Tik Tok, Trump & Pandemic: A New Borat for a New America
Jagshemash! While the legacy of Borat Sagdiyev started, for most, in 2006 at the first glance of neon green swimming apparel and an odd conglomerate accent, legendary comic actor Sacha Baron Cohen actually premiered his other half a decade earlier on Da Ali G Show. While Borat as an entity has been around for two decades his comedic and structural influence has already seeped into popular culture.
Bridging to New Media
In the end, that’s what Borat is all about; culture and how we view it. America is often seen as being this independent, singular, and stubborn nation that has difficulties accepting and understanding cultures that aren’t its own, which is strange considering – aside from the natives – everyone here is an immigrant in some way shape or form. Sacha Baron Cohen forces us to truly examine and reconsider everything we know in this nation, and while it was far more impactful and shocking the first time around Cohen still has more than his fair share to stay about “The U.S and A” in this new picture.
Before researching for this article, I had heard hearsay and comments about David Dobrik and the whole vlogging motley crew that has sprung out of the woodwork throughout the past half-dozen years, but I never truly understood their impact and reach. My girlfriend gave me a vlogging crash course and I finally began to see the appeal, and obviously so did Sascha Baron Cohen. By instating an in-character TikTok account and collaborating with A-list celebrities like Ariana Grande, as well as dueting unsuspecting Tik Tok users, Cohen made the promotion and build-up just as hysterical as the film.
A New Age for Borat
Now to finally disperse my thoughts on Borat: SubsequentMovieFilm: it’s truly something to behold. In a day and age with so much confusion and turmoil, escapism almost feels wrong, so tackling the bull’s horns head-on through comedy seems like the best approach. Borat 2 takes this format that has been so engrained into comedy within the past few years and really embraces the notion that reality is stranger than fiction. If you thought that the segment in Borat where our favorite Kazakhstani outed a man at a rodeo into admitting he wanted gay people executed, there’s more right-wing mania on display here. While Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan feels more akin to a joke with Americans and their Bush-infused hysteria being the punchline, Borat 2 feels like a cry for help. You often see Sacha Baron Cohen cracking wise at the way we as a culture embraced the punchlines, the “wawaweewas” and the “my wives,” and while they do have their place, you can feel the frustration in the text.
One of the most interesting criticisms of Borat 2 is the legitimacy of blending script and candid. As someone who was born a short three years before the first Borat hit the silver screen, every one of Cohen‘s endeavors has always had a similar amount of authenticity to compensate for the more manipulated and fabricated segments. I feel that this new wave of dissenting voices may come from our tolerance and expectations of media. Seeing large political figures say horrible and “career-ending” remarks and actions is a daily occurrence. Borat 2 takes this awful truth and highlights how much progress still needs to be made, especially with the twisted and strange media comprehension we have. In regards to the Rudy Giuliani scene – that feels more akin to a Tobe Hooper film than any modern comedy – it’s wild to see Trump fanatics frothing at the mouth in defense of what is clearly a seventy-six-year-old masturbating to a teenager. In classic Cohen fashion, Borat addressed the situation on Twitter.
A Changing Landscape… Very Nice!
Borat 2 sheds portions of the subtlety seen in the first film in a necessary plea to fully understand some of the harm of our current administration. It seems that the satire was more of a cherry on top of the nationalist Bush administration and its inclusion in this trainwreck of a leader feels more intense and serious. That being stated, it’s clear that the outrageous humor and sharp improvisation that is seen in every mockumentary made by Cohen and company is evergreen and present. Chenqui!
Have you seen Borat 2? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!
Borat: SubsequentMovieFilm is available on Amazon Prime Video.
Watch Borat: Subsequent MovieFilm
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