Borat's brilliance explained

In the best analysis I've seen of the Borat phenomena, and while we await Allison's return from unwilling exile, see Brandon Crow's piece at 411mania.com.

Borat is a good movie; it's enjoyable. It worked its formula of sheer absurdity (shit in a bag), slapstick (hotel naked fighting and big bull in his Kazahk home) and good, basic comedy (his sister being number four prostitute in all of Kazahkstan). But it is certainly not the best movie I've ever seen. Nor is it the best movie "this year, or any other year" as its advertising slogan entices. It did its part—provided good entertainment with some laughs, and, the most difficult part for comedies, entwined a solid point/lesson.

All in all, I didn't see the reason for the high praise. But I certainly saw no reason for the crazy ill-will that followed either.

The three idiot frat boys from southern CA (but portrayed as being from the south in the movie) are suing Cohen for having painted them in a negative light. They claim they are not racists and only became racist on film after Cohen and crew loosened them up with alcohol.

Great, another demonization of alcohol. Haven't Mark Foley and Mel Gibson already bad-mouthed alcohol enough? As if alcohol suddenly turns someone racist or predatorial…

If that's not pathetic enough, attorneys representing a pair of villagers in Glod, Romania (where Borat's "hometown" was shot) have filed suit as well.

To make matters even more absurd, Russia's government agency overseeing film distrbution has also banned Borat from the country.

Even the traditionally left-leaning magazine, Slate published an article by Christopher Hitchens which tries to spin the poignant prodigy of Borat: Cohen and producers did not paint anyone to look foolish—they did that themselves—Cohen only offered these all-too-eager volunteers the venue.

These litigators, these critics of the film all miss the overt brilliance of the film, the ploy. Cohen gives us just enough rope to hang ourselves. The blatant genius of it all is that Borat/Cohen plainly displays for us just how short that rope truly is.

Take for example, Bobby Rowe, the producer of the Salem, VA rodeo, who tells Borat to shave his mustache so he can look more like an "Aye-Tal-Yen" than a terrorist. Rowe goes further than that simple bit of profiling. Cohen simply mentions something to the effect of "in my country, we hang and beat the gays," and Rowe hangs himself with the short rope by instantly jumping in with "Oh, we're trying to do the same in this country."

So, complainants and haters of Borat... I suggest you follow the urging in Borat's title and do some "cultural learnings of America to make benefit glorious [you, yourself]."