First Take: Borat Subsequent Moviefilm - this comedy is bad... NOT

Or to give this film its full title: Borat Subsequent Moviefilm -  Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Yes, really. Parental advisory is truly advised on this one.

SYNOPSIS: Follow-up film to the 2006 comedy centering on the real-life adventures of a fictional Kazakh television journalist named Borat.

Oh boy, Sacha Baron Cohen is back. 14 years on from his efforts trying to woo Pamela Anderson and travelling the states to document the country, the man has managed to secretly film a sequel. And for one of the first productions to not only film, but release in the Covid era, this is a big undertaking. Understandably this isn’t for everyone’s taste, but fans of Baron Cohen are in for a treat.

Jason Woliner is the director of this latest film, and for a first timer to the directorial chair, he is able to create the same style of satirical documentary footage that Baron Cohen projects have been known for - and it clocks in at a tight 1 hour 36 minutes too. While there are some serious gross-out moments, including one of the most controversial sequences that has ever been seen (you all know the one, it’s been all over the press) in an election year, Baron Cohen and his 7 writers, many of whom have been a part of his team since his big break on Channel 4′s 11 O’Clock Show are able to loosely script some brutal scenes that just work so well. Long-time cinematographer/collaborator Luke Geissbuhler does a cracking job, with fellow Baron Cohen family member - brother Erran - handling the music as is tradition.

The main aspect of this film’s strengths lie in Baron Cohen and Maria Bakalova’s performances, as they are able to convince everyday members of the public that they aren’t real people, and in the case of Bakalova, she arguably steals the show at times, creating a character that is two-sided - she has the satirical edge of Baron Cohen’s writing, and the on-screen presence to really sell the role. Obviously the nature of one of these movies means that the stunts are the talking point- hijacking a Michael Pence rally, and, well, that Rudy Giuliani encounter are the main talking points, but given the context of the film, it makes for some genuinely jaw-dropping viewing.

THE VERDICT

Fans of the original Borat will have a field day with this long-awaited follow up, and while it doesn’t hit all the heights of the Larry Charles directed original, the 6 laugh test is passed with ease, and the standard of Baron Cohen’s work is restored after 2016′s Grimsby released to a very poor reception.

RATING: 4/5