‘Borat Subsequent Movie Film’ Is Far More Wholesome Than It Is Shocking

Fourteen years after Borat successfully shocked us, embodying the lazy assumptions and prejudices that the West holds towards the rest of the world, Sacha Baron Cohen returns to a landscape permanently altered by the apocalyptic combo of Trump and the coronavirus. 

It’s comforting to see the character return, even if the joke is beginning to feel a bit stale. 

Here to freshen up the act (and avoid the obstacle of Cohen’s fame) is Maria Bakalova, playing Borat’s brainwashed daughter, Tutar, who slowly adopts Tomi Lahren’s version of female empowerment in her voyage through America.

In the original film, Borat’s narrative functioned as a loose framework, to hold the hilarious pranks together; in Borat Subsequent Movie Film, the pranks feel somewhat secondary to the narrative, with a few standout scenes displaying Cohen’s signature brilliance. 

But times have changed; it’s much harder to shock the audience, after everything we’ve seen over the last few years. There’s no longer any need to expose hidden bigotry – it’s all out in the open, manifesting in displays of delusion that overshadow even the fictional traditions of Kazakhstan.

Not all of the jokes land, due to the ever-increasing absurdity of Donald Trump, pushing even a genius like Cohen into repeating the same tired schtick that Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers seem permanently stuck on. Jokes about Melania and Mike Pence aren’t original or bold; it’s the kind of content that a single scroll through Twitter offers in abundance. 

It’s not remotely surprising that the president’s lawyer is a creepy sleazebag, or that the White House didn’t bother with background checks and COVID-19 tests. And yes, you can easily persuade a group of Trump-supporters into singing comically hateful songs – Cohen’s talents almost seem wasted on such low-hanging fruit.

Luckily, the film doesn’t rely on casual human cruelty – indeed, it’s a surprisingly wholesome affair. The thoughtful, well-intentioned pushback against the ridiculously regressive values that Borat and his daughter display are, if anything, more shocking than the depravity that Cohen exposes on camera. 

When Borat is staying with a couple of QAnon guys who casually state that Hillary Clinton drinks the blood of children, it comes across as flat, almost boring. (Although, to be fair, I know more about these conspiratorial communities than any sane human rightly should – if you’re not terminally online, you might well find these scenes shocking). 

But the humanity and warmth that Borat exposes in his subjects offers a warm ray of hope in these strange times. The Holocaust denial once proliferated by Facebook’s uncaring algorithm is directly called out, expanded on through a hilarious joke, and finally, contrasted by an adorable, elderly Jewish woman who responds to Borat’s antisemitism with love. 

Indeed, there are many moments in this movie where the better angels of human nature triumph over Borat’s pseudo-bigotry; the point of the film seems not to humiliate the delusional lost souls who haunt Trump rallies, but to highlight the revulsion that most feel about the current situation. 

It’s difficult to believe, however, that anyone who appears on camera here isn’t in on the joke, or at least aware they’re being pranked (aside from Giuliani, of course). 

Who is America really raised that bar, and a typical episode of Nathan For You is more ambitious in its deceptions than any scene from this film. But that isn’t the point – Borat Subsequent Movie Film isn’t really about the pranks. 

Indeed, the best scenes from the film have already been leaked, or discussed in detail before the film’s release. And that’s not always a bad thing – for example, the Rudy Giuliani scene is only enhanced by Giuliani’s reaction.  

The film has a larger point, beyond making conservatives look silly – the story suggests that if Borat’s regressive attitude can be challenged, then perhaps America’s soul can be redeemed as well.

Seeing Borat return to the screen felt a lot like watching Emperor Palpatine return to Star Wars; an old favorite inserted into a convoluted narrative, far-removed from the simple triumphs of the original.

But it was certainly nice to see him again.