The comedic genius of Sacha Baron Cohen has been around since the 90s and we have laughed hard at his pseudo-realistic sketches with iconic characters like Ali G, Bruno and Borat. We saw him play the fool while the real pranks were on his guests. Recently, SBC also wowed us with his portrayal of Abbie in The Trial of Chicago 7 (also a must-watch).
In Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Borat Sagdiyev (Sacha Baron Cohen) has been incarcerated since his previous mission that humiliated the great country of Kazakhstan. He is brought back to action to deliver a gift to Mike Pence – a celebrity monkey. However, the monkey doesn’t make it and now Borat has to prepare his young daughter to give to Pence otherwise he “will be execute”. So we meet Borat’s non-male son Tutar (Maria Bakalova), but more on her later.
An urgent and a time-appropriate satire
What would SBC sketches and movies be without the teeth? Borat 2 has a hair-brained plot that simply lends itself to storytelling that’s signature Borat – shocking and pointed. Borat 2 checks off most of the recent headlines and comments on everything from Mike Pence to the pandemic and is relevant af. The only downside we can think of is that it will probably not be an evergreen watch like Borat.
How does it compare to the original Borat?
Now that more and more people are familiar with the prank sketches and even more so Borat himself, the film struggles to keep the surprise element alive. Borat uses other disguises as he is supposedly famous now in the US. However, now it seems like it’s SBC in disguise and Borat sort of disappears. Funnies wise, the original is funnier but having said that the second instalment is not worth missing.
Maria Bakalova is a big surprise
Yeah yeah, Sacha Baron Cohen is ace and Borat is an unbelievably hilarious creation but this film totally belongs to Tutar, Borat’s daughter, played by Maria Bakalova. She is expertly funny and delightfully outrageous. Her character arc is genius and she does it all like a proper hero.
WATCH OR NOT
Shocking cringe comedy is for only those who appreciate satire at its realest and finest. Borat 2 has absolutely inappropriate fertility dances and abortion jokes and they land just where they are supposed to. The film subverts many toxic practices but obviously not in a family-friendly way. Please don’t miss this one; Borat is like no other.
Director: Jason Woliner
Writer: Sacha Baron Cohen, Peter Baynham, Jena Friedman
Cast: Sacha Baron Cohen, Maria Bakalova
Language: English
Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video
