Borat – Something to offend everyone.

Latka Gravis plus Punked plus Andrew Dice Clay equals Borat. Racist? Sexist? Funny? Yes, yes and yes. Sacha Cohen as Borat manages to offend pretty much everyone, from Kazakhstan to PETA to most of the South. This film will inspire as many questions about its intent as it will ticket sales.

Looking at the topic of racism alone, I’m sure in the weeks ahead there’ll be more discussions like this on just how racist people think it is. Valid, but there’s also a lot of funny moments that border on the same schtick we applaud other comic actors for. So why all the fuss.

Well, there’s a fuss because there are a few really uncomfortable racist scenes. Is Sacha the actor making a statement or is Borat just being Borat? Do you only laugh at the non-racist parts? And if so, who determines what’s racist?

Am I saying the humor justifies the racism and other offensive behaviour portrayed? No. Just because someone isn’t offended by something in it doesn’t mean the person next to them won’t be. However, is there any comedy out there that hasn’t offended someone in some way?

Having said that, take away the offensive parts and you’re basically left with Jackass - The Deleted Scenes, a 30 minute movie.

At the end of the day though, box office is all that matters to Hollywood. The more people are offended, the more they complain and the more this just drives interest in the film. The guy already has a wiki for cryin’ out loud. (Not saying the boxoffice ends justify the means either, just pointing it out.)

See the movie before complaining though. Helps to know what your favorite racist, sexist, or funniest part was. Just consider this: Borat is the first mocumentary that might muddy that discussion. He’s a fictionalized character put in real situations with real people.

In typical mocs like Spinal Tap, Best in Show, etc., the cast is entirely made up of actors. Not here. There’s a few actors credited, but largely, this is just like Punked in many ways with its attempt at capturing authentic reactions to Borat’s bizarre ways. Candid Camera for Gen-X, Y & Z.

Which is important. Because while many of his comments are so blatantly racist, sexist, etc., the mirror is also held up to some regular folk out there. People who hold the same views for real that Sacha the actor fictionalizes. So which is more offensive then? That Borat brings it up, or that Sacha films this behavior in others?

At one point, I felt comics don’t really spend that much time thinking about the message they want to send, but after seeing it, it felt a lot like Sacha was trying to get his shots in on US culture, especially in the way certain scenes were edited.

And if you were so inclined to knock him, you’d could say he uses Michael Moore’s technique for setting someone up and/or entrapping them to get the desired response. Then again, that’s hard to say. It’s clear a lot of those people Borat encounters don’t need help digging their own graves when it comes to ugly comments.

Don’t take my word for it though. See it and make up your own mind.

Tags: Andrew Dice Clay, Borat, Latka Gravis, Johnny Knoxville, Borat: Cultural Learnings, Sacha Cohen