Borat walks all over America
October 30, 2006
Toronto Sun: Borat walks all over America
"This is tricky ground, of course. Saying one thing and meaning another is the essence of irony, and irony is appreciated only by those with a sense of humour. The Jewish Anti-Defamation League recently expressed concerns about the character, while insisting that it 'got' the joke, warned about others not getting it. In a press release, it noted that Cohen 'is himself proudly Jewish. We hope everyone who chooses to see the film understands Mr. Cohen's comedic technique, which is to use humour to unmask the absurd and irrational side of anti-Semitism and other phobias born of ignorance and fear.
'We are concerned, however, that one serious pitfall is that the audience may not always be sophisticated enough to get the joke, and that some may even find it reinforcing their bigotry.'"
As Jim Stoltek wonders, the real question is, will the American audience realize the joke is on them? Frankly, I think Borat would have done the world a better service by filming in "sophisticated" Europe (cough) instead of America, but I guess America was the easier butt of this joke. Maybe for the sequel...