borat subsequent moviefilm review
Borat 2 is not as consistently funny as the original but when the jokes hit, they hit hard. This time around Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat) is joined by co-star and newcomer to US film, Maria Bakalova. Bakalova’s Tutar, Borat’s clueless-but-for-no-fault-of-her-own daughter is a scene stealer. Her character has a real arc in a movie that doesn’t care much about anything other than packing as many gags into its runtime as possible. To say that Tutar is treated wrongly by everyone she meets is a vast understatement. This is a franchise (Borat existed and thrived on Da Ali G show well before the first film) that derives its humor from shockingly tasteless encounters where Borat’s pseudo-real-life targets are often revealed as just as depraved as the fictional Borat. Tutar takes over for Borat during many of these gross-out encounters. Bakalova does a great job but there are a couple of instances where the script doesn’t do her any favors. One first act scene in particular is needlessly mean-spirited and unfunny – it lacks the thoughtful underlying commentary we’ve come to expect from Cohen. You’ll surely identify said scene immediately. I had to look away. Thankfully the remainder of the film is a breezy 90 minutes of the same Cohen schtick that’s made him (in)famous. If you enjoyed Borat, you will enjoy the subsequent film. Don’t forget to vote.
Borat 2 receives a score of 7/10 for general audiences and an 8.5/10 for fans of Cohen and his biting commentary on gender, race, sexuality and politics.