From crashing a political conference to kidnapping
a TV star, there's nothing that's off limits for Sacha Baron Cohen.
"And we are honored to have singing our national anthem: ladies and gentlemen, Borat Sagdiyev."
One of the most iconic moments in the first "Borat" movie is probably already burned into
your mind for how perfectly it captured American culture in the mid-aughts. In this scene,
Borat somehow manages to get a real rodeo to agree to him singing the national anthem before a show.
This was during a difficult time in American history: the war in Iraq was at its peak,
and then-President George W. Bush was a very controversial figure in
political discourse. Since this scene took place at a rodeo in Virginia,
it should come as no surprise that Borat's audience was definitely leaning conservative.
This moment is incredible for a number of reasons. Dressed in an over-the-top
patriotic ensemble, Borat gets the audience riled up by declaring his
enthusiastic support for what he calls the United States' "war of terror."
"May George Bush drink the blood of every single man, woman, and child of Iraq!"
"YEAH!"
Of course, things go truly off the rails when Borat decides to change the words to "The
Star-Spangled Banner" to say that every country that isn't Kazakhstan "is run by little girls."
The crowd was so enraged that Sacha Baron Cohen had to be escorted out of the venue for his own
safety — a scene that didn't end up included in the final film. Borat's rodeo stunt is a perfect
example of how Baron Cohen is willing to put himself in real danger just to get a reaction.
In the sequel to "Borat," called "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm," Sacha Baron Cohen
makes an effort to comment directly on contemporary social and political issues
following the 2016 election. Borat ends up in a number of situations that reflect
on the rise in discrimination and racism in American culture.
One interaction that stands out in the sequel is when Borat and his daughter Tutar,
played by Maria Bakalova, go shopping for a cage that she must live in.
Baron Cohen's intention for the scene was likely to comment on the ongoing discrimination against
immigrants, as the United States government was keeping undocumented immigrants in cages.
Despite the bizarre scenario, the store owner doesn't seem
to mind that Borat is intending to keep his daughter in a cage,
instead going along with the whole ordeal. At one point in the sales process,
Borat even brings up Donald Trump's immigration policy, which seems to get a positive reaction.
"But I hear, uh, Macdonald Trump, he cage, uh, Mexicans? High five!"
It's a perfect example of Baron Cohen's
method of getting people to say exactly what they're thinking.
Yet another hilarious scene in the original "Borat" comes when Borat learns how to drive.
Learning to drive is an essential rite of passage for many American youths,
which is why it was a perfect choice by Sacha Baron Cohen to put Borat in such a situation.
Paired up with instructor Michael Psenicska, Borat completely fails
to comprehend the nuances of driving while pushing his teacher's buttons in the process.
Starting out with an awkward kiss on the cheek, Borat's time in the driver's seat
makes for an unforgettably cringe-inducing sequence. Once their conversation devolves
into a discussion about consent and women's rights, things get wild in true "Borat" fashion.
"A woman has a right to choose who she has sex with."
"What?!"
"How about that? Isn't that amazing?"
"You joke?" "There must be consent."
Unlike many of the strangers Borat meets who aren't afraid to express offensive beliefs,
his driving instructor tries to guide him toward doing the right thing.
"I like you. Do you like me?"
"I do like you."
"You are my friend?"
"You're a nice young man, and I am your friend."
As far as man-on-the-street comedy goes, it's hard to beat the subway sequence near
the beginning of the first "Borat" film. Borat's encounters with the denizens of
New York City are simply hilarious, regardless of the context of who Borat is or where he is from.
Sacha Baron Cohen seems to enjoy putting himself in cringeworthy situations,
so his actions on the subway in this scene make for an excellent introduction
to Borat's time in America. First, Borat attempts to kiss
several innocent bystanders taking public transit as a way of introducing himself.
This goes rather poorly, of course. If that wasn't enough, Borat accidentally lets loose a live
chicken within the crowded subway car to cause the maximum amount of chaos. Only in New York!
One highlight of "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm" is, without a doubt, the risky prank pulled
during former Vice President Mike Pence's speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
The conference, also known as CPAC, has become an essential yearly event for the
Republican party. Sacha Baron Cohen has never hidden his left-wing sensibilities,
so his desire to cause chaos at CPAC shouldn't come as a surprise to fans.
