Borat Plays Anti-Semitism for Laughs
With the Sacha Baron Cohen movie "Borat: Cultural Learnings" hitting screens Nov 3, Americans will be treated to a brand of Jew-bashing not often seen in Hollywood films (In one scene, Borat becomes convinced his Jewish innkeepers have turned themselves into cockroaches and throws money at the bugs) The kicker: Cohen is an observant Jew.
With the Sacha Baron Cohen movie “Borat: Cultural Learnings…” hitting screens Nov. 3, Americans will be treated to a brand of Jew-bashing not often seen in Hollywood films. (In one scene, Borat becomes convinced his Jewish innkeepers have turned themselves into cockroaches and throws money at the bugs.)
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LOS ANGELES, Sept. 6 ? Fall is traditionally when Hollywood turns to more serious films, and the Toronto International Film Festival is where they are frequently shown. But a new movie that seems certain to raise hackles and induce squirming is a raucous comedy that makes its points by seeming to embrace sexism, racism, homophobia and that most risky of social toxins: anti-Semitism.
Screening at midnight on Thursday in Toronto, ?Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan? stars the chameleonlike comedian Sacha Baron Cohen as he impersonates a Kazakh reporter touring the United States, bringing his version of Kazakh culture to real-life Americans.
In one scene Borat insists on driving to California rather than flying, ?in case the Jews repeat their attack of 9/11.? As he tours the South, he becomes terrified when he learns that an elderly couple who run an inn are Jewish. When cockroaches crawl under the door of his room, he becomes convinced the innkeepers have transformed themselves into bugs, and throws money at them.
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While accepting a leadership award from the Anti-Defamation League, the comedian sounds off on the deleterious effects of social media.
This year, Sacha Baron Cohen can thank the Academy Awards for giving his latest politically flavored comedy, "The Dictator," some excellent free publicity. Not that he didn't engineer it himself.
Is it too soon? It never seems to be for British prankophile Sacha Baron Cohen, whose summer 2012 cinematic effort, "The Dictator," goofs on certain global leaders who may or may not still be with us. Judging from the film's newly released trailer, it remains to be seen whether Baron Cohen has another "Borat"-sized hit on his hands, but he hasn't lost his edge.
"Deadline Hollywood" proprietress Nikki Finke and her poached Variety scribe Mike Fleming reported, via "Deadline New York" on Friday, that Sacha Baron Cohen, who scored with "Borat" but stumbled with "Brüno," has wooed Paramount to back his newest comedy vehicle (continued).
Sacha Baron Cohen is already notorious for his alter ego Borat, and now, fortunately for his career (and unfortunately for those who get caught in his comedic cross hairs), he has another invented personality -- Austrian fashionista Bruno -- who just pulled one over on former Mossad agent Yossi Alpher.
Sacha Baron Cohen (aka Borat) has secured a salary in excess of $30 million for his next film, in which he will portray Bruno, the gay "voice of Austrian youth TV," who mercilessly mocks denizens of the U.S. fashion and entertainment industry.
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