Borat is Stupid.

Movie Reviews, Provocation 2 Minutes

I offer my opinion on a popular current movie. Spoilers may appear below.

* * *

I am ashamed to admit that I fell for the hype. “Outrageously funny,” and all that. NOT. I actually saw “Borat” two weeks ago, the first week it opened, I think, and I thought it was not funny. I thought it was stupid. I thought all the people shrieking with laughter in the theater were stupid. (I thought they were almost as stupid as the people surrounding me in the theater when I saw “Fahrenheit 9/11.” You might be able to find that post if you try hard enough.)

Now, when I hear people mention how they laughed until they cried, how they laughed from beginning to end, I think they are stupid, too. In fact, I worry about the future of our country if so many of its citizens find this offensive compilation of stupidity funny. Seriously, what is wrong with people? I am surrounded by stupidity, it appears.

I am a judgmental elitist who cannot for the life of me understand how exposing people’s stupidity by acting stupid is funny. I have never found stupid people funny. This, perhaps, explains my lack of interest in getting drunk or hanging out with people who get drunk because I tend to find drunkeness stupid. I would never willingly impair myself so I might act as stupid as drunk people act.

I think it is stupid to excuse anti-Semitism by saying, “But he is Jewish!” That is just stupid. (And anti-Semitism? Stupid and incomprehensible to me.)

And I also think jokes about bodily excretions and bodily functions are stupid. I am not amused by naked wrestling, especially when it involves an obese hairy man. Not funny.

For what it’s worth, I think drunk fraternity boys are stupid, but so is tricking them to participate in a bogus “documentary.” And I think it’s outrageous to mock religious people as they participate in their traditions, no matter how wacky those traditions appear.

Save your money and don’t see this stupid, stupid movie. Do not believe anyone who says it is funny . . . because people who laughed all the way through this movie are stupid and unless you are stupid, too, you will regret “Borat.”

(And people who say, “You don’t understand this movie because you are not smart enough.” Oh, knock it off! That is stupid!)

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Published by Mel

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40 thoughts on “Borat is Stupid.”

  1. Mel, I really wish you would say exactly what you think!

    I haven’t had any desire whatsoever to see this movie. I am sure I would have the same opinions as you have vented here. It is sad to know that people actually *like* this movie. I just don’t understand it…

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  3. I’m with you. I haven’t seen this particular movie, but I also shake my head in disbelief when ppl are amused by stupid things.

    My niece’s husband is usually one to DO the stupid things (hang his baby upside down and shake him, use racial and sexual slurs in his everyday conversation, etc etc.) When ppl laugh at these things I’m just in awe at how stupid not only the do-er is, but also the laugher. Besides, it only encourages the bad behavior.

    On that note…off to FL for a much deserved family vacation. Catch ya when I get back. 🙂

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  4. We also hated that one made in Idaho…hmmm…’vote for pedro’ was one of the lines. It was about a really geeky kid and was just painful to watch… I guess I hated it so much that I blocked out the title…

    But it is scary what people think is funny these days

    Mary

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  5. So, I guess this means you didn’t like the movie? lol.

    Just from watching the commercials, I can tell I wouldn’t like the movie, b ut then, there aren’t that many these days that make me say “I have to see that movie!”.

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  6. Yeah, I saw the preview and thought, “Not in this lifetime.”

    Since I rarely ever get to see a movie in the theatre, I certainly don’t want to spend my money or time on something as stupid as a bad movie. Hence, this is the reason that I rent… preferably from the library. No I’m not in the know, but my wallet is slightly fatter and I don’t feel so guilty over spending $20 (just to see the movie) when I can watch it for free a year later.

    You said it girl… On all accounts!

    This is me stepping down from my soapbox now.

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  7. I am so glad I came across this. I was almost tempted to go because it got so many good reviews and so many people lauded its hilarity. Phew! Thank goodness for real people reviews. I never laughed at Something About Mary, I didn’t get Meet the Parents, I thought Ace Ventura was hopeless. So I won’t bother with Borat. I did however enjoy Casino Royale. Not really “Bond”y, but great fun all the same. Especially the hopping around at the beginning.

