z-borat-only if we are desparate -hij- -pej- I want that fifteen minutes of my life back. – mcb

Heath Gordon

Many things about my life are uncertain. I often don’t know how I woke up where I did on Saturday mornings. I am also rather uncertain about the relationship between Kate and Sawyer on the television show “Lost.”
One thing, however, is certain: I hate paying for movies. Eight dollars — $7 with a student ID — is a downright absurd amount to pay for sitting in a sticky movie theater. Times when I have paid for a movie are notable and rare.
This is one of those times. In fact, you are about to bear witness to an occasion never before witnessed. I paid to see the Borat movie. Twice.
Honestly I don’t think I have ever seen a movie deliver so many laughs while still maintaining a cohesive and somewhat interesting plotline.
Borat, played by Sacha Baron Cohen, is a journalist from Kazakhstan. His hobbies are ping-pong, sunbathing and disco dancing. Because of the many problems in Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Kazakhstan sends Borat to America to investigate what makes “US and A greatest No. 1 country in world!”
The movie follows Borat on his journey across America in the pursuit of knowledge and true love. Along the way he is captured by Jewish shape shifters, sings the Kazak national anthem to the tune of our national anthem, and learns how to speak the stereotypical African-American vernacular.
Despite creative differences between his producer and himself, Borat still finishes his documentary and finds true love.
This movie has been criticized for two reasons. Some complain that it has anti-Semitic overtones. Let me give you a little background on this. The man who created and plays the character Borat is actually a devout Jew.
In fact, before he started his hit series “Da Ali G Show” and this movie, he was a Ph.D. candidate at Cambridge. He was working on writing his dissertation on the Jewish influence in the 1950s civil rights movement. If you laugh at Dave Chappelle, you can laugh at this.
The second criticism is that this movie makes Americans look stupid. I really can’t argue with this. However, I would like to try to make you see that this isn’t the only thing we see about America in this movie.
Let us take for example the general story line. Firstly, Borat comes to America because it is the greatest country and it is the only hope for Kazakhstan. Secondly, Borat is unable to find true love, and it is only when he comes to America that he does.
This, however, is part of a contrived storyline. Let’s see what real Americans have taught Borat.
Borat gets drunk in an RV with three frat boys. Yes, I heard some stupid things come out of their mouths, however, this is the point that Borat discovers that his love interest is actually not a virgin and is heartbroken.
The frat boys console him, and, as they part ways, they tell him that he will make it, because this is America.
When Borat has hit rock bottom, he falls asleep on the steps of a church. There he finds salvation, cures the pain that lies deep in his heart, and, with “Mister Jesus,” finds the strength to press on to California.
There’s also a point where Borat is at a fancy dinner and he insults a pastor’s wife, among others, in front of everyone, and still, when Borat slips off to use the restroom, the table confers and says he is a nice young man who just needs to learn the ways of America.
If you, like me, enjoy comedy and want to see a great story, go see this movie. You are missing out on many levels if you skip this one.