I had to turn "Borat" off, twice. (spoilers)

[CanuckAmok]

I mean, it was hilarious.... but there were a couple of scenes which were just too painful. The rodeo and the mortgage broker convention being the two which spring immediaely to mind.

And when he returned to the dinner party... oy vey!

[Kutjara]

1. There were certainly some moments that were best watched...

...through the fingers. I particularly loved how the dinner party folks were willing to put up with just about anything he said or did (putting it down to "cultural differences") until his hooker friend turned up. I wonder if the fact she was a hooker was what really bothered them...

[CanuckAmok]

4. My 0.02:

More of it was staged/actors then they'd have us believe.

Stlll a good time, though.

I read about Cohen's ability to slip "into character". He doesn't drink, ad when he did a Borat segment for the Ali G Show in which he got so drunk he passed-out, when he came-to he was still flawlessly in Borat-mode.

[Kutjara]

5. Good point.

There were a lot of actors pretending to be "ordinary folks." It was particularly noticeable in some of the New York scenes, where the same character was filmed from a number of angles, while ostensibly being "outraged" by Borat's behavior. There was either a team of cameramen filming every spontaneous encounter, or the "ordinary person" managed to become identically outraged several times. Either way, that's hardly "fly on the wall" documentary practice.

I think the dinner party people and the frat boys in the RV were real, though. I seem to remember that they were the two groups that were sueing the producers. I can't remember if the rodeo guys were also sueing, but I believe that was real, too.

[CanuckAmok]

6. The frat boys....

I think the frat boys, and their lawsuit, were staged.

But maybe that's just my :tinfoilhat: talking.

[Kutjara]

7. It could well be.

SBC is a smart guy, and I wouldn't put it past him to have created the very outrage that sent people flocking to see the film. I admit I was surprised that so much of it looked staged, after hearing from so many sources that it was "real people" being lampooned (a la Ali G).

[jobycom]

42. I think some of the "staged" impression came from

the movie picking and choosing scenes, and ordering them in a sequence to tell his little story. He's probably got hundreds of scenes to choose from.

The rodeo scene made news at the time. It wasn't staged, although I do wonder about the horse falling down.

[Shakespeare]

9. Oh, that suit's not staged.

I work for the law firm that reps the studios in this case. I can't say anything about the case, but I can assure it's very real.

[CanuckAmok]

10. That's funny.

Of all the characters in the movie, I found the frat boys the least convincing. It would be funny if they were the only "real" people in the film.

[Shakespeare]

24. Actually, the majority of the people in the movie are real.

All of the "real" people in the film signed releases so that their likeness could be used--far more are real than you think (and I understand where the skepticism comes from, so I'm not casin' on ya).

And the exposure the movie's gotten means there won't be a Borat 2, because too many of the "real" people would recognize the character.

[derby378]

25. As for the Texas antiques dealer... (another spoiler alert)

I'm convinced that anything that got busted was either fake or defective to begin with, and the dealer was probably informed and compensated well in advance.

[Kutjara]

28. He did seem pretty relaxed about half his inventory...

...of "priceless antiques" being smashed to atoms. What was funniest was when the total cost of damage was calculated and it came to about $400. Wow, what rarities they must have been.

[Neoma]

2. I haven't seen it.

[wildhorses]

3. help me---

i thought it was stupid...i cut it off before the rodeo:shrug:

[MonkeyFunk]

13. Then you missed a lot...

I, too, have always had difficulty with 'cringe' humor. It's uncomfortable.

But so many of the greatest comics have relied on it. Lenny Bruce made people cringe. As did Redd Foxx, Bill Hicks, Dave Chappelle and tons of others.

Yes, Borat really pushes people's comfort limits. But that's where all the great humor lies.

I think Baron Cohen is a goddamned genius, and I think Borat as the funniest and SMARTEST film I've seen in many years. Sincerely, I believe that.