In the context of the movie, Borat desperately wants to give away his
daughter as a gift to President Donald Trump at the behest of the president of Kazakhstan,
who respects Trump's approach to governance and wants to be a part of the club.
Since Borat cannot approach the sitting U.S. president, he settles for giving away
his daughter to Pence instead during his CPAC speech. Borat dresses up as Donald Trump and
infiltrates the event, but he causes a ridiculous ruckus when he starts yelling at Pence onstage.
"Michael Pehnice! Michael Pehnice! I brought the girl for you!"
Baron Cohen is openly not a fan of Trump, as he has expressed on Twitter, so dressing up as him
through his Borat character uses several layers of irony to criticize the Republican party.
Sacha Baron Cohen doesn't need to rely on raunchy or political humor
to get a laugh. In the original 2006 "Borat," one of the funniest
moments is a G-rated gag that anyone who's read Dr. Seuss can appreciate.
In one very brief scene, Borat visits the exotic wildlife dealers at Munch Ranch. When
presented with a certain slow-moving reptile, the journalist doesn't seem to recognize the creature.
"What type of dog is this?"
"This is a tortoise."
The patience of the two employees featured in this scene is truly quite admirable.
"Is this a cat in a hat?"
"No, it's a tortoise in a shell."
"Yes."
This scene has become a favorite among "Borat"
fans for its simple premise and hysterical delivery.
Borat's relationship with his daughter, Tutar, is the heart and soul of "Borat
Subsequent Moviefilm,” with a surprising amount of character growth for the titular
reporter. While he is constantly putting his loving daughter into troubling situations,
Borat and Tutar grow closer and closer with each absurd encounter.
When Borat brings Tutar to a Southern debutante ball in disguise, he goes in
with the intention of presenting her as a proper young lady. As you can imagine,
this doesn't sit well with the other guests.
What unfolds is a standout moment in the film,
in which Borat and Tutar — under the fake names Sandra Jessica Parker Drummond and
Professor Phillip Drummond III — do what they claim is a traditional Kazakh fertility dance.
The dance involves showing a room full of stuffy Southern aristocrats
Tutar's blood-stained underwear, which they respond to by awkwardly clapping.
This mockery of high society in the South is genuinely hilarious, and the dance itself is
surprisingly well-choreographed and executed by the two stars.
The running joke at the heart of "Borat" is the journalist's obsession with "Baywatch"
actress Pamela Anderson. After seeing her on television, Borat falls deeply in love with her,
and throughout his hijinks, he continues to bring up his desire to find her and make her his wife.
"Having learned many lessons from U S and A,
I will now teach America how to have a wedding, Kazakhi-style."
This plotline finally ends with a failed kidnapping attempt by Borat, who tries to
put a "traditional marriage sack" over Anderson's head. While this may sound horrifying, it turns
out that Pamela Anderson was in on the joke all along. According to The Daily Beast, Sacha Baron
Cohen made sure to get Anderson's approval ahead of time. The comedian told the outlet —
"The first time we did it at a book signing and I grabbed her
over my shoulder and ran out with her and no one did anything. I was like,
what kind of fans are these? So we did it again and they started running after me."
However, there were definitely some unintended consequences to Anderson's
role in "Borat." Baron Cohen explained that Anderson's then-husband, Kid Rock,
ended up divorcing her over the entire thing. He elaborated —
"I thought it was a joke but then a few weeks later they
got divorced and they put as a reason for divorce, 'Borat.'"
The "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm" scene that got the most press attention after
release was centered around former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
In keeping with Sacha Baron Cohen's desire to mess with Republican political figures,
he and his team came up with the idea to disguise
Maria Bakalova as a conservative journalist who attempts to seduce Giuliani on camera.
In the context of the story, this is actually a low point for Borat and Tutar. Borat has had a
change of heart about his daughter, after realizing how much he actually loves her.
Meanwhile, Tutar has decided to proceed with the seduction plan in order to win his approval.
What unfolds is a shockingly disturbing scene in which Giuliani seems to accept
the seduction attempt — despite the fact that he was under the impression that Tutar is underage.
This was a seemingly genuine act on Giuliani's part,
as he had no idea he was in a "Borat" film until it was too late. His unacceptable
behavior became the center of the political news cycle for some time.