The title goes on: “Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime For Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.”
Let’s get the negative bits out of the way first. No, It’s not as good as the 2006 original, but few sequels are and anyway it’s not even aiming at the same thing. Much more topical. Plus having a plot, as sequels somehow must, slows it down in spots. It also suffers a bit from its own spoiler-laden publicity, as you’ve probably already seen a few clips of the best bits.
But Sacha Baron Cohen’s searing brand of gonzo-guerilla political satire remains intact, and he’s found a truly game soul sister in Bulgarian actress Maria Bakalova. Woman’s a gem.
Alleged “plot” has Borat on a mission for his government to deliver his daughter to Mike Pence as a bribe. Mike is not amused. Baron Cohen holds a cracked mirror up to the worst the USA has to offer and gives his subjects sufficient rope to hang themselves. It’s alternatively cringe-worthy, appalling, frightening and hilarious. Note: even if Giuliani was just “tucking in his shirt,” he comes off as a true creep.
Fun fact: Kazakhstan, which made it clear that it was hugely insulted by the first film, has embraced this one, even making it the center of its latest tourism campaign, using Borat’s catchphrase: “Very Niiiiiice.” Go figure. Streaming on Amazon Prime now. (95 min)
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