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  8. Hey Mel,

    It’s a good thing we have you, the frequent movie goer, to give us a head’s up on what’s a pass and what’s a fail. You should make it a weekly thing, “Mel’s Movie Update”, on your blog.

    I had no desire to see this movie, the previews looked dumb. I, however, am one of those goofy ones that “got” Napolean Dynamite, which many have called dumb. But really, some of the more perstickity movie goers that I talk to about movies actually liked Napolean. They are the ones that talked me into seeing it.

    I will not be talked into seeing Borat! Especially now that you gave it your thumb’s down!

    Did you see and like Napolean Dynamite??? Just curious, or nosey, you decide!’-)

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  9. I really like reading your blog because you say it like is, you don’t mince words, and everything isn’t always rosey and happy. I too, think Borat looks SO stupid and am not interested in seeing it! I never saw Napolean, Wedding Crashers, Old School Anchor Man, etc – all the recent funny movies. I don’t think I’ll laugh!! [although I used to think Will Ferrell was funny in Sat night live]

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  10. I wholeheartedly 100% agree with you. I have no desire to see this movie or any others like it. Now, I’m a comedy dinosaur…my comedic tastes run more to Abbott and Costello’s “Who’s on First”, Laurel and Hardy, Groucho Marx, Jack Benny. What’s sad is most of your readers here are probably too young to remember them, haha! Have a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving, Mel! Hope the turkey thawed in time! 😉

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  14. I’m with Mary. My sentiments about that guy in Idaho who voted for Pedro run along the same lines as yours for this movie, which I’ve never heard of, by the way. That happens when one lives outside one’s homeland! It appears I’m not missing much anyway. Regarding Napoleon, I’ve actually had people tell me I need to see it again and again to “really appreciate it.” Why do I want to watch for a second time (or more) a movie I thought was stupid the first time? This is one of the many reasons I no longer frequent movie theaters or even watch movies. Most of them are stupid. We happened across Napoleon one evening when we were visiting my brother-in-law, and it reconfimed my decision to skip the movie circuit!

    Mariah

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  16. I guess I’m in the minority – I enjoyed Napoleon Dynamite, having watched it with my young adult kids at their suggestion. Maybe it was their company that made it more fun? And the Christopher Guest trio of movies as well – just a bit of pre-screening needed. (Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, Waiting for Guffman) The humor is dry and matches mine.

    I loved Monty Python and the Holy Grail – when I was in high school – and I can laugh with my kids now. The humor is British, silly, and dry. (favorite scenes: Bring out yer dead… and …. It’s just a flesh wound… )

    I don’t have any interest in seeing the Borat movie, though, from the sounds of it. Humor that doesn’t involve bodily functions or sexual content requires too much creativity and actual thinking, perhaps.

    Movie recommendation: Dear Frankie (sweet movie, not comedy) Anyone seen it?

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  17. Your desire to judge the intelligence of others based on their sense of humor is, in itself, quite comical. I get the sense that you feel better about yourself every time you type the word “stupid” about other people.

    A sense of humor is just a preference – such as being attracted to one type of person vs. another. So you didn’t find the movie funny – how wonderful for you. It does not say anything about your intelligence compared to that of anyone who laughed during the film – nor do you make any type of argument to this end.

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  18. I agree completely Mel. Jane and I went to see Hostel last year, just after my September incident in fact, and I was appalled that anyone would even consider making a “movie” to use the term loosely, so insanely moronic. I took it personally that our friends had invited us considering they knew I was raped, and Jane and I vowed from that day forward to never compromise ourselves again for the sake of our friends. We would make better choices in the things we watched, and would ultimately value our time together in a more enlightened way.

    To sit through something like your movie or Hostel borders on self abuse. Thanks for speaking your mind.

