Advertisement

Roo News

The Student News Site of University of Missouri - Kansas City

Roo News

Roo News

Amidst the festive spirit of St. Patricks Day, the iconic symbol of luck, the clover, reminds us of the rich traditions and celebrations honoring Irish heritage.
Exploring St. Patrick's Day Alternatives in Kansas City
Aydan Stigler and Grace Beshore March 14, 2024

  The annual St. Patrick's Day celebration is just around the corner, and with celebration comes large crowds.    The annual city parade...

Visit the City Market to explore local vendors.
Smart Saving Strategies for a Wallet-Friendly Spring Break
Emily Wheeler, Staff Writer • March 14, 2024

  UMKC students are ready for the upcoming week-long spring break, but are their wallets?   From travel adventures to staycations, spring...

Earth Mother by Sheron Smith
Her Art/Their Art Explores the Female Experience in the 21st Century
Elyse Bredfeldt, Staff Writer • March 12, 2024

  Her Art/Their Art is a collection that aims to answer the question: “What does it mean to identify, live, navigate, or be perceived by society...

Nina Simone: Four Women” playbook.
The KC Rep’s “Nina Simone: Four Women” is both timeless and poignant.
Maisy Blanton, Staff Writer • March 5, 2024

  The Kansas City Repertory Theater (KCRep) recently performed “Nina Simone: Four Women.” The show follows musician Nina Simone as she...

Around 1 million people were estimated to be in attendance at the parade.
One Dead, Several Injured During Chiefs Parade
Zach Gunter and Jazlyn Summers February 14, 2024

Update:   As of 2:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon, the number of those injured at the Union Station shooting after the Chiefs Super Bowl parade...

“Borat 2” review: A satire the world needs

Borat+Two+characters+squatting+in+sand
“Borat 2” premiered via Amazon Prime Video on Oct. 23, 2020. (Vanity Fair)

“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” also known as “Borat 2,” is the only pleasant surprise to come out of 2020 so far.

Having brought great shame on Kazakhstan after the release of his first film, the titular Borat (Sacha Baron Cohen) travels back to America on a redemption mission which involves delivering a special gift to Vice President Mike Pence in order to gain the favor of President Donald Trump.

However, much to Borat’s misogynistic frustration, the gift is none other than Borat’s own 15-year-old daughter, Tutar (Maria Bakalova).

“Borat 2” is strange in the ways it is both successful and unsuccessful as a sequel to the original 2006 film. For the most part, the first film consisted of scenes where Cohen went out into the real world and bothered real people. Given the enduring popularity of the character, it was much more difficult for Borat to blend in while filming the sequel. The film touches on this and renders the original formula somewhat unusable.

Cohen and his company get around this challenge by crafting an actual story for the sequel, centering on Borat’s growing relationship with Tutar. The most inexplicable aspect of the entire film is that attaching some sort of emotional core to a character as one-note as Borat works quite well.

It certainly won’t bring any tears to any eyes, but the “journey” both characters go on has genuine competence and adds a heft that was missing from the first installment.

Cohen brings his expected mastery of deadpan humor. His ability to keep a straight face while saying the things he says and listening to the things he gets people to say is borderline inhuman, and yet the world is all the better for it. 

While things may center on Borat, the true star of the film is his daughter Tutar.

Maria Bakalova is just as, if not more, brave in her hijinks. The two never skip a beat, never show even the slightest crack in character as they blaze their path across the country, landing themselves in more and more risky situations, culminating in a much-talked-about gag which involves former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani placed in a very compromising position.

The more social elements of the film are mostly hit, but occasionally, miss. Given that the filming of “Borat 2” took place during a very politically tumultuous summer, some of the topical jokes feel a little heavy-handed and some are eye-rollingly sophomoric. It’s never distracting though, and the film’s scathing indictment on the insanity of the American world is as important as it was in 2006, even if lacking freshness.

“Borat 2” is exactly the type of movie the world needs right now. It takes all the failings of our troubled world and makes them bearable, forgettable and most importantly, funny.

Is very nice. Great success.

[email protected]

Leave a Comment
Donate to Roo News

Your donation will support the student journalists of University of Missouri - Kansas City. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

More to Discover
Donate to Roo News

Comments (0)

All Roo News Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *