For Kazakhs, Borat Is No Laughing Matter.

MayorBob.

Posted to Media on Fri Sep 15, 2006 at 02:22:24 PM EST. RSS.

Every so often a movie will open to public outcry.  However, it's not that often that a movie becomes an item on the agenda of a meeting between the US president and a visiting head of state.  But, that's the case as Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev meets in the upcoming weeks with President George Bush.  One of the things they'll be discussing is the torturously titled Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Borat, as it will undoubtedly be referred to by critics and moviegoers alike is a comedy, you see.  But, it's a comedy the Kazakhs fail to find funny and, boy howdy, have they been upset with Cohen's comic creation.

Borat Sagdiyev is the creation of UK comedian Sacha Baron Cohen and was a recurring feature on his HBO show Da Ali G Show.  Borat's shtick was to be a reporter from state-run Kazakh TV assigned to America to "report on all aspects of American life."  The Borat character was so well received by audiences that Cohen decided to make him the main character in a full length film.  Now, as the film opens at the Toronto Film Festival, the Kazakhs once again find much to howl about.  They object to the opening of the film, where Borat kisses his sister farewell, perhaps with a bit too much fervor and then heads off for the US in a car drawn by a horse.  A Kazakh government spokesperson says they will begin a major media push to present the "true Kazakhstan."  The true Kazakhstan does not belittle gypsies nor does it encourage its citizens to "throw the Jew down the well" and dog shooting is not a major Kazakh sport.  The government would like to dispel the image Borat has given the world of the country.

Enough of serious politics, what about the movie?  Is it funny?  Hell, yes say reviewers for The Hollywood Reporter and Variety, both of whom gave it rave ups for being one of the funniest movies they've seen lately.  And the internet movie review site rottentomatoes.com gives it a 100 Fresh rating (although admittedly based on only five reviews).  A political observer, Sean Roberts, thinks the government ought to think twice about making such a fuss about Borat.  As Roberts sees it, more people in the US know about Kazakhstan than at any time in the past and that awareness is more than likely attributable to Borat than anything the Kazakh government has done.  Roberts feels Nazarbayev ought to view the matter as "there is no such thing as bad publicity."  Apparently, the Kazakhs aren't ready to adopt that viewpoint as they pulled the plug on Borat's Kazakh website.  Which is alright with Cohen, because the first two w's in www stand for world wide and Borat can just speak his mind on his own web site.