Movie Breakdown: Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Pre-Screening Stance:

I’m not sure there could be a more perfect time for a new Borat movie. We’re right in the middle of a global pandemic, there’s civil unrest, and one of the most important Presidential elections ever is underway.

Post-Screening Ramble:

Admittedly, it’s tough to “review” Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. The movie has a lot of stuff that should not at all be discussed or highlighted until it’s actually up for public viewing, so I’ll just try to keep this even briefer than usual.

First of all, is it funny? Yes. Sacha Baron Cohen’s still-absolutely-ridiculous Borat has returned to the United States with a mission to deliver a great gift to Vice President Pence and – just as he did in the original movie – along the way he dupes “regular” folks everywhere into very awkward situations that are hilarious. They’re also immensely cringe-worthy, because some of the stuff that people say and/or do in this film is … well, it’ll drop your jaw to the floor (Rudy Giuliani, I’m looking at you).

Secondly, and maybe this is the most important question about this film, is it necessary? I believe it is. It does have some hyper relevant bits about the pandemic, Trump and more, but aside from those obvious things, I really liked that it spent a good amount of time focused on Borat and his daughter, Tutar – aka Sandra Jessica Parker Sagdiyev (Irina Nowak). They have a relationship harshly bound by tradition (largely detailed by a bonkers book), and the film really does well to show how silly it is to cling to such outdated ways of thinking.

Overall, if you enjoyed the first Borat, then you’re going to like the sequel. Catch it when it lands on Amazon Prime Video this Friday.

One Last Thought:

It has yet to be made clear whether or not Irina Nowak is the actual name of Sacha Baron Cohen’s co-star here, which is kind of weird (but maybe not surprising?). Either way, I thought she was really funny and I hope it lands her some other roles down the road.