Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
User Score
7.1 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 875 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 637 out of 875
  2. Mixed: 48 out of 875
  3. Negative: 190 out of 875

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  1. Paxster
    Oct 6, 2010
    10
    It's a little genius of a comic film with a genius comic behind him. Baron Cohen somehow mixes the ridiculous with the believeable to make people think he really is Borat and then makes the American people look stupid and foolish. But is there some dark, underlying, non-comic theme here? Maybe America isn't such a great nation as we all like to think.
  2. grandpajoe6191
    Oct 10, 2011
    8
    Jagshemash! "Borat: Cultural Learnings of...screw this" is a offensive movie, thanks to the skillfully annoying 'clown' Sacha Baron Cohen, that will create massive haters for its extreme mock/satire. But, as a hater of the movie, I knew that the elusive film wasn't lying about their greedy, selfish, unfriendly portrayal of us; they were correct of our foolishness.
  3. richardr
    Dec 20, 2008
    10
    A classic. If you have to ask, you will never know.
  4. JoeR
    Jan 1, 2009
    9
    Raunchy, sick, and somewhat disturbed, Borat is full of laughs.
  5. kublay0880
    Dec 20, 2012
    9
    Not funny? insults a foreign country? insults people? are you really going to complain about these things now? The people that say all these things are people that really are not into movies, because that thing of insulting others has been the killing punch of all comic movies, all comic movies insult other people and other countries. Remember Charlie Chaplin making fun of Hitler? or Team America making fun of China? come on!!! and other dozen movies that come to my mind. Or how about the whole country making fun of their own elected president on national media (George W. Bush) because he was holding a book upside down! I say hypocrites. Leaving my aggravation aside, the movie it's just daring, very brave and smart. It's not perfect but it sure was one of the best comic movies of its time.… Expand
  6. Compi24
    Nov 28, 2012
    8
    Like watching a clown getting into a car crash, "Borat" is hard to watch, yet impossible not to watch. In the end, it proves to be an unbelievably amusing mockumentary.
  7. RyanH.
    Jan 3, 2007
    10
    Funniest Movie I have ever seen by a nice amount. If you are offended by this movie then you should realize that because of you this world sucks a little more.
  8. DarthH.
    Mar 6, 2007
    10
    Piercingly satircal and superbly funny at the same time. Unique and a very nice surprise to have something like this become so popular.
  9. PerlaN.
    Nov 21, 2006
    4
    It really isn't as funny as critics say it is. The humor is really dumb and gets only dumber and ruder. Boring sexist humor. Do not take a female date to see this movie - she might very well be grinding her teeth and looking at you wondering what kind of acned teenager am I here with?
  10. SirGeezer
    Nov 29, 2006
    10
    Jeez you yanks take life too seriously. As you lot say "chill out". For once in my life im proud that im british. Sure we are losing in the ashes series (cricket), our rugby is dismal and our footballing is mediocre ( and we invented the sport!). But our sense of humour is head and shoulders above the rest. Sacha was born in north london and so has got this humour inside of him. Thats why americans dont like it. But if you are british and are reading this , i reccommend you shut down your computer right now, call a cab and go watch the funniest movie of your life. Period.… Expand
  11. JohnP.
    Nov 4, 2006
    10
    While it is basically a one-time show for people who aren't offended easily who can hold an open mind, it is one of the smartest and most socially-driven movies to come out in a long time, cleverly disguised as just another Hollywood comedy flick. I dislike gross-out comedy, and I tend to dislike comedy that makes you feel very uncomfortable, but I absolutely love smart comedy, which here, trumps all poop humor. In addition, the situations Baron Cohen places himself into are so dangerous and outrageous that you can't help to laugh and wonder if it is scripted comedy. What it says about our social issues is something that can be studied again and again. This is genius at work. However, if you are easily offended, avoid. Actually, go ahead and see it. You just might look at yourself a little differently afterward. I know I have.… Expand
  12. SamB.
    Nov 5, 2006
    10
    This film is the first big budget manifestation of the new form of humor that has been gathering steam since the turn of the millenium, fronted by the Stewart / Colbert ticket and Mr. Cohen himself. And, thankfully, Borat, as he would call it, is a "great success." I, and the entire audience around me, was head-over-heels for almost the entire film. This movie succeeds in both amusing the viewer and making him or her more aware, and that is what this new generation of comedy is all about.… Expand
  13. AmberL.
    Nov 6, 2006
    0
    Am I missing something? I understand that this was a sarcastic spoof of a very small country by an English Jewish actor who is using bathroom humor to make his point. Why pick on this tiny country and make all its citizens look like fools? He could have used a ficticious country but to denigrade this small country is wrong. The jokes were cute at first but then became painful to bear. For young males to hail Borat as a King is bad enough but to see the critics review this trash as if it were better than Gone With The Wind is a bit too much. This documentary-comedy is simply awful in my opinion and way too long. Very much forgotten after I left the theater.… Expand
  14. VirginaR.
    Dec 4, 2006
    0
    Perhaps those of you giving it high marks don't understand that publicly insulting others is not funny at all. And yes I can laugh at myself. But extreme cruelty and then goading innocent people into making fools of themselves is not my cup of tea. If it's yours then fine but don't speak for others. Just not funny.
  15. ChristineK.
    Jan 21, 2007
    3
    Mean-spirited beyond the bounds of necessity, this film incriminates itself as being part of what is least admirable in modern society.
  16. LeonG.
    Jan 20, 2007
    10
    It's funny that so many people would get so offended at a movie as silly as this. Mr. Cohen knows exactly what he's doing and is extremely prepared to handle anything and it shows in this hilarious comedy. It's deserving of all of the heaps of praise that has been thrown at it and I will be thrilled when it's awarded a Best Picture nod in February.
  17. JonnyC.
    Jan 24, 2007
    10
    Hysterically funny first and foremost! Also thought-provoking though in a very clever way. A classic!
  18. JonathanF.
    Feb 1, 2007
    10
    Sam F needs to get his head checked...The actor playing Borat is British and Jewish...Maybe you should do some research.
  19. PaulH
    Feb 20, 2007
    10
    Absolutely priceless, