Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Larry Charles

Writers (WGA):

Sacha Baron Cohen (screenplay) &
Anthony Hines (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

3 November 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Come to Kazakhstan, It's Nice!

Plot:

Kazakh TV talking head Borat is dispatched to the United States to report on the greatest country in the world. With a documentary crew in tow, Borat becomes more interested in locating and marrying Pamela Anderson.

Plot Keywords:

Kazakhstan | New York City | Elevator | Road Trip | Cross Country

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 11 wins & 12 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sun. July 5	12:30 PM	USA
Mon. July 6	1:00 AM	USA

Cast

Sacha Baron Cohen	...	Borat Sagdiyev
Ken Davitian	...	Azamat Bagatov
Luenell	...	Luenell
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Pamela Anderson	...	Herself (uncredited)
Bob Barr	...	Himself (uncredited)
Alan Keyes	...	Himself (uncredited)
Jean-Pierre Parent	...	Kazakh Swimmer (uncredited)

Directed by
Larry Charles

Writing credits (WGA)
Sacha Baron Cohen		(screenplay) &
Anthony Hines		(screenplay) &
Peter Baynham		(screenplay) &
Dan Mazer		(screenplay)
Sacha Baron Cohen		(story) &
Peter Baynham		(story) &
Anthony Hines		(story) &
Todd Phillips		(story)

Produced by
Sacha Baron Cohen	....	producer
Peter Baynham	....	co-producer
Monica Levinson	....	executive producer
Dan Mazer	....	executive producer
Jay Roach	....	producer

Original Music by
Erran Baron Cohen

Cinematography by
Luke Geissbuhler		(director of photography)
Anthony Hardwick		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Craig Alpert
Peter Teschner
James Thomas

Casting by
Allison Jones

Costume Design by
Jason Alper

Makeup Department
Thomas Kolarek	....	hair stylist
Thomas Kolarek	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Jamie D. Boscardin	....	additional production supervisor (as Jamie Boscardin Martin)
Shirley Davis	....	production supervisor: additional photography
Susan Ehrhart	....	production supervisor: additional photography
Patrick Esposito	....	post-production supervisor
Brad Goodman	....	post-production supervisor (as Bradley M. Goodman)
Brad Goodman	....	post-production supervisor (as Bradley N. Goodman)
Ines Matei	....	unit production manager
David Siegel	....	unit production manager (as David A. Siegel)
Dale Stern	....	unit production manager
David M. Bernstein	....	unit production manager: pre-production (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Cristina Iliescu	....	first assistant director
John Isabeau	....	second assistant director
David Siegel	....	first assistant director (as David A. Siegel)
Dale Stern	....	first assistant director
David M. Bernstein	....	first assistant director: pre-production (uncredited)

Art Department
Jason Alper	....	designer: items from Kazakhstan
Scott M. Davids	....	anthem designer (as Scott Davids)
Scott Goldman	....	anthem designer
Kevin Hughes	....	props consultant
David Maturana	....	art director: additional photography (as David Saenz de Maturana)
Alexandria Andross	....	buyer (uncredited)

Sound Department
Mary Andrews	....	dialogue editor
Jeremy Brill	....	boom operator
Kerry Ann Carmean	....	sound effects editor (as Kerry Carmean-Williams)
Matt Colleran	....	sound re-recordist (as Matt Colloran)
Patrick Cusack	....	assistant sound editor
Andrew DeCristofaro	....	supervising sound editor
David Esparza	....	sound effects editor
Jeff Glueck	....	assistant sound editor
Scott Harber	....	production sound mixer
Bill Henderson	....	sound re-recording engineer
Michael Hertlein	....	dialogue editor
Lora Hirschberg	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jake Jackson	....	stage engineer
Alan Kerr	....	foley artist
Jon Klein	....	boom operator
Ryan Maguire	....	foley mixer
Chris Navarro	....	adr recordist
Nancy Nugent	....	supervising dialogue & adr editor (as Nancy Kyong Nugent)
Michael Payne	....	sound effects editor
Brandon Proctor	....	sound re-recording mixer
Chad Robertson	....	sound mixer
Sean Rowe	....	foley artist
Christopher Sidor	....	sound re-recordist (as Chris Sidor)
John C. Stuver	....	dialogue editor
Eric Thompson	....	adr mixer
James Wright	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby (as Jim Wright)

