Varun's Semi-Random Ramblings

What is genius? It is difficult to define but one thing for sure is that it is out of the ordinary. I just saw the movie Borat. And I found it humourous, shocking, gross and annoying, at various points throughout the movie and sometimes simulatneously. You might end up hating it or liking it – I am somewhere in the middle but it is still a good movie because it is different from everything else we are used to watching.

In an era where even reality shows are almost completely staged it is refreshing to see a movie in which almost all of the scenes are unscripted and all the characters except the central 4 characters are unaware that they are being filmed for a satirical (?) movie. Almost throughout the movie I felt that the participants did not know they were being filmed but I thought that it was just the way the movie was filmed and narrated and that like all movies the actors were indeed acting. A quick check on Wikipedia (Borat on Wikipedia) confirmed that I was wrong and that most of the movie was unscripted and that the participants were asekd for their permission only post-event.  

This movie might come across as being anti-American, making fun of various things American at various stages in the movie. However if anything I think it shows America as being an extremely tolerant and accomodating culture. Think of Borat’s high-society dinner where he insults and offends the host and the guests again and again and only at the very end is he kicked out. He would have been kicked out for things much less offending in most Indian settings I can think of Think of the car dealer who spends an hour or more trying to sell him a Hummer costing 50+ grand but eventually sells him a $700 ice-cream truck. Think of the etiquette consultant who maintains a straight face even when she was being shown nude pics of Borat’s son. And there are many such instances throughout the movie.

Brilliant. Genius. Stuck in your head kinda movie. This is not a movie you would want to see with your parents or your kids but this is definitely a movie you should see sooner or later.