[tavalon]

19. That he is Jewish

was the only reason I stayed past the Jewish slamming crap - it was over the top. It's kind of like only a black person can use the N word.

[MonkeyFunk]

20. But I honestly don't think he slammed Jews at all!

He slammed anti-semitic stereotypes: a very different proposition.

[tavalon]

21. It's been a while since I saw it so I don't remember what the specific part was

something about a holiday and eating Jewish babies or some such. My mouth landed on the floor and my boyfriend, who is Jewish, enlightened me about his cred, probably because he could tell I was about to bolt.

[MonkeyFunk]

22. Probably...

the "Running of the Jews" in his native village.

The kids come out and beat the egg laid by "Mrs. Jew" so as to make sure the Jew chick doesn't hatch.

I don't see how it's possible to think he's perpetuating those stereotypes. He's mocking the people who believe them.

[tavalon]

23. On reflection

I see your point completely but in the moment, I was stunned by it.

[wildhorses]

26. maybe but, what i didn't understand was...

why was he so stupid???

and the 'make sexy' phrase :wtf:

i wanted to laugh, some of it was funny but,

i liked redd foxx and lenny bruce and dave chapelle but borat...i just did not get with it:dunce:

maybe i need to smoke a joint or something:smoke:

[MonkeyFunk]

27. It's a ploy he uses in his other characters....

not so much stupid, as really really dense. It forces the people he's interacting with to say a lot more in order to explain anything to him. It's a way to get his subjects to talk.

And... it's funny. The really dense guy is a staple of humor.

[wildhorses]

30. thing is....he did NOT come across as dense to me...

i tried to buy it, i wanted to buy it but, in the end he was too smart to be stupid and it showed...

just could NOT get with his character and the way he portrayed denseness...

give me a dumb blonde anyday:evilgrin:

[MonkeyFunk]

8. Heheh....

a friend just came over and I showed it to her - she hadn't seen it. It was my fifth viewing.

I think it's fucking brilliant.

And Lunelle, the prostitute, is a comedienne/actress.

[Hissyspit]

11. I literally did watch in the theatre through my fingers - like it was a horror movie.

It was so hilarious, but I was laughing at the way it was making me watching it through my fingers, too.

[Cobalt-60]

12. The motel fight scene was something of a horror

But overall it passes.

[njdemocrat106]

14. "If horse is happy, man is happy"...

I admit I feel a little sorry for some of Borat's "victims".

[MonkeyFunk]

15. Nobody in that film

was presented badly who didn't deserve to be presented badly.

The old Jewish couple were lovely, and treated as such. The frat boys, the rodeo promoter, the Pentacontalists - they came across badly. But Baron Cohen didn't put any words in their mouths.

[njdemocrat106]

16. I did say "a little", after all

I'm definitely not gushing with sympathy for most of the folks in the film; and if Cohen does a Bruno film, I definitely wouldn't feel an ounce of remorse for any of the homophobes he's bound to encounter.

[MonkeyFunk]

17. oh, I know...

I wasn't trying to misrepresent you. It's just that having watched the film 4 times this week alone, I can't think of anyone who was presented badly who didn't hang themselves with their own rope. That's the brilliance of the film.

And yes, a Bruno film would be a real joy.

[tavalon]

18. Yeah, I laughed my ass off at that movie

and yet it made me a little sick to my stomach. I didn't find out until afterward that the scenes weren't staged. Oy vey indeed!

[crim son]

29. So, the asshole/testes shot meant nothing to you?

I've been having nightmares for a coupla nights.

[Kutjara]

31. Let's just say I've had an epiphany about my dietary habits.

I may not see Adonis when I look in the mirror naked, but I sure as hell never want to see Borat's producer. <shudder>

[crim son]

32. I had a strange feeling of , if not empathy, then....

concern... for him. What can you say about a man who can run past you completely nude yet not display his manparts? My sympathies, that's what I have to offer.

