Borat

Borat, subtitled Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan is seat-of-your-pants filmmaking that throws away the artificiality of movie production and embraces “performance” as something more than a delicate creature that can exist only within the protected confines of a soundstage or specified location. Sacha Baron Cohen—as producer, writer, and comic genius star—takes advantage of the new ubiquity of video and everyone's desire for their 15 minutes, playing the titular “journalist” (one of Cohen's recurring characters in his HBO series Da Ali G Show) who travels the country trying to figure out just what makes America tick, comically puncturing the balloon of assumed American superiority in the process. Borat holds a mirror up to American culture, and the reflection isn't always pretty. Still, while people may be fooled by Cohen's fictional persona, not all are made fools—in fact, those interviewees with integrity end up making the absurdly bigoted Borat the joke. Outrageous fun, this sterling example of the rising pop-culture zeitgeist of creative insurgency is highly recommended. Editor's Choice. [Note: DVD extras include eight deleted scenes (24 min.), 17 minutes of footage from various promotional appearances, a satirical soundtrack spot, and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for one of 2006's best comedies.] (M. Johanson)