Some of you may remember (or trying to forget in which case I apologize) a time when comedy characters that were on British TV made the transition to the big screen and immediately regret doing that. Most would say that some people from comedy TV should stay on TV and sure some tried the big screen too and it didn't work out so moving on they did. Such examples include Leigh Francis (in his Keith Lemon character), Harry Hill (as himself) and Brendan O'Carroll (in his Agnes Brown character) who all went to the big screen recently and all the films didn't do very well. Most would say that Harry Hill and Brendan O'Carroll's films would've perhaps fared better as made for TV films whereas with Leigh Francis, it should have never been made and also when you have a mature rated film, you don't really need to censor nudity. It is just ridiculous to do that when the film already has its mature rating. But not all TV comedy that transition to the big screen is bad. With the exception of screened stand up specials, lots of us will know of an actor called Sacha Baron Cohen. Most will know of him as this big star who appears in a lot of comedy films and some of Tim Burton's work too. But for those of us in the UK, we also know him for playing the hip hop loving and streetwise chav called Ali G who as that character, did a sketch comedy show and the actor played some other characters such as the Kazakh reporter Borat and the gay Austrian fashionista Bruno. They all appeared in a few films and all the films have done pretty well despite the crude humour within. In fact, it was Borat's film that is the most well known of the three as it changed film making. No longer was there a need for a cast and script. Just improvise and see what happens. Unheard of at the time and yet it worked. Now of course Sacha Baron Cohen has played similar comedic characters to the three above, but today we are only looking at those that originally appeared on TV in the same show. So let's get ready as we dive into the bizarre and crude world of one Sacha Baron Cohen:
Ali G Indahouse
So of the films, this one is not a mockumentary as such. In the film, Ali G is depicted as the leader of a fictional street gang as well as a teacher to young schoolboys who learn from him about life support. However he and the gang find out that the council building that he teaches at is going to be demolished by the local council, so he decides to protest. After a few instances of humiliation, he gets the attention of Deputy Prime Minister David Carlton (played by the former head of House Lannister, Charles Dance) who decides to bring Ali G into the world of politics in an attempt to ruin the credibility of the actual prime minster (played by Dumbledore himself, Michael Gambon). His plans work and Ali G becomes out of his depth as all his actions in parliament seem to work to the point where the prime minster has him in his cabinet. You know for his first film with one of his own characters, this is pretty good. We often see the government then and now as being controversial and most of the time, always doing things that go against some of the values and principles that we all hold dear. So it was nice to see someone different from the norm doing what he does best in keeping it real. Of course its fictional, and we are of course very unlikely to get someone like Ali G in politics. But it was a fun watch. A bit crude here and there, but still good. Also never thought I would see Martin Freeman as a gangster after seeing him in all sorts of roles long after this film came out. 8/10
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Of course the simple name of
Borat would be acceptable for those of us who don't like to say the whole name. But I prefer saying the whole name here because I can. So in his first mockumentary, Borat is sent from his home country of Kazakhstan to America where he hopes to film a documentary about American society and culture. He is accompanied by his producer Azamat Bagatov (played by Ken Davitian) and the unnamed and unseen camera man and starts his journey in New York. Originally planned to stay in New York, Borat decides to venture outside the city when he becomes attracted to Pamela Anderson. This of course leads into a series of unscripted shenanigans and lots of real life people unaware that they are going to be in this film (at least until they sign the release form). Yeah, I can see why this film became a huge hit. This kind of film making has happened before, but never at this level. Of course some parts are scripted, but overall it's an unscripted film and really something special even if it attracted as much controversy as say
South Park. And if I'm being honest, some people in this film and the two later films all seem to not get that this is something to laugh at and not something to be annoyed with. Sure they may depict some people under a bad light, but its definitely not meant to be taken seriously just as Alec Baldwin's portrayal of Donald Trump is not meant to be taken seriously (though I do feel bad for the guy with the abuse he gets from that joke of an administration, but good on him for keeping it going). Anyway going back to this film, it's a good film worth watching if you're up for a laugh and don't mind if it's got some real things within. 9/10
Bruno
So we've had one Ali G film and one Borat film. So next up is Bruno which completes
Da Ali G Show lineup of characters as far as films are concerned. There was going to be a longer title for this film just like the two Borat ones, but ultimately it was more acceptable to just call it
Bruno. In the film, Bruno gets fired from his own show
Funkytime with Bruno after he disturbs a fashion show with his shinanigans. As a result, his boyfriend at the time Diesel (played by Clifford Banagale) leaves him for another man. With no many options left, Bruno travels to America accompanied by his assistant's assistant Lutz Schulz (played by Gustaf Hammasten) who has a crush on him and the unnamed and unseen cameraman to become more famous than Hitler. But his attempts at doing this seems to fail at every turn with people hating him more than loving him. But some things may work out in his favour. Unfortunately for this film, it has become somewhat dated largely due to Kevin Spacey's coming out incident (he appears through archive footage in a scene where Bruno has a revelation). But this is one of the things that these mockumentaries have in common after a long period of time following their releases. I personally found this film to be more crude than the other films, but perhaps that may be because the main character is one that is exploring sexuality. Nevertheless, its still pretty funny and once again puts things such as gay marriage in the States under a bad light (though since this film came out, I would like to think that gay marriage can be legal there, but probably not while the Trump administration is in power) among other things too like racism, adoption and so much more. Not intentionally to make people feel annoyed and put off, but just so that people can laugh and that is all that it is. 8/10
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
So the first Borat film was very successful which meant another film would be in the works. But no one would've expected it to have been made during the pandemic which is pretty ballsy I have to say. Not to mention that it pokes fun yet again at the Trump administration (and yes I will stop going on about that now). So in the film, Borat has become an enemy to Kazakhstan after his first film was made. As such he has been spending the past fourteen years as a prisoner in a gulag with a life sentence. But in a desperate attempt to redeem the nation, the country's premier Nursultan Nazarbayev (played by Dani Popescu) tasks Borat with returning to the USA to deliver a monkey said to be the Minister of Culture to Donald Trump as a peace offering. But due to Borat doing a number two in the landscaping of one of Trump's many hotels, he instead decides to give the monkey to Michael Pence instead. Before leaving, he finds his hometown now hating him and that he has a daughter called Tutar (played by Maria Bakalova) who wants to join him, but he says no. As Borat arrives, he realizes that he needs a disguise because too many people recognize him (something of which Sacha was afraid of when filming
Bruno) and then his monkey dies so Tutar who followed him, is offered up instead. As usual a series of shenanigans occur that see Borat navigating the USA during the 2020 US Presidential Election and the Covid-19 pandemic. Again ballsy that this film was made this very year which to many may feel a bit to close to home. But for people like me, its something we can laugh at even if it pokes fun at current events and people and once again gets much controversy. 9/10
All the films are great in their own right. Most will turn away as they all poke fun at things happening in the world and in politics. But again, none of them are meant to be taken seriously and those that are taking them seriously, need to cool down and move on to something else. Kinda amazed that Sacha Baron Cohen is still allowed to do his thing after all these films. But these won't be the only ones I will be reviewing that he starred, produced and wrote. Oh no. 8/10
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