[Kutjara]

33. Can I make an embarassing confession?

I got Borat on DVD the other day and...how shall I put it...spend considerable time analyzing that scene with the aid of the rewind and pause button. I'm not entirely sure he has any manparts. It was quite chilling. I also became concerned about the time I was devoting to the problem.

[crim son]

34. And may I make a confession?

We must be kindred spirits. Enough said. :rofl:

[crim son]

35. Yeah, I'm still laughing at this post.

I respect you, and therefore it gives me perverse happiness.

[Kutjara]

36. Why thank you, dear Crim.

You've made my evening. I shall bask in a definite glow from here on (one totally unrelated to any bottle of Pinot Noir I may or may not have recently guzzled.) :hug:

[crim son]

37. Well, indeed.

And my mirth has nothing to do with the greyhound I poured myself earlier :)


:hug:

[Kutjara]

38. Of course not.

To suggest otherwise would be churlish.

[crim son]

39. I have this ugly habit of being churlish at 2:56 a.m.

You will no doubt forgive me.

[Kutjara]

40. Of course I will.

It just so happens that our churl cycles are more or less in sync, so we probably wouldn't notice eachother's churlitude anyway.

[crim son]

41. Lol!

Ain't it the truth?

[jobycom]

43. Interestingly, I watched it for the first time tonight.

And while I never turned it off, I watched segments of it with my head turned towards the wall and my eyes turned back towards the tv. Some images may never completely leave my nightmares. You know the one I mean.

[graywarrior]

44. Just watched it. Hated it but laughed harder than I ever have at any other movie.

:crazy:

[slj0101]

45. Can't wait to see it.

I had similar issues with Arrested Development, especially the episode where David Cross, as Mrs. Featherbottom, tries a Mary Poppins-style entrance and crashes into the coffee table. I begged the SO not to rewind it, because I was in pain from laughing so hard.

and here it is! :rofl:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=4blSr_M8jag

[MedleyMisty]

46. I watched it Saturday night

but I don't remember a mortgage broker convention?

I really don't like conflict so I was expecting to not be looking at the screen very often, but actually I had no problems watching it.

The frat boys remind me of some posts in GD.

And yeah, the rodeo was pretty bad, but at least by the time he got to destroying Iraq to the point that nothing would grow there for a thousand years (paraphrasing, can't remember the exact words) people kind of stopped cheering. Of course, considering that they did cheer quite a bit for the idea of Bush drinking the blood of every woman, child, and man in Iraq....

[dysfunctional press]

54. the mortgage broker convention is where borat and his producer ended up...

after/during their fight in the motel...surely you remember THAT scene.

[bikebloke]

47. Inadvertent spoilage

From the lead off to the theatrical release, then the DVD release, all the trailers (and YouTube clips) I eventually saw spoiled many of the gags. I read that he's making another film around Brüno. In that case, I'll skip the trailers until I can see the DVD.

[Tektonik]

48. If you get the dvd

try switching the language to hebrew

[bigwillq]

49. I just watched it.

There were some funny parts but overall I thought the movie was kind of stupid....I could only take so much of his act.

[Initech]

50. Huh? I was cracking up at the rodeo scene. *spoilage*

Also the scene where he's walking around the dinner party holding a bag of crap and wondering what to do with it.

Now the naked wrestling scene, I can COMPLETELY understand that one! :puke:

[Kat45]

51. I thought that was the funniest scene in the movie 0 spoiler

I laughed harder at the naked wrestling scene than I did at anything else.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

53. I laughed my arse off.

But I also got my eyeballs scarred by the wrestling with the fat manager scene. Ick!!!

His style reminded me of Michael Moore only more outrageous. Start the cameras rolling, and let people hang themselves with their own words.

[Shine]

52. We saw it for the first time this w/e. We didn't like it.

not really my style of humor, personally. I was curious to see what all the hubbub was about, but in the end, I was disappointed.