Visual Effects by
Julia Croon	....	visual effects coordinator
Scott M. Davids	....	visual effects supervisor
Jalal Jemison	....	digital effects artist
Kathy Thomson	....	digital intermediate colorist

Stunts
Michael Li	....	action team
Attila Nemes	....	stunt performer
Pee Wee Piemonte	....	safety (as Peewee Piemonte)
Nicole Randall	....	action team
Shaun Vickers	....	stunt safety
Harry Wowchuk	....	action team

Camera and Electrical Department
Michael Alba	....	assistant camera
Sherman Johnson	....	camera operator
Bret Lanius	....	camera operator
Mark Schwartzbard	....	first assistant camera
Owen A. Smith	....	camera operator
Mark Walpole	....	first assistant camera
John Johns	....	video utility (uncredited)

Casting Department
Tracy Dixon	....	extras casting
Wendy Hoffman	....	voice casting (as Wendy Hoffmann)
Adam St. Clair	....	location casting (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Frederick W. Chandler Jr.	....	post-production assistant
Marisa Clayton	....	digital intermediate producer: Modern VideoFilm
Chad Cole	....	on-line editor
Scott M. Davids	....	first assistant editor
Andrew Dickler	....	additional editor
Jeff Mee	....	assistant editor
Harry Muller	....	color timer
Colin Patton	....	apprentice editor
Robb Porter	....	post-production coordinator: Modern VideoFilm
Adam Rosenblatt	....	editor: main title
Todd Schulman	....	editorial assistant: Mr Baron Cohen
Sarah Thiessen	....	assistant editor (as Sarah K. Thiessen)
Kathy Thomson	....	digital intermediate color timer

Music Department
Geoff Alexander	....	orchestrator
Jonathan Allen	....	score recordist
Jonathan Allen	....	scoring mixer
Shira Arad	....	music researcher
Thomas Bowes	....	orchestra leader
Isobel Griffiths	....	orchestra contractor
Richard Henderson	....	music editor
Richard Henderson	....	music supervisor
Sharon Smith	....	additional music editor
Desislava Stefanova	....	musician: singer

Transportation Department
Dale Combs	....	driver: maxi-van
Jeff Lira	....	driver
Monty Lira	....	driver
Jim Petti	....	driver
Jonathan A. Rosenfeld	....	transportation coordinator
Jeff Verdick	....	driver

