"Borat"

[caned & able]

Sasha Baron Cohen is a very wealthy man of a upper crust London society family. He portrays a man from Kazekstan (sp?), the village scenes are filmed in Romania, and he speaks Hebrew, Armenian, and other languages with English subtitles in scenes with his sidekick. He currently lives in Los Angeles.

Some of you may have seen this movie already, but I have not. I saw some deleted scenes on You-Tube, and I found most of it in bad taste. I know that the people signed wavers and were paid, but, really, he seems to have taken advantage of lots of people.

The woman in the Southern Society dinner scene is suing; Gloria Allred is her attorney, so already this is high profile.

I know this is a spoof, but that is not the way it was presented to the people who appeared in the "documentary" and signed the waivers and were paid.

I am a bit offended and I know I would be upset if I were one of the people in the movie.

Am I too sensitive?

[nicole lisa]

I have a few issues with some of the things in the movie, but it always comes back to the same thing with the lawsuits and that's read your contract. Every single one of the upset Americans (the village concerns are different) didn't read their contract's fine print. They signed away their rights to sue due to fraud or misrepresentation. And you can bet the stuidio made sure, before handing them out, that they were iron-clad.

I don't really have sympathy for people who don't read legally binding contracts, sign them and then sue because they didn't understand.

[runes]

maybe you should see the movie.

i think sasha baron cohen is an absolute genius.

yes, there's some base humor in the movie, but if you take it in the greater context of exposing cultural norms and expectations then it can be appreciated.

and sorry...i don't have sympathy for those that unwittingly participated, they need to take some personal responsibility for failing to read the fine print. yes they look like fools but it's their own doing.

i've never laughed so hard at a movie in my life.

[caned & able]

It is my understanding that the studio has already told Mr. Cohen that there will be no sequel; I am guessing it is because of the problems already presented.

[swimswamswum]

Originally Posted by kidspiration

i think sasha baron cohen is an absolute genius.

I agree. I think he makes people uncomfortable because he shows how easy it is to expose hate in the US.

[caned & able]

Originally Posted by swimswamswum

I agree. I think he makes people uncomfortable because he shows how easy it is to expose hate in the US.

Is that true for the animal shelter scene on You-Tube?

She chastises his expressed attitude towards Jews.

The worker tells him off and takes the dog from him.

OTOH, there is a short on You-Tube from a bar in Tucson, AZ in which he sings, "Throw the Jews Down the Well", and almost everyone gleefully joins in.

[caned & able]

Personally, since I find the short deletions on You-Tube so offensive, perhaps I should save my $ and not see it. My choice. My recommendation.

[holyhelianthus]

Originally Posted by caned & able

Is that true for the animal shelter scene on You-Tube?

She chastises his expressed attitude towards Jews.

The worker tells him off and takes the dog from him.

OTOH, there is a short on You-Tube from a bar in Tucson, AZ in which he sings, "Throw the Jews Down the Well", and almost everyone gleefully joins in.

you do realise he himself is Jewish, right? that Borat is him making fun of anti-semites? among other things...

[caned & able]

Originally Posted by magstphil

you do realise he himself is Jewish, right? that Borat is him making fun of anti-semites? among other things...

Yes, I know that.

That is why I said "his expressed" attitudes toward Jews. Cohen is a common Jewish name.

I understand one of the lawsuits against him is by a Kosher B/B in Massachusetts in which the very cordial, nebbish, Jewish couple were shown to have cockroaches in the room; the couple thought the movie was funny but they did not like the way their establishment was portrayed ultimately in the movie. The joke was that they were "shape-shifting" or something?

They complained that the scene gave their B/B a reputation for being dirty with roaches.

[Erinok]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE sasha baron cohen. I've been a fan since the first season of his HBO show (which I highly recomend, the other 2 characters he does are just as good). I haven't seen the movie yet, but only because with a baby, it's not so easy to get out to the theater. He just shows how predjudice people really are, below the surface. Just the fact that people believe he could be genuine when they meet him is astounding. People are angry, because they are made to look stupid, it is their own fault though. They know they are on camera. Just because you think something wont air in the states, doesn't make the racist/ sexiest comments okay. I just can't believe the movie made it this big (at this point he could never do a sequel anyway.... )I also can't believe how many people just don't get it!!

