This guy is a comic genius. All of my friends and I went nuts over the Ali G show a few years back when it first aired on HBO, and Borat was definitely the best character of the three. In one episode he takes a line dancing class in which he gets a dozen seniors in cowboy hats to perform such dance moves as "walk like a homosexual", and "the Jew claw". His character’s naivete is what makes his anti-Semitic material so funny. It draws an implicit connection between stupidity and hate. I can’t wait to see this movie. Oh and FYI ‘Ali G: In Da House’ was a terrible film, don’t see it.
I'm not sure about this. Cohen is undoubtedly funny -- I have seen the clip of the fashion show, where he literally makes his interviewees express an opinion, then the exact opposite of that opinion. It seemed so funny to me, because we all know there are lots of people in the art world who are, well, full of it, and he is effectively exposing them for who they are.
The dinner party scenario bothers me, though. While "people's slavish desire to conform" is indeed quite funny, the American South (romanticized overgeneralization ahead) seems to me one of the few places where people actually do take responsibility for your comfort, and might even make themselves seem ridiculous so as not to embarass you. I think that's a very noble thing. To make fun of someone who just wants 10 minutes of fame is probably justified; to make fun of someone who simply wants for you to be at ease attacks something sacred.
I think Emily's point applies to most of the people that Cohen "victimizes"; they don't want to embarass Ali G, or Borat, or Bruno, so they just play along. As good as he is, the embarassment factor makes him tough for me to watch.
That said, "Throw the Jew Down the Well" is pure funny. Those Arizonans are really into it. They-- unlike the Charlestonians, and maybe even the fashion people (haven't seen the clip)-- deserve to look foolish.
A couple of tidbits of info indicate that Cohen is not nominal w/r/t his Judaism. His Wikipedia entry indicated he was a member of Socialist Zionist Jewish youth group in England and he fiance (new wife?), an actress from Australia, converted for him.
Oh, I'm certain I'd be just like the Charlestonian in that situation. Certain of it. I'm a Southerner to my fingertips, and would (and do) put up with language and behavior I wouldn't put up with if I believe the person in question doesn't know any better. I recently found myself sitting in the presence of an extremely crude working-class woman who used horribly explicit language, and even racist language at one point, in front of my kid. Because I was in a situation in which objecting to it a) wouldn't have been understood by the woman, and b) would have made a lot of trouble for our hosts, who were as mortified as I was but, being gracious Southerners, knew that the chivalrous thing was to endure the crude woman's rant for the moment, I said nothing. I quietly eased my kid out of the room, and tried politely to steer the conversation back to more polite topics, and tried to have pity on the poor woman -- as I'm sure those Charlestonians had on Borat in the moment.
Southerners are really impossibly nice people, but I can understand why it's so difficult for Yankees to deal with us because in general, we will bend over backwards to avoid being unpleasant -- even to the point of not telling you what you need to know. When Julie and I moved to New York, we thought shopkeepers and others hated us. They were so rude! It took us a while to realize that they weren't being rude by their standards, just direct. We were the outsiders who had to learn the culture we were now living in.
Borat is fantastic! Rod, you've got good taste. 
It's ALMOST impossible to come across well when you're dealing with Ali G (or any of Cohen's other personae). That's why I was astonished that Pat Buchanan, of all people, seemed to grasp that he was being "interviewed" by a put-on artist, then had the good sense and good humor to play along with the gag.
I'm not a huge fan of Cohen's work, but I'm eternally grateful for one thing: my 2 1/2 year old son LOVES listening to him sing "I like to move it move it" in "Madagascar, and will watch the lemur dance party scene over and over again!
Remember when Buchanan started calling WMDs, BLTs? That was awesome!
Cohen is funny when he picks on people his own size, people in public life or people like the fasionista crowd who profess sophistication. I am less entertained when he ventures into flyover country to make fools of people. You don't need a degree from Oxford to put one over on a rube.
Perhaps my genetic predisposition to non-conformity is the reason I can't get into Cohen. People who want to conform make me want to crush their heads.