    Jenn

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  20. Thank you so so so so so much! I honestly don’t remember how I got sucked into seeing this movie.. I don’t find distasteful lowbrow bathroom humour funny at all… I haven’t seen I was 10, and I don’t plan on starting now. This movie was actually depressing for me, because I had to listen to everyone around me laugh their asses off at the most inane things.. It actually made me physically sick after awhile (I’m not even exagerating) And by the way, don’t listen to Justin, you can say “stupid” as many times as you feel necessary. He’s just trying to make himself feel better by puting you down. 🙂

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  21. Ah Borat. I argee with you that many parts of the movie are stupid or offending. Yet… I laughed. I guess for me, the point of the movie wasn’t exactly the outrageous things Borat did, but how Americans responded to him. Though it was extremely dumb on one level, on another, it made some interesting examples of Americans. When Borat asked what kind of car would be good for running over Jews, does the salesman bat an eye, or does he show Borat a Hummer? When Borat proclaims thats American soldiers should obliterate every man woman and child in Iraq, quite a few people cheer. And another man explains to Borat just how not to be confused with a Muslim (explaining that Americans don’t like them) and tells him to shave his moustache to fit in.

    Sure, a lot of it was idiot, some entirely unnecessary, like the unfortunate naked scene (shudder). But in the end I thought this absurd character did a lot to show Americans their own prejudices, and their own cultural blunders.

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  23. Here, here! Haven’t walked out of a movie in a very long time, but this one was so excruciating in the first 10 minutes, I couldn’t take anymore!

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  24. I haven’t seen this movie, nor would I, but I’d like to thank you for being so open about how you felt about it. From the commercials I’ve seen I also thought it looked stupid and wouldn’t waste my time or money on anything that belittles people in the way this movie is supposed to. How is that funny? Putting people in difficult or compromising situations so you can make money or get prestige should not be applauded.

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  25. If you ask me, it seems quite “STUPID” to spend money to see a movie consisting completely of humor you don’t enjoy. I guess the more intelligent choice would have been to do your home work before throwing down the cash, but taking short cuts IS the American way after all.Score 1 for Borat for squeezing another $10 bucks out yet another American hype monger!

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  26. Okay, I’m one of the stupid people. I haven’t seen Borat but, I love love love Napolean Dynamite because I knew those people when I was growing up. I swear it was like looking at my hometown and the people and someone was making a movie about it. And any kind of bodily functions that make noise around our house are considered hilarious, I know, it’s sad but true.

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  27. I agree with Justin’s comments above. “Good” taste in humor is not a sign of higher intelligence, though it may be of class (I mean class in a sociological sense, not the way snotty people mean it). I saw the movie and it was neither as funny as it has been made to seem, nor as unintelligent.

    The title character, “Borat,” has the remarkable ability to bring out people’s most horrible prejudices by pretending to be an affable bigot. It’s really amazing to watch as people own up to being racists and homophobes on camera. Also, his parodies of anti-Semitism are so over-the-top that I had to laugh, despite myself. The average American moviegoer doesn’t expect that people will think of Jews and Gypsies as murderers and shape-shifters, after all. It’s shocking and grotesque–and funny–and perhaps even insightful if you consider that those sorts of prejudices actually exist.

    In truth, the potty humor is quite silly, but again, the point it to test people’s limits. It’s not nice to come to a dinner table with a bag of excrement in your hand, but it is funny and telling that the hostess DIDN’T throw him out at that point. She (rather kindly, I thought) took him upstairs to explain the finer points of using a toilet. What finally gets him thrown out of the dinner party, by the way, is the arrival of his dinner guest–a black hooker (actually an actress).

    “Borat” is lowbrow and essentially a prank movie. If you are easily offended, it’s not for you. However, if you enjoy a little potty humor (regardless of your IQ) and are interested in how people react to open bigotry, then I recommend it.

