Borat's Journey To The Big Screen Is As Wild As You'd Expect

There's one question any viewer can't help but wonder after viewing "Borat": How much of that was fake? 

Borat seems to be in the real world, but are his interactions fabricated and simply meant to look authentic? Especially given the normalcy of the mockumentary genre in the modern entertainment landscape compared to 2006 when "Borat" debuted, it can be easy to watch the movie today and assume it's simply a series of elaborately rehearsed sequences — but that's where you'd be wrong.

With a few exceptions, everything in the movie is as real as it gets. Salon provides a thorough go-to guide for every prank in the film and its varying degree of spontaneous vs. scripted. Borat is obviously a character, portrayed by Sacha Baron Cohen. His assistant, Azamat, is also a fictional persona played by actor Ken Davitian. Luenell the prostitute is an actor, as well, performed by Luenell Campbell. Everything else, from the man who insists on supporting the Confederate flag to the crowded rodeo cheering their approval of the ongoing war, is shockingly real.

The one exception? Pamela Anderson. Although she played coy publicly for some time, the pop culture icon was in on the joke that Borat would "kidnap" her at a book signing. Baron Cohen shared on the Daily Beast's Last Laugh Podcast that the crew had to film the scene on two separate occasions, because the crowd during their first attempt had a surprisingly mild reaction that made the scene dull and uninteresting.

The 2006 movie wasn't the first time Sacha Baron Cohen performed as Borat. He originated the character on "Da Ali G Show," which debuted in 2000 on HBO.

"Da Ali G Show" featured the title character Ali G — along with now-famous characters Borat and Bruno — all played by Baron Cohen, going into the wild to interview people in situations that will sound familiar to anyone who's seen the "Borat" movie. Even in his first appearances on television, Borat already showed a curiosity toward subjects like dating and the American south. In these brief sketches, Baron Cohen provided the foundation that would lead to the desire to give the character a full-length story all his own.

It was Ali G, though, who wound up with a movie first. Baron Cohen starred in "Ali G Indahouse" in 2002, which retained the same character from "Da Ali G Show" but was entirely scripted. For Borat's big-screen debut in 2006, producers chose to adapt the documentary stylings the character was known for. Baron Cohen later released a "Bruno" film in 2009.

While "Borat" might appear to be just another goofy comedy on the surface, the film is a surprisingly layered commentary about topics as deep as nationalism, racism, homophobia, and antisemitism. In its blurred lines between parody and reality, "Borat" intersects a hyperbolized fictional character with real people who sometimes appear just as outlandish as him. Remembering that these people aren't trying to be funny, and are simply being themselves, prompts an intense internal dialogue about the American identity and how many people interpret that identity in dangerous ways.

Furthermore, the documentary style of the film — which told its participants they were being filmed, but misled them about the real premise of the movie — naturally prompts the viewer to ponder questions of ethics, which have been discussed thoroughly in academia. In an essay in the BU Arts & Sciences Writing Program's Journal, Hannah Pangrcic poses several thought-provoking questions on the subject. 

"At what point, if at all, does Cohen's satire cross the line separating simple satire and actual prejudice?" Pangrcic asks. "Cohen would likely claim that it never does, and that his responsibility to the purpose of his film overrides his ethical responsibility to the audience, who may incorrectly interpret his satire. This disagreement attests to the confusing nature of the ethical expectations of documentary film — expectations that are often open to interpretation. Two people can scrutinize the same standard and interpret it in completely opposite ways, as Cohen and his critics evidently did."

It stands to reason that if you can make a comedian laugh, you're pretty darn funny. It can be fascinating to think about what kinds of humor inspire famous comedians. What do they study? What makes them think? Or, in contrast, what helps them relax and laugh away from work, just as their own material does for others? It turns out that "Borat" is a comedy beloved by some of the funniest people in the business.

In a 2019 comedian roundtable with the Hollywood Reporter, pros of the craft praised the film. During the discussion, as Sacha Baron Cohen mentioned the movie, Jim Carrey immediately showered him with accolades. "You killed it, man. Amazing," Carrey said. "I love that movie so much and I love you. I love your approach to uncomfortable people and subjects. You just lay bare the people who are supposed to be in control and aren't, and I love it." Henry Winkler and other Hollywood vets can be heard in the background affirming Carrey's sentiments.

As "Borat" the movie became part of the cultural zeitgeist of 2006, so too did Borat the character. Earning a rare place in American entertainment — alongside Kermit the Frog, Mickey Mouse, and very few others — Borat began to make public appearances in character as his fictional persona. Interviewers spoke with him in character as Borat, not Sacha Baron Cohen, despite the fact that all parties involved now knew the act was fake. 

During the press junket for the film, the studio asked journalists to submit their questions several days in advance. Cohen and his team of comedy writers would compose funny in-character responses and load them into a Teleprompter. Journalists were instructed to enter the room, ask their scripted questions — and then Borat would give his response. At no point would Cohen break character.

Keeping with this preservation of the character's authenticity, GQ honored Borat Sagdiyev — the character, not the movie and not Baron Cohen — as the 2006 recipient of its Editor's Special Award. The magazine described Borat as "a journalist whose forthcoming documentary highlighting the social, cultural, and political differences between East and West is set to be one of the cinematic highlights of the year." In the interview spotlighting Borat's acceptance of the honor, Borat himself said, "Thank you. I will place this award next to the one I win for being able to suspend a car battery from my testes longer than any other man in Kuczek."

While the onscreen antics in "Borat" are about the complete opposite of the sophisticated, high-brow proceedings of typical Hollywood award shows, the movie nonetheless received attention come award season. "Borat" writers Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Peter Baynham, Dan Mazer, and Todd Phillips were nominated for an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, though they lost to "The Departed." 

While "Borat" is an unscripted documentary in a sense, it still had a loose screenplay, making its script eligible in this category. The film required "Adapted" categorization since Borat's character had originated on a TV show prior to his big feature film.

At the Golden Globes, "Borat" was nominated for best motion picture — musical or comedy (an award that ultimately went to "Dreamgirls") and Baron Cohen won the Golden Globe for best actor in a musical or comedy. In his acceptance speech, Baron Cohen said, "This movie was a life-changing experience. I saw some amazing, beautiful, invigorating parts of America, but I saw some dark parts of America, an ugly side of America, a side of America that rarely sees the light of day. I refer, of course, to the anus and testicles of my co-star, Ken Davitian."

Perhaps the funniest unintended consequence of the "Borat" nominations was presenters onstage navigating the movie's full, outlandish mishmash of a title — "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" — every time it was up for an award.