And when you're a Canadian that means you walk around hating everyone you meet, 24/7.
Speaking of which, the Festival. Urgh. I avoid the local media at the best of times, but for the next two weeks, I'll be getting my news exclusively from the FOX feed. No "oh my god I saw Russel Crow at Starbucks/Holt Renfrew/the AA meeting" /"Toronto is the greatest city on earth" stories on that channel at least.
I don't know why I can't get into this guy. My friends say he's funny, Rod says "screamingly funny"--well, there were a couple moments there, but the rest was just dull. I just kind of stare at the guy. It's doubly strange because much of his stuff sounds hilarious to me in my head, but then when I actually watch it, it fizzles (though Ali G never seemed funny in the least). There used to be this guy who posed online at a message board I frequent as Borat, and I thought that was also much funnier than the real Borat material.
I heard about Ali G. at work. So I checked this out. I thought it was cruel. I am not sure if those are real people or actors or how many in the audience were ringers, but preying on people under the influence and drawing conclusions about their intentional state at the time is childish.
I couldn't understand the refrain until about the third time. I won't be watching borat any more.
"And when you're a Canadian that means you walk around hating everyone you meet, 24/7."
Speak for yourself, hater. I sure as heck don't.
Where to begin? Clicking on the two Borat links on this post led to other Borat and Ali G clips, some of which were screamingly funny, and some of which were screamingly funny in parts. However...
1. These poor dupes (interviewees) have to sign a consent form at some point, I imagine-- probably up front. Once they sign the form, is it a done deal no matter what? Have they been had? Or do they give consent after they know its a spoof? The former is deceit; the latter is consent. How many situations are filmed only to be scrapped because of legal sabers being rattled by people who feel victimized? How many situations are scrapped because the host actually ejects Cohen before filming is complete?
2. I am saddened by Cohen's work as I am with much of TV and film because these spoofs could be just as funny, or certainly more comfortable, without in-your-face lewdness. While clicking on the site with all of the Cohen clips, I was struck by the Borat skits in which he uses no-holds-barred photos of genitals and sexual intercourse as props to embarrass his interviewees. How cheap. Yuck.
3. Now, let's look at the big, commercial picture. HBO shows are HBO shows because they are both interesting and crude. These shows, like all shows, are PRODUCTS, and HBO's market segment for this product is the portion of the population that either secretly or openly wants over-the-top vulgarity in their programming, or at least tolerates it. If Cohen's show didn't have R-rated or NC-17 rated material, would HBO even want it? Do I want to support such a business?
4. Given the vulgarity here, how do pious, observant Jews feel about Cohen's satires as a way to expose anti-Semitism? Uncomfortable, perhaps? Does Cohen unwittingly play into the hands of anti-Semites in his clever attempts to do the opposite?
In conclusion, I could see the Borat movie and laugh my head off at much of it, but ultimately I'd feel dirty.
Rod, you called it - the bit about throwing the Jew down the well is exactly as you state; a reflection of how readily we ALL conform. There is a scene in Cabaret where a young blue-eyed brown shirt sings a song called Tomorrow Belongs To Me that similarly illustrates the point. As one watches it, it is easy to understand how a sense of national pride and patriotic fervor can be turned all too easily into something, not just ugly, but very dangerous. Cohen asks us to look that squarely in the eye as we search our own hearts, I believe.
I have seen this "comedian" I find him totally unfunny and offensive. Nopw he is a equeal oppertunity offender , looks like no one escapes his barbs. BUT what he says is IMHO offensive to all peoples .
"offensive to all peoples"?
Not this part of "all peoples."
I'm so glad that beliefnet decided to recognize Sacha Baron Cohen for his hilarious brand of humor.
Yes, Borat is one of the funniest characters you'll ever see on TV (and now, on the big screen). His naivete and good nature, combined with the utterly stereotypical behavior of a backwards person (even if it is totally unrepresentative of Kazakhistan) allows us not only to laugh, but to truly see and examine social conventions and communal biases.
But even with that said, Cohen's Bruno is my favorite character.
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