dispatches from quilt city

Borat: Very nice...NOT!

Last weekend, Nicholas and I attempted to see Borat. Sasha Baron Cohen's new mockumentary about a reporter from Kazakhstan who travels to America. It was completely sold out. Disappointed, we had to listen to a week of great reviews from critics and our friends who had seen the film. "The funniest movie in years!" "Revolutionary!" "Genius!"

Needless to say, we were pretty syked. Only one problem - not that funny.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those totally unhip hipsters who are easily offended or think comedy can't cross certain lines. Here, let me present my hipster comedy credentials:
I watch South Park.
I laughed my ass off during The Aristocrats
And I was at Jackass 2 opening night.

And all of that was funny. Borat was not funny.

There were parts were I giggled and even laughed out loud. But overall I was terribly disappointed.

First, the movie jumps back and forth between scripted and unscripted moments so I was never truly convinced either way. Plus, with the recent accusations put forth by several of the "drunken, frat boys" in a recent lawsuit, it seems Cohen doesn't just script pieces of the film, he manipulates to the point of fraud.

Second, I felt patronized. Several critics have praised Cohen for showing America in all its racist, sexist glory and making us laugh at ourselves. Only one problem - I wasn't laughing. As a Southerner, I couldn't help but notice that Cohen spent a majority of the film in the South - stopping in Virginia, Atlanta, Alabama, and Texas. Even when he was on his way to California in the middle of Arizona he manages to find three frat boys...from South Carolina. He spends a small amount of time in New York and L.A. There are a few gags about how New Yorkers will punch you out for trying to kiss them but no time spent making people in New York or L.A. seem like racist, ignorant jerks. I've been to New York and L.A. - believe me when I say there are racist, ignorant jerks there, too.

One part of the film in particular struck me as manipulative. In Atlanta, Cohen stops in the "ghetto" to speak with a group of African-American males. They are very nice to him - explaining how to wear his pants, laughing at his music choices, and teaching him slang. At first I thought, "how funny that the people that seemed most dangerous were the nicest to him." But looking back on it, why didn't he spout off his usual sexist, anti-Semitic, or homophobic rants to them to see how they would react? In the real documentary "The Protocols of Zion," the filmmakers spend a lot of time addressing the historical mistrust of Jews in the African-American community. How come he didn't try that route? Something tells me because it wouldn't have fit in as nicely with spearing of white America. Too complicated to really look at racist America, instead of just laughing at the ignorant, white people...which maybe would have worked if I had been laughing at that either.

Third, several parts of the film were just mean. Calling a woman ugly at her own dinner table is mean, not funny. Scaring the shit out of young children with a live bear is mean. (Ok maybe a little funny but also a little mean). Plus, I was never sure how people were supposed to react. At one point, an etiquette coach is shown pictures of Cohen's "family" which include pictures of his "son's" penis. She doesn't bat an eye and calmly explains that though he is proud of his family, perhaps he should keep the pictures to himself. I didn't think that was ridiculous or funny. I thought it was dang admirable.

My friend says we are supposed to laugh at ourselves as Americans because we will tolerate such absurd situations in the name of politeness or political correctness or whatever. But I just don't understand what would have been a preferable reaction. To scream and yell? Why are we supposed to laugh at the racist, Southerners who live on Secessionist Drive because they go out of their way to try to understand the cultural differences between themselves and their guest from Kazakhstan.

I just don't get it.

Give me Johnny Knoxville anyday. ;)