Borat : Subsequent Moviefilm

BORAT : SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM

Director : Jason Woliner

Year : 2020

Genre : Comedy

Rating : *

15 years after shocking the world with his at-the-time hilarious mockumentary 'Borat', Sacha Baron Cohen dons the iconic Mercury-style moustache and grey suit once again for 'Borat : Subsequent Moviefilm', the straight to VOD sequel that nobody asked for and if the reviews are anything to go by, wasn't wanted either. Purporting to shed light on the already overt racism and misogyny that lies at the heart of the Trump administration and it's loyal MAGA cap wearing followers with the same faux-documentary format of it's predecessor, 'Borat : Subsequent Moviefilm' goes for broke to shock, disgust, appal and upset in equal measure. But whereas the 2005 film felt felt fresh, daring and somewhat subversive with it's docu-comedy setup, in the wake of the many prankster copycats and endless Youtube stars who essentially copied Cohen's ''candid camera'' shtick, this movie now feels stale and tired. 

Despite all of the negative things I am about to write about him and his dreadful movie, it cannot be denied that Sacha Baron Cohen remains one of the most fearless comedians working in cinema today and while many of the gags in 'Borat : Subsequent Moviefilm' fail to land, it is impressive to see just how far he and his equally gallant co-star Maria Bakalova will go to completely humiliate themselves and their victims. The film (or prolonged torture device depending on your viewpoint) sees Kazakhstan's 4th most famous reporter returning to the United States in order to present his country's most popular chimpanzee as a gift to Vice President Michael Pence. But things go awry when his 15 year old daughter Tutar (Bakalova) stows away in the animals box and what ensues is an increasingly offensive and frequently disgusting journey across the States as Borat prepares his young daughter as an alternative bride for the notoriously devout and chaste VP. 

Humour is of course subjective, so when discussing a film as knowingly outrageous, intentionally offensive and, most importantly, as politically charged as 'Borat : Subsequent Moviefilm', it is isn't really conducive to say whether it's funny or not. Although for the record, it isn't - it's repulsive, it's repetitive, it's overlong, none of it's comedic highlights are as remotely hilarious as those of the first movie and it is feels far more planned and rehearsed than it's spontaneous and improvisational predecessor. But rather, it is the intentions of the filmmakers and the writers which should be scrutinised and in this respect, 'Borat : Subsequent Moviefilm' is easily one of the worst comedies of recent years. At time of writing, the American election is less than 24 hours away and the country, indeed the world, is holding it's breath for the outcome so it would seem that this movie couldn't be more timely and prescient. But timing isn't everything and almost in every respect, it fails - as a comedy, as a political statement and as biting social satire. 

As was the case with Cohen's post-'Borat' pictures such as 'The Dictator' and especially the abhorrent 'Bruno', all of his unwilling targets are obvious and cliched. He discusses abortion with a Christian doctor, he attends a Pro-Trump festival where he sings fiercely anti-Democrat lyrics to rapturous cheers and applause and he befriends stereotypical redneck types who believe that the Clinton's and Obama are to blame for the Coronavirus pandemic and that their political rivals drink the blood of children. OK, so these people are clearly targets for ridicule and Cohen certainly goes for broke to make them look as foolish as possible - particularly several key Republican figures whose shockingly disgraceful antics have rightly become headline news around the globe.

However, we have spent every day of the past four years being made bluntly aware of the fetid dark heart that lies at the centre of the far-right Republican movement. Political commentators, late night talk show hosts and far more talented comedians have spent hours upon hours every night reciting and mocking the insane theories, gaffes and hypocrisies spouted by Donald Trump and his cronies so this film ultimately doesn't show or tell us anything we weren't already painfully aware of. In fact, Fox News, Dinesh D'Souza, Alex Jones and the entirety of social media - particularly Trump's own Twitter account - have done a perfectly adequate job of demonstrating this sad fact without Sacha Baron Cohen having to spend a bunch of money and debase himself for a bunch of witless, uninspired jokes which generate infinitely more cringes than laughs. So if 'Borat : Subsequent Moviefilm' isn't funny, it isn't politically valid and it isn't even remotely relevant, what is it? Well, I can tell you one thing. It's the worst movie I've seen so far in 2020 and I highly doubt that anything will knock it off it's grim pedestal.