Hilarious or Offensive? Newsweek Profiles "Borat"'s Sacha Cohen

I'm sure you've heard about "Borat." Like Snakes on a Plane, its been the object of a huge amount of hype and word-of-mouth style promotion. I went to go see the movie Sunday night, and I gotta say, I thought it was hilarious. Although, several people walked out of the theater about 15 minutes into the movie. And I heard a few others say "That wasn't funny at all" while leaving. Honestly, if you don't have a sense of humor (and a flexible one at that) don't see it. But, if you're a fan of pushing-the-envelope type humor a la South Park, Drawn Together, etc, chances are you'll laugh hard and loud.

i-b9256fa88aca5513445e312e53abda97-borat.bmp

For the Nov 13 edition of Newsweek, there appears an interview with the comedic mind behind Borat and Ali G: Sacha Baron Cohen. This is a rare event in and of itself, as he is notoriously guarded in regards to his privacy, and rarely gives interviews out of character. Check it out.

To be fair, this isn't "high comedy" we're talking about here. This is pretty low-brow slapsticky stuff. However, I personally tend to like that kind of humor (when done well, which this is) so I encourage those who also like it to check out "Borat." Just check your sense of "PC" at the door, and you'll be fine.

UPDATE: Now a man in Turkey, who is a local internet celebrity, is claiming to be the "real" Borat.

More like this

Did you know that Sacha Baron Cohen, star of the Borat movie, and Simon Baron Cohen, a prominent autism scientist, are related? I didn't. They are cousins. Baron Cohen, 35, rarely gives interviews out of character. He guards his privacy so fiercely that, according to the U.K. press, his…
I finally saw Borat last night, and I'm afraid I was unimpressed. There were a few funny moments, there were a few horrifying moments where he raised a mirror to our culture to make us squirm (the cheerfully eliminationist cowboy at the rodeo, for instance, or those appallingly stupid frat boys),…
This morning, a plethora of Sizzle reviews will saturate Scienceblogs. I've no doubt that the film's science will be thoroughly dissected by more informed reviewers than I. So I'm going to steer clear of temperature trends and timetables, and instead consider how the film pitches its message.…
Over the summer, a few stories have appeared speculating about a new "twitter effect" on movie box office success. The technology is thought to speed-up and amplify the traditional word-of-mouth influence. For example, the less than anticipated opening weekend for Bruno is believed to be partially…

Hilarious or offensive?

Yes.

By Mustafa Mond, FCD (not verified) on 07 Nov 2006 #permalink

If you need an example of him pushing the bounds of good taste (the audience reactions are shockingly hilarious) check him singing 'Throw The Jew Down The Well' at a country bar in Tucson. I didn't stop laughing for a couple of days after watching it :-)

I think what's nice about Borat is, like South Park, he makes fun of everybody. Often the people who find him unfunny are people who take themselves too seriously. (Some are parents who rightly take what they want their kids watching seriously, so you won't hear any quarrel from me on that.)

They say the funniest part is how ordinary people respond. I will have to see it for myself. The fellas and I saw 'The Prestige' instead, and it was excellent.

Congrats on the $1000, Shel!

I think to qualify as an "interview," the subject must at least be quoted. I think that link is to an interview with people who know Cohen.

By Three Texas (not verified) on 07 Nov 2006 #permalink

Hmmm, quite true Texas. Perhaps it would be better labeled as a background piece on Cohen.

I haven't seen the movie yet but I saw borat on "the daily show with jon stewart" and he was hiiiiilarious!!!

By vijayachandra (not verified) on 09 Nov 2006 #permalink

Now Romanians say 'Borat' misled them

...
Now offended villagers are threatening to sue the film's producers for paying them a pittance to put farm animals in their homes and perform other crude antics.
.
Residents and local officials in the hardscrabble hamlet 85 miles northwest of Bucharest said Tuesday they were horrified and humiliated to learn their abject poverty and simple ways were ridiculed for a movie now raking in millions at box offices worldwide.
...

By Mustafa Mond, FCD (not verified) on 14 Nov 2006 #permalink

Oh man......the plot thickens. I didn't feel bad for those frat guys not one bit, but I have a bit more sympathy for the poverty-stricken Romanians. Sounds like buyers remorse to me, either way.