Other crew
Jason Alper	....	Mr. Baron Cohen's feces provided by
Wayne Arnold	....	additional first assistant
Kieran Baker	....	researcher (as Kieran R.M. Baker)
Chelsea Barnard	....	field coordinator
Fred Baron	....	production executive
Christine Bergren	....	production counsel
Jack Blessing	....	adr loop group
Joe Borden	....	research assistant
Ranjani Brow	....	adr loop group
Unjoo Lee Byars	....	main title producer
Sophie Charles	....	researcher
Julie Chouinard	....	field coordinator
Scott Clackum	....	location scout: South Carolina
Sarah Connolly	....	production secretary
Conor Copeland	....	assistant: Mr Baron Cohen, New York
David Cowgill	....	adr loop group
Caitlin Cutt	....	adr loop group
Alex Daniels	....	fight coordinator: naked fight
Lisa Davidson	....	production coordinator: additional photography
Scott M. Davids	....	graphic supervisor (as Scott Davids)
Dana Dubé	....	head animal trainer
Graeme Dunlap	....	production assistant
Laurie Epstein	....	assistant: Larry Charles
Laurie Epstein	....	assistant: Mr. Charles
David Louis Feinberg	....	field coordinator: additional photography (as David Feinberg)
Ruben Fleischer	....	behind-the-scenes (as Ruben Fleisher)
Christopher Godfrey	....	assistant: Jay Roach
Scott Goldman	....	title designer
Marissa Goodman	....	adr loop group
Arturo Guzman	....	production assistant
Charles Heaphy	....	production financing
Bridget Hoffman	....	adr loop group
Wendy Hoffman	....	adr loop group (as Wendy Hoffmann)
Russ Honican	....	main title art
Jenny Hunter	....	field supervisor
Bryan Iler	....	key location manager
Mark Ivanir	....	adr loop group
Susannah Julien	....	production coordinator
Sherri Kecskes	....	assistant accountant
Noelle Kim	....	assistant: Jim Vickers
Ashley Kravitz	....	research consultant
Ruth LaBarge	....	animal trainer
Alexandra Lambrinidis	....	key set production assistant
Joanna Lara	....	production secretary: wrap
Matthew Ryan Lepore	....	production secretary
Andrew Lin	....	web consultant
Alexa Song Lindenthaler	....	first assistant accountant: additional photography (as Alexa Song-Lindenthaler)
Jacqueline Lofstrom	....	field coordinator: additional photography
Anna Mathias	....	adr loop group
Blair Miller	....	production assistant
Andrew Newman	....	consultant
Ari Novak	....	production consultant
Tanya Oskanian	....	assistant: Larry Charles
Belit Paulissian	....	researcher
Phil Proctor	....	adr loop group (as Philip Proctor)
Leslie E.A. Rider	....	assistant production coordinator
Adam Rosenblatt	....	title designer
Clint Rowe	....	animal trainer
Tim Schildberger	....	field supervisor
Todd Schulman	....	field supervisor
Julie Shapiro	....	travel
Andrew Simpson	....	animal trainer
Russell Smith	....	production counsel
Charline St. Charles	....	assistant production coordinator: additional photography
Robert W. Sterrett III	....	assistant location manager
Shane Sweet	....	adr loop group
Bernadette Tanchauco	....	production accountant (as Berni Tanchauco)
Hans Tester	....	adr loop group
Erik Tily	....	field coordinator
Omar Veytia	....	location manager: mexico
Jim Vickers	....	consultant: kidnapping (as James P. Vickers)
J. Christian Walsh	....	assistant: Mr Baron Cohen
Jeff Wickline	....	first assistant accountant: additional photography
Ines Wurth	....	adr loop group
Bruce Allen	....	credit sequence artist (uncredited)
Jason Kessler	....	assistant to writer (uncredited)
Eric Leiderman	....	field coordinator (uncredited)
Adam Paroo	....	location scout: South Carolina (uncredited)
Rodrigo Rojas	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Thanks
Jason Alper	....	acknowledgment: Borat's image created by
Alec Berg	....	special thanks
James L. Brooks	....	special thanks
Isla Fisher	....	special thanks
Tom Gammill	....	special thanks
David Mandel	....	special thanks (as Dave Mandell)
Trey Parker	....	special thanks
Jennifer Perini	....	special thanks
Max Pross	....	special thanks
Jeff Schaffer	....	special thanks
Matt Stone	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Four by Two
• Everyman Pictures
• Dune Entertainment (in association with)
• Major Studio Partners (in association with)
• One America

Distributors

• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2007) (Brazil) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Netherlands (2006) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (2006) (France) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (2007) (Japan) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (2006) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox de Argentina (2007) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Fox-Warner (2006) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Odeon (2006) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Odeon (2007) (Greece) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Film Company (2006) (UK) (theatrical)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Germany (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (2006) (USA) (theatrical)
• USA Network (2007) (USA) (TV)

Special Effects

• Yard VFX (visual effects) (as Yard FX)

