall where she discloses prior to the dance that she has, um, "moon blood." Scenes like this made me feel a little nauseous, perhaps more so than expected even though I knew gross humor was forthcoming. The nausea works overtime because the other attendees of this ball have no idea this is all a prank. Funny, yes, uncomfortable to the point of covering your eyes? Yes, indeed.

Yet there are even more moments that will make you wince and shake your head in disbelief, especially at how Borat often gets away with it. A CPAC gathering with Vice President Mike Pence as a speaker has Borat entering the building wearing a KKK hoodie, and then he dresses up in a Donald Trump costume carrying Tutar on his back as he offers her to Pence! Ironically, entering the CPAC wearing a KKK outfit is okay (despite some side-eyed glances) yet calling out Pence while dressed as Trump will have you escorted out of the building! In fact, the last half of this Borat sequel has several hijinks involving Trump loyalists, some who are armed with AK-47's, at a March-For-Your-Rights rally and two Qanon believers - Borat is in disguise as a country singer singing about the "Wuhan Flu" to a crowd who chants along since it advocates giving the flu to Dr. Fauci or President Obama. Scary, discomfiting, unsettling, and hilarious.

“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” (this was its original title) is not for everyone nor is it meant to be (I am not sure it is for me though I love what Sacha does). These "Borat" films and the controversial "Bruno" are created by a wild satirist with a hint of madness whose sole purpose is to wake people up out of their doldrums in America and see that their racism and sexism are practically inherent. Some early scenes with Tatur depicted as a caged animal who looks like a werewolf from a 1930's circus was too much to bear for me and not very funny. But that is early on and trimmed thankfully before getting to the good stuff. Despite some jerky moments, "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm" still hits its intended political targets with a few belly laughs and some yuk-yuks for good measure. What is fascinating is that Sacha also sees the growing change in Borat's beliefs and that he feels his daughter should not be exploited for anyone's benefit, especially Kazakhstan. Either you see this mockumentary as a semi-brilliant satire with a touch of humanity or an elongated sick joke preying on unsuspecting folks. I see it both ways.