Prime Video discussion

[N-E-B]

Originally Posted by PsYcNeT

I thought it was decent, but am absolutely baffled at all the weird takes online (not here) about how this one was worse because it was political, while 1 was not?

Like, how braindead do you have to be to miss the satire of Borat?

I didn’t mind the politics (Borat has always been political) but some of it did seem a little lazy. I think every Trump joke has been told before and it just falls flat for me. It’s a low hanging fruit and it’s too easy.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by dino7c

I think the entire point is how easy it was to fool Rudy/Trump admin and its terrifying

This actress has also been in the white house and met with Don Jr. with apparently no credentials or covid testing. I already knew Rudy was an old perv but I didn't think any Rando could get him in that situation. Imagine what real spies could do if Borat can pull one over on them.

I don't think the "white Texans will go along with anything abhorrent towards a young teen as long as it doesn't go against god" vs "black woman comes in and acts motherly and cares for young teen and tries to direct towards a good decision" is unintentional given the current politics.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Some people here clearly don’t get it. The movie isn’t about Trump jokes being sharp for you.

It’s a guy who clearly has a social conscience. And the character has a broad audience. And he has released a very topical movie, 2 weeks before an election

And you guys hmmming and hawing about whether it is as good as the first? No, he didn’t run naked through a hotel and have his face buried in another fella’s nether regions.

It’s not the point.

You don’t spend 3 more weeks editing to make it funnier.

I find it disappointing when I read such takeaways

[btimbit]

The only reason I'd complain about how politically driven is because I don't follow an ounce of US politics. But that's on me, not the movie

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by btimbit

The only reason I'd complain about how politically driven is because I don't follow an ounce of US politics. But that's on me, not the movie

Fair.

Some people see the goings on down there as, shall we say, somewhat relevant to other geographically close countries, due to cultural influence, implications of activities of multinational organizations, and whatnot.

There are a lot of things going on in the world these days

There are many potential outcomes of the US that can have significant implications

[N-E-B]

Originally Posted by DeluxeMoustache

Some people here clearly don’t get it. The movie isn’t about Trump jokes being sharp for you.

It’s a guy who clearly has a social conscience. And the character has a broad audience. And he has released a very topical movie, 2 weeks before an election

And you guys hmmming and hawing about whether it is as good as the first? No, he didn’t run naked through a hotel and have his face buried in another fella’s nether regions.

It’s not the point.

You don’t spend 3 more weeks editing to make it funnier.

I find it disappointing when I read such takeaways

The issue isn’t that he made fun of Donald Trump or commented on clear societal issues, the issue is that it wasn’t done in a clever or humorous way. It felt like the same re-hashed jokes we’ve seen on late night TV for four years. It’s old.

Nobody, not a single person, watches Borat to be lectured on the social issues of America. People watch Borat to have a laugh. He missed the mark here.

Let’s not pretend Borat is something deeper than it actually is.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by N-E-B

The issue isn’t that he made fun of Donald Trump or commented on clear societal issues, the issue is that it wasn’t done in a clever or humorous way. It felt like the same re-hashed jokes we’ve seen on late night TV for four years. It’s old.

Nobody, not a single person, watches Borat to be lectured on the social issues of America. People watch Borat to have a laugh. He missed the mark here.

Let’s not pretend Borat is something deeper than it actually is.

Sure. Let’s not pretend there is an election within 2 weeks and a guy with a platform and an opinion spoke up in his own way. At this time. And your view is that he is just in it for a laugh? ####ing kidding me?

Some people put magic marker to Bristol board...

I think this is the first time I have considered asking how daft someone is here.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by N-E-B

The issue isn’t that he made fun of Donald Trump or commented on clear societal issues, the issue is that it wasn’t done in a clever or humorous way. It felt like the same re-hashed jokes we’ve seen on late night TV for four years. It’s old.

Nobody, not a single person, watches Borat to be lectured on the social issues of America. People watch Borat to have a laugh. He missed the mark here.

Let’s not pretend Borat is something deeper than it actually is.

SBC’s characters are 100% deeper than just setting up embarrassing situations. He’s always had a strong component of politics and social satire in his characters.

I’ve found his best bits are the ones where he uses his characters to push his interviewees into showing their true colours. Other times he simply shows how some people don’t know how to react to such a crazy character but more often than not, it’s about more than making the people featured and the viewer feel uncomfortable.

[Matata]

Borat is an anomaly in SBCs career, its solid gold but every other one of his projects is either inconsistent and cringey (Bruno, Who is America?) or absolute trash (Ali G). Without Borat SBC wouldn't have gotten popular outside of UK.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by Matata

Borat is an anomaly in SBCs career, its solid gold but every other one of his projects is either inconsistent and cringey (Bruno, Who is America?) or absolute trash (Ali G). Without Borat SBC wouldn't have gotten popular outside of UK.

Well yeah, the fact Borat got a major movie is a good indication of why that character got popular. Before that he wasn’t that popular outside of the UK.

It’s also the reason he doesn’t do much Ali G anymore. The character was heavy on stupidity but didn’t do a lot for bringing out the opinions of his guests. It was mostly about intentional cringe.

Bruno was a failure of a movie but was probably the best character on the Ali G show.

Also, you use cringey like a pejorative term but it’s exactly what made all of his characters popular. If you don’t like cringe comedy, of course you won’t like SBC. It’s literally his MO.