Other Companies

• Abel Cine Tech  lenses and cameras (as Abel CineTech)
• Animal Insight  bears
• Atlantic Records  soundtrack
• Castel Film Studio  Romanian production services provided by (as Castel Film Studios)
• Channel 4 Television Corporation  special thanks
• Christine Bergren Music Consulting  production counsel
• Corbis  photographs courtesy of (as Corbis Images)
• DeLuxe Laboratories  prints (as DeLuxe)
• Downtown Records  soundtrack
• Filmtools  expendables
• Fremantle Media  film footage
• Getty Images  footage provided by
• Hanno Egipt  footage provided by
• Home Box Office (HBO)  footage provided courtesy of (as HBO)
• ITV Archive  film footage
• Image Bank Films by Getty Images  footage provided by (as Imagebank Film)
• Modern VideoFilm  digital intermediate
• Russian Stock Footage Library  footage provided by
• SDD Global Solutions  legal services
• Scarlet Letters  end titles
• Smith Dorman & Dehn  production counsel
• Sony Pictures Television  footage provided courtesy of
• Soundelux  sound editorial
• Star Waggons  cast trailers
• TVDATA.ru  film footage
• TalkBack Productions  special thanks
• Thought Equity  footage provided by
• Todd-AO Studios  post-production sound re-recording (as Todd-AO Hollywood)
• Travel Corps  travel (as Travelcorps)
• Twentieth Century Fox Television  footage provided courtesy of (as Twentieth Television)
• Widget Post Production  ADR recording facility
• Widget Post Production  sound post-production
• Wilshire Stages, The  adr stage
• Yard VFX  graphics (as Yard FX)
• Yard VFX  titles (as Yard FX)
• mOcean  anthem sequence (as Mocean)
• mOcean  main titles

Also Known As:

Borat (UK) (USA) (working title)
Borat! (USA) (poster title)
Borat (Colombia) (Spain) (Venezuela) [es]
Borat: Leçons culturelles sur l'Amérique pour profit glorieuse nation Kazakhstan (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Borat (Greece) [el]
Borat (Germany) [de]
Borat (Finland) [fi]
Borat - O Segundo Melhor Repórter do Glorioso País Cazaquistão Viaja à América (Brazil) [pt]
Borat - Sanli kazakistan milletinin çikarlarini arttirmak için Amerikan kültürünün incelenmesi (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Borat - Studio culturale sull'America a beneficio della gloriosa nazione del Kazakistan (Italy) [it]
Borat - Ucenje o amerika kultura za boljitak velicanstveno drzava Kazahstan (Croatia) [hr]
Borat: El segundo mejor reportero del glorioso país Kazajistán viaja a América (Argentina) [es]
Borat: Kultuurialased õppetunnid Ameerikast abiks suursuguse Kasahstani riigi ülesehitamisel (Estonia) [et]
Borat: Nakoukání do amerycké kultury na obednávku slavnoj kazasskoj národu (Czech Republic) [cs]
Boratto: Eikô naru kokka kazafusutan no tame no amerika bunka gakushû (Japan) [ja]

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive strong crude and sexual content including graphic nudity, and language.

Runtime:

84 min | Canada:82 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Romanian | Hebrew | Polish | Armenian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Ireland:16 | UK:15 | Singapore:R21 | New Zealand:R16 | Finland:K-15 | Norway:11 | Netherlands:12 | Sweden:Btl | Germany:12 | USA:R (certificate #42670) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Australia:MA | Philippines:R-18 (MTRCB) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Brazil:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Portugal:M/12 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Argentina:13 | South Korea:18 | Argentina:16 | France:U | Italy:VM14 | Poland:15 | Malta:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Spain:18 | Japan:R-15 | Denmark:11 | Iceland:12 | Ireland:18 (DVD rating) | South Africa:18LNPS

Filming Locations:

Adolphus Hotel - 1321 Commerce Street, Dallas, Texas, USA

Company:

Four by Two

Trivia:

When Sacha Baron Cohen speaks Kazakh it is mostly Hebrew disguised by a heavy fake Eastern European accent. The Hebrew is quite understandable and contains many in-jokes. Sacha Baron Cohen admitted this in a rare "out of character" radio interview on National Public Radio in the USA.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the gun shop scene, the gun shop owner recommends a 9mm or .45 caliber gun, but hands Borat a gold Desert Eagle handgun, which is not made in either of those calibers.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Borat: Jak sie masz? My name-a Borat. I like you. I like sex. Is nice!
["How are you?" in Polish]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Film '72: (2007-03-12)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Kalasnjikov

America through the eyes of a Kazakh.