[bri276]

I love him. When censorship moves against political satirism, I'm out of this country FOR GOOD. You don't have to like it, or think it's funny, but the fact is that many of Borat's skits reveal the underbelly of hatred and racism in America. Yes, people are made fun of, and it's not always all in good fun, but if you sign a contract expect the worst. That's showbiz. I'm much more offended by the use of children in horror movies right now than anything Borat has ever done, I've been watching Ali G for yrs and think he is a genius as well.

[runes]

yes, some of the stuff that he does and says in the movie is offensive. but you have to take a step back and think about WHY.

as previous posters have brilliantly said, it's because cohen as borat scratches beneath the surface and it doesn't take much to expose the hatred and racism that runs rampant in this country.

if it weren't for the fact that this movie is so FUNNY, i would be crying...because if you think about it, what is being portrayed is really quite sad.

as for the b&b couple suing, that's too bad because i think that it was obvious to me that they are good, kind, caring people that live in a beautiful and spotless home. and if i ever have the occasion to stay in a bed and breakfast in massachusetts, i would choose their place without question. that segment wasn't about roaches and the (untrue) dirty conditions...but about anti-semitism, the perpetuation of cultural stereotypes and to portray borat and azamat as total fools. i thought that the couple came across as being nothing but sweet.

i'm sorry if you found some of the deleted scenes to be offensive but without the greater context of the movie, they don't stand alone as a fair representation of what borat is all about.

[PiePie]

i was somewhat offended by the misogyny in there. worse, much of it just wasn't funny to me. i went to see it even though i was on notice of the misogyny and the anti-semitism because i heard that it was sophisticated humor. i get that he is seeing how far people IRL will go (his speech before the anthem about the war was particularly good in this regard) but i just didn't find it as funny as i was hoping for...

can't say i support the lawsuits. let alone have sympathy.

[nicole lisa]

Originally Posted by kidspiration

if it weren't for the fact that this movie is so FUNNY, i would be crying...because if you think about it, what is being portrayed is really quite sad.

I actually did. I felt just awful after leaving, like there was no hope for North America.

That said I did also laugh like crazy, but I wasn't expecting to feel as down as I did from what I saw. Particularly because I have seen each season and knew what I was getting into to.

[HelloKitty]

I saw it and the whole while I was like "Huh?" "Whaa?" "Whoa!" "This is so weird." "This is so stupid." Well, that was in between the laughter. I found the movie funnier the next day when I thought back to scenes. And even funnier the day after that.

I don't think the couple with the bed and breakfast came off bad at all, I was impressed at what a beautiful place they had.

The lawsuits seem frivolous and stupid. Read your contracts people.

[jenoline]

Here's a an excerpt of a interview with the Baron Cohen in this week's
Rolling Stone . It's actually an interview with the real guy, not Borat. It's pretty interesting and helps understand a bit about what he's trying to do as Borat.

To be honest, I've completely ignored everything Borat up until this point. I had no idea what it was, except that it looked like a pretty stupid movie. I had no idea that it was parody, or in any way "real". Now I'm interested in seeing it. I watched several of the clips on YouTube. They were alternately hilarious, distrubing (OMG - did you see the one on the Texas hunting ranch?!?), offensive, and then back to hilarious.

[TigerTail]

Saw it last night. Profound, disquieting, & totally awesome. A laff riot! AND a statement about antisemitism in our country! What more can you ask?

But yeah, Mahir totally needs to sue him with the 'I kiss you' bit. Just a little.

(I love the bear Oksana.) If you are humor-impaired, easily offended, or don't enjoy satire, I'd skip it. If you laughed at Mr Show & Team America, you can handle this, & will love it too.

PS Nice Jewish B and B couple, don't worry. It was obvious you have a lovely home & the roaches were planted. We know!

[Strong Mama]

Love him. Love all his work. I lived in the UK for a few years... and have been watching his Ali G stuff for a while. LOLOLOLOLOLOL

Laugh so hard as now being back in the USA i realise how much hate is here, which is one reason I left this country to begin with.

its really sad.

[talk de jour]

He shows the disgusting attitude of some, and the unfailing politeness of others.

I LOVE Sacha.

[talk de jour]

Originally Posted by TigerTail

PS Nice Jewish B and B couple, don't worry. It was obvious you have a lovely home & the roaches were planted. We know!

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