Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)
★★★½ — Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)
Sacha Baron Cohen had already road-tested the Borat character on his British sketch series Da Ali G Show before Larry Charles (a long-time Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm writer making his feature directorial debut) helped him expand it into a full theatrical release. The film operates in the tradition of guerrilla documentary comedy, using a fictional foreign correspondent as cover to provoke genuine, unscripted reactions from real Americans, a format that caused considerable legal headaches post-production, with numerous participants filing (mostly unsuccessful) suits after seeing themselves onscreen. Shot on a modest $18 million budget, it went on to gross over $260 million worldwide, making it one of the most profitable comedies of the decade and cementing Baron Cohen as a major comedic force beyond British television.
Borat is absolutely ridiculous, wildly offensive in places, and somehow still really funny in places. Sacha Baron Cohen is fully committed as the clueless, bigoted “journalist” from Kazakhstan, barging into real-life situations with zero filter. You cringe, you laugh, you cover your eyes, sometimes all at once. It’s not just shock for shock’s sake (though there’s plenty of that), it’s sharp, dark satire wrapped in a clown suit. And honestly, the film isn’t really about Kazakhstan at all. Most of it’s a mirror held up to American culture, exposing prejudice, hypocrisy, and how easily people will go along with nonsense if it fits their assumptions. Some bits haven’t aged well (there are moments that cross lines, no question) and it’s hard to shake the ethics of some of the pranks. But the sheer audacity of it all is impressive. Whether he’s teaching kids a made-up national anthem, crashing a debutante ball, or trying to sell his bear, the joke’s rarely just on Borat. It’s on the people who welcome him, agree with his insane views, or show their own bigotry without realising they’re being exposed. The running gag about “tradition” says more about blind conformity than any lecture could. It drags a little in the second half (some bits feel repeated or stretched) but the hits far outweigh the misses. It’s messy, chaotic, and deliberately tasteless, but that’s kind of the point.
Rating: ★★★½ | Year: 2006 | Watched: 2025-08-29
Where to watch (UK)
Stream: Amazon Prime Video · Disney Plus · Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Google Play Movies · Sky Store
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Google Play Movies · Sky Store
Physical: Amazon UK
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Related on Movies With Macca
More with Sacha Baron Cohen: Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2020)
More from United Kingdom: Lessons of Darkness (1992) · Shinjuku Boys (1995) · The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) · Blue (1993)
More from the 2000s: Kirikou and the Wild Beasts (2005) · Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) · Daredevil (2003) · Apocalypto (2006)
More comedy: The Eagle (1925) · The General (1926) · Americana (2023) · The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