    The movie does not the herald of the collapse of civilization, by the way. If civilization were going to collapse due to lowbrow humor, it would have already collapsed with the publication of Rabelais’s Gargantua and Pantagruel in 1534. Civilization survived that–and that particular low brow humor is not a literary classic.

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  28. Oh my god!!!

    I wish I’d read your review BEFORE going to see this film tonight! I went on the recommendation of several friends who I now deem to be morons! The film was utter garbage and had no sharpness to the wit or humour I expect in such a greatly acclaimed comedy! I thought it was pitiful. I dont even want to go into how bad I found it I just wanted to back up your review and save others the trouble of going to see it!!!

    Thanks

    P

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  29. IMO I think you are stupid for your lack of knowledge in understanding the world.. I find its funny how you have a awkward sense of humor so you seem to think other people are stupid because they enjoyed it. You are not the type of person to have fun.. Stop trying to get people to not watch this. EVERYONE has there own opinion and they may like it. So stop acting like your the smartest person in the world and then stop watching comedys

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  30. YES BORAT IS STUPID!!!! How can people LAUGH at such STUPID stuff?? My best friends all think its so FUNNY and i cant handle it because its the stupidest thing ever!! I hope the producer of Borat DIES (ok im not that mean but…). They are insulting not only Kazahstan but also Russia!(and i come from russia) If they wanted to have a STUPID “FUNNY” movie couldnt they like…make up a country? And how the hell is running around naked funnny? It’s imbarrasing! And kissing your own sister is also not funny – it’s disgusting! ARGGGG!!!!

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  32. i loved borat. i was laughing throughout the whole movie. i can understand how a bunch of older ladies wouldnt like it because you all get offended and dont share the same sense of humor. i thought the whole movie was awesome. and i think you need to get out a thesaurus or something and find new words to insult with besides “stupid”. all your “review” of the movie said is “its stupid, its stupid, its stupid”. seriously, you can complain better than that.

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  33. ASHLEY is obviously a dumb child to think that Borat was anything other than completely disrespectful. Anyone with an IQ higher than thier height would find this movie appalling.

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  34. The fact that you are taking time out of your pathetic little life to rant on your website about how “stupid” Borat is makes you plain pitiable. Just because this movie entertains a countless number of people and forces them to enjoy themselves, doesn’t mean you have to call “everyone laughing in the theatre” stupid. Why did you even bother to go and see it? I’m sure you saw the previews, shouldn’t that have been enough for you? Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat’s real life counterpart, in case you didn’t know) is most likely worth millions of dollars more than you and has a better life than you could ever imagine. (I’m trying not to sound too certain, for I know nothing about you and can only assume.) Do you ever laugh or enjoy life? Smart people can do that too once in awhile you know. Why must you condemn others for laughing and having a good time just because you are too stuck up and self assured to do the same? Sorry to sound childish, but people like you make me sick and suck the enjoyment out of life. Also, whoever left the comment, “I hope the creator of Borat dies” you are a complete piece of garbage. Sacha Baron Cohen has made a successful career for himself doing what he does. People love it. He is one heck of an entertainer. After working my brain to an overload for 9-10 hours a day it is nice to unwind in front of my TV while Borat (newly released on DVD) is playing. If you can’t appreciate a millionare for what he/she has done, you will never be one. You can hate successful people all you want, but chances are you will never match up to them.
    And how many times can you possible cram the word ‘stupid’ into your article/tirade. I felt like I had discovered a note written by a 9th grader.

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  35. Also, amen to Justin

    “A sense of humor is just a preference – such as being attracted to one type of person vs. another. So you didn’t find the movie funny – how wonderful for you. It does not say anything about your intelligence compared to that of anyone who laughed during the film – nor do you make any type of argument to this end.”

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  36. I thought Borat was so stupid I fell asleep and didn’t even get through the last half of the movie. How sad.

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  37. Oh my lord. Finally saw Borat today on Dvd and I was disgusted! I have never seen such filth in my whole entire life! How can any ANYone laugh at this? I do not understand. What is our nation coming to!?!? We need to save our children before its too late!

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