[Yamer]

Originally Posted by DeluxeMoustache

Sure. Let’s not pretend there is an election within 2 weeks and a guy with a platform and an opinion spoke up in his own way. At this time. And your view is that he is just in it for a laugh? ####ing kidding me?

Some people put magic marker to Bristol board...

I think this is the first time I have considered asking how daft someone is here.

For not liking or your perceived "not getting" Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm? That's needlessly harsh.

A lot of us "get" what the character and film is: an outrageous character stereotyped as the backwards foreigner obliviously holding up a mirror to western culture in an awkward and hilarious way. A lot of us get the context of the creator's motivations and are well aware of his history. A lot of us get the context of the current socio-cultural and political environment. The film was marketed on the "gotcha" moment with Rudy Giuliani.

I had all of that figured out before I started watching the film, and I stopped watching 30 minutes in because I knew exactly where it was going and how it was choosing to get there. That route, to my taste, was lazy writing, old jokes, worn out stereotypes and tropes, and a recycle of a character that just doesn't have the same impact in this context as it did in 2006.

It's not hard to figure out the satire and critique because Cohen constantly slams it into your face with a Hulk sized fist. I didn't find it clever, I didn't find it funny, I didn't find it biting, or new, or a fresh take on the current political climate. I wasn't entertained and it wasn't making me see anything I don't already know about what's going on, and I wasn't spending another hour letting it fail to get there. I would argue a large appeal of Borat is the humour which I don't believe it delivered enough of to keep me interested.

Jon Stewart referenced it best about his own Daily Show, but if people are looking to Borat for ethical and political cues we're in real trouble. And I don't think it makes you remotely daft for thinking it's a poor film on its own merits.

[PsYcNeT]

I mean if you stopped 30m in then you missed the ending, which was the best part imo.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Of course it was political. It was explicitly about the Trump white house and Borat's attempt to bribe them. Then it was about Coronavirus, the main political issue in the USA today. It was deliberately released shortly before a presidential election, and ends with the imperative for everyone to go vote. It was intentionally, completely, political, and not in a general sense.

It was still pretty funny in a lot of parts. It didn't live up to the first, not because of its politics, but because the shock value is pretty much gone, outside of the dance scene, I guess. At this point, everyone pretty much gets it - it's hard to make Borat's over the top sexism and antisemitism funny when you're expecting it.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

Of course it was political. It was explicitly about the Trump white house and Borat's attempt to bribe them. Then it was about Coronavirus, the main political issue in the USA today. It was deliberately released shortly before a presidential election, and ends with the imperatove for everyone to go vote. It was intentionally, completely, political, and not in a general sense.

It was still pretty funny in a lot of parts. It didn't live up to the first, not because of its politics, but because the shock value is pretty much gone, outside of the dance scene, I guess. At this point, everyone pretty much gets it - it's hard to make Borat's over the top sexism and antisemitism funny when you're expecting it.

Yep, pretty good summary. If this was the first Borat film people would be going crazy and talking about every scene for months. That's the nature of sequels to shock films, you're just not going to recapture the jaws to the floor reaction.

We laughed pretty hard at a few parts (as a Canadian, the Trudeau bit was just hilarious when you didn't see it coming) and actually looked away in shock at a few, too.

[Weitz]

Overall it was good for a few laughs. But not nearly as good as the first and not overall a great movie. Most people I have chatted with agree it was largely overrated.

[N-E-B]

Originally Posted by DeluxeMoustache

Sure. Let’s not pretend there is an election within 2 weeks and a guy with a platform and an opinion spoke up in his own way. At this time. And your view is that he is just in it for a laugh? ####ing kidding me?

Some people put magic marker to Bristol board...

I think this is the first time I have considered asking how daft someone is here.

Lol relax dude. It’s a Borat movie. Yes, I think expecting a Borat movie to be funny is fair. Borat has always been a comedy. I never said he was only in it for the laughs, I’ve already acknowledged that Borat has always had a political side to it and that never bothered me. Still doesn’t. I just didn’t find it funny or clever, I think SBC is better than what he put out.

You’re completely missing what I’m saying. I’m not criticizing him for his message or what he’s standing for, I’m criticizing the execution of his humour.

In the first film I found his humour relied on his wit and ability to stay in character. In this film I found it relied to much on shock value.

I don’t find showing period blood, talking about masturbation to a room full of women, or watching Rudy Giuliani act like a creepy pervert funny. I found it uncomfortable and off-putting. Eye-opening, sure, but not funny.

My issue isn’t with the messaging. It’s with the humour. It fell flat for me. The fact that he used his platform to send a message is totally fine with me.

“For the first time on here I’m considering asking someone how daft they are” lol give me a break dude. I didn’t find a movie funny. Big deal.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by Weitz

Overall it was good for a few laughs. But not nearly as good as the first and not overall a great movie. Most people I have chatted with agree it was largely overrated.

How could it possibly be overrated? It’s been out for 2 days and no one had seen it before.

Unless you mean didn’t meet expectations.

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

How could it possibly be overrated? It’s been out for 2 days and no one had seen it before.

Unless you mean didn’t meet expectations.

People telling me it was the funniest movie ever. People all over twitter who have seen it saying it was amazing. Etc.

[PsYcNeT]

A 68% critic meta and 6.0 userscore really doesn't scream overrated to me

[Weitz]

Overrated maybe the wrong word. Didn’t live up to hype is probably better.