I like you. Do you like me?
This is the catchphrase of Borat, brainchild of British comic wonder Sasha Baron Cohen, the ardor of a million-plus internet nerds, and, as of November 17, a mere $19 million shy of a $100 million domestic box office blockbuster.
Loyal boosters and sputteringly mad critics alike both witnessed November 10 as the day Borat leapfrogged from a paltry 837 U.S screens to a comfy 2,566. Early Borat buzz was shepherded by the standing ovations of internet webblogs and critics at the Toronto Film Festival, so what was the reason 20th Century Fox lassoed its prize pig from escaping the pen at breakneck speed? Says Fox Distribution Chief Bruce Snyder, “our research shows it was soft on awareness.”
Soft on awareness? No longer so, apparently. Theatres now recognize the moneymaking potential of cultural phenomenon Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.
The hellish mountain climbed to finally persuade Fox, however, wasn’t easy. The MPAA threatened to slap an NC-17 for Cohen’s excessive parading of nether regions during the, ahem, long “wrestling” sequence. And controversy twisted the proverbial knife further, and after the November 3 theater debut many reviews targeted factual inaccuracies, from “that’s not what a real Kazakhstani looks like” to the film scripting respondent’s answers as Cohen pitched a few bigotry-laced questions at them. Despite the latter probably being true, the actual Kazakhstan government (yes, the country does exist) banned Cohen’s endlessly amusing flick from Kazakh theatres.
Now, a truckload of steam in its wake, Borat was at once tagged by media outlets with a publicity blurb of anvil-like proportions. It was either the “the funniest movie of all time” or the “funniest film in years.”
FAU senior Dave Fried agrees with the former. “Overall, Borat exactly met that level of hype given to it during the advertising campaign. It wasn’t the funniest film of all time, but it was bundled with a huge dose of reality that took it to the next level.”
That dose of reality Fried is referring to is awash in Mockumentary motifs. Scenarios are purposefully injected into the narrative to up the wackiness quota- from The Running of the Jews (as opposed to Pamplona, Spain’s, annual Running of the Bulls), to Borat lusting over a fifteen-year-old Baywatch magazine, to kidnapping Pamela Anderson with a burlap sack, to playing “yo homeboy” with a gang of ghetto youth.
“It’s the funniest comedy of all time, owing to a turning point achieved early on,” agrees FAU senior Mickey Carcases. “Mocking the Running of the Bulls tradition by showing huge nose monsters being chased down the street is not only hilarious, but it’s what elevates Borat to a better movie.”
Daring to con a few unsuspecting onscreen subjects, Borat was also pelted with lawsuits. The most popular allegation concerned an unknowing trio of tour bus frat boys. Coaxed by film crewmen into believing Borat was an independent film that wouldn’t touch U.S. soil, the boys were first taken to a bar for some tongue-loosening beer, then later filmed as they unleashed a flurry of misogyny-laden rants.
And yet despite being dogged by controversy, Borat’s boon of positive reviews and box office success seem endless. Of 50 students polled around FAU Boca, Davie and Fort Lauderdale campuses, an astounding near-25 percent mentioned they saw the film; three of whom thought many scenes were disturbing (ahem, censor bar); and five of whom recommended Borat to others.
The verdict? The viewers do like Borat. The baggage of complaints and controversy backfired. Even the male nudity helped. And 20th Century Fox tripling the number of theater screens?
High five…not!
