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Borat

year 2006decade 00sdirector Larry Charlesgenre Mockumentary comedy

84 minutes

IMDb
Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Sacha Baron Cohen Borat Sagdiyev ( Kazakh / Russian
Ken Davitian Azamat Bagatov ( Kazakh / Russian
Luenell Luenell the prostitute; first seen when Borat calls her to come to the Southern dinner. She later returns with Borat to Kazakhstan and the two wed
Pamela Anderson herself; she plays a central role in the film as the reason for the journalist's cross country journey. She also appears in person at the end of the film, in a botched abduction attempt by Borat for marriage

Borat | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Kyle Brandtproducer Craig Horlbeckproducer Chia Hao Tatproducer Eduardo Ocampoproducer Matt Pevic
Explore episodeClose episode

Most Rewatchable Scene

The Southern dinner and naked fight lead a broad field; the Jewish bed-and-breakfast is another favorite

In the discussion (14)
Approx. transcript time · 00:27:47Read transcript
  • The Kazakhstan opening and “Running of the Jew” are nominated
  • Borat greeting and provoking New Yorkers is nominated
  • The humor-coach lesson and repeated failed “not” jokes are nominated
  • Borat channel-surfing in the hotel is nominated
  • The feminist meeting and driving instruction are nominated
  • The local-news appearance and rodeo are nominated
  • The Jewish bed-and-breakfast is selected as a perfectly constructed scene
  • A competing view finds the kind hosts too sympathetic for the scene to be comfortably rewatchable
  • The Southern dinner is praised while the insult toward one guest is called the movie’s meanest moment
  • The naked hotel fight is praised as memorable but also uniquely disgusting
  • Pamela Anderson’s staged abduction is nominated
  • The fraternity motor-home sequence is discussed without excusing the filmed students
  • Borat being cleansed in the church is the final scene nominated.
  • The Southern dinner is ultimately preferred over the more memorable naked fight

The most "year the movie came out" thing

Pre-social-media filming, post-9/11 resentment, Pamela Anderson culture, and the iPod Mini are identified with 2006

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 00:45:17Read transcript
  • The ability to film strangers before social media is nominated
  • Mid-2000s anti-Muslim sentiment is nominated
  • Pamela Anderson’s autograph line at a Virgin Megastore is nominated
  • The closing iPod Mini joke is selected as the strongest 2006 marker

What’s Aged the Best?

Local-news bloopers, pre-smartphone public pranks, the conference-run anecdote, and throwaway lines are praised

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 00:48:20Read transcript
  • The local-news sequence and the durability of local-news bloopers are praised
  • Pre-smartphone public pranks are praised because spectators had neither camera phones nor social posts to expose the filming
  • The naked conference run reportedly required three attempts; an engineering-lecture audience barely reacted to the first
  • A collection of short throwaway lines is identified as the film’s lasting comic strength

What’s Aged the Worst?

Overused Borat impressions, a racial slur, and group porn viewing are identified as dated

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:59:36Read transcript
  • Years of “my wife” and “high five” impressions are said to have dulled the character
  • Use of a racial slur is identified as dated
  • Men communally watching pornography is described as a bygone social ritual

Apex Mountain

The episode considers apexes for Sacha Baron Cohen, the Borat character, sketch-comedy movies, and male nudity in mainstream movies

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:10:19Read transcript
  • Sacha Baron Cohen is judged at his career apex
  • The Borat character and the film’s cultural visibility are judged at their apex
  • A sketch-comedy-movie apex is debated against Wayne’s World, with Borat tentatively called its 2000s counterpart
  • The film is judged an apex for naked brawls and male nudity in mainstream movies

The Coach Finstock Award for Best Life Lesson

“Do not let a woman ever make who you are” wins, with “I like sex; it’s nice” as an alternative

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:18:52Read transcript
  • The fraternity student’s warning not to let a woman define you is selected
  • “I like sex; it’s nice” is offered as an alternative