This movie was probably most and the highest criticized from Kazahkstan itself. Unrigthfully so. The movie doesn't make fun of Kazahkstan, it makes fun of Americans, in a criticizing way. Kazahkstan is merely used as a platform to show the (of course exaggerated) contrasts between the advanced and 'civilized' America and the simplistic Kazakhstan and how a simplistic man, from such a simplistic place, such as Borat Sagdiyev (Sacha Baron Cohen) is capable of pinching right through the advanced and civilized Americans and puts his finger right on the spot. The movie is about Borat learning from America and Americans. for the benefits of his country Kazakhstan but the question raises; Shouldn't America and Americans also learn from simplistic countries such as Kazakhstan, for their own good and benefits?

Just like in Michael Moore movies often is the case, Borat knows to put his finger on the right place and manages to show America how it really is. An uptight, patriotic, homophobic, God fearing, anti-social country, in which minorities still have a hard time and not all rights are considered equal to some. It's funny, in the interviews it often is not Borat who says the most offensive things, it are the interviewees who do so, such as the rodeo-guy and the frat boys.

But no, the movie is not all criticism. For most part it's just a fun and often also hilarious people about making fun of ignorant people.

In all honesty it's hard to tell how much of the movie was actually improvised and how much of it was real. Obviously some sequences were scripted such as all the scene's in Kazakhstan and some other sequences will make you really doubt. Some of obviously planned the camera-positions are often too coincidental and also the fact that the movie had an actual professional director attached to it, makes you really wonder. It also is hard to imaging that all those people actually took this silly talking and looking character so seriously as they did in this movie all the time. When a person who wears his underwear above his pants and is talking slang is entering your hotel with a camera-crew following him, wouldn't you crack up, realizing that this just can't be for real? The movie is also edited in such a way that the emotions and reactions get exaggerated. It's also are the reasons why you can't really call this movie a fake documentary or mockumentary.

What I loved about the "Da Ali G Show", in which Borat often made an appearance, was that it was improvised, real, often had no point and was all about the responses of the other person on the Sacha Baron Cohen characters. It was fun to see the peoples reactions and how they did respond to the character and its outrageous and often also offensive questions. This movie is overwritten in my opinion. The movie has a main plot line in in, in which Borat falls for non other than Pamela Anderson and makes it his personal mission to find her and marry her. In my opinion the improvising way of traveling through the USA and meeting and interviewing people would had worked way better, in both terms of criticism and humor. Now some parts in the movie feel planned and acted, which is definitely not Borat's strongest point. It also again raises the question of how much of the movie is actually improvised and how much of it was planned, though I definitely believe that most of the interviews and Borat with other people were for real. Ironic, since it was the screenplay that was actually being nominated for an Academy Award.

But all this criticism aside, this is a very fun and also often hilarious movie to watch. Some of the situations Borat gets himself into are priceless and the reactions from the ignorant persons are even more hilarious. They often don't know how to cope with this odd talking and looking character from the far away and insignificant country of Kazakhstan.

There are a couple of especially memorable sequences, such as when Borat and Azamat wrestle naked in their hotel room, after Azamat's 'hand-feast' and then start running naked through the hotel, elevators and eventually ending up wrestling naked in a convention room with hundreds of people in it. There are a couple of more hilarious and memorable sequences but no one really matches up to that moment, that totally catches you completely off guard.

It's all fast paced, which makes sure that you'll probably laugh your way non-stop trough this movie.

A perfectly fun and amusing movie that also has some striking criticism, that could had used some less story and perhaps should had been more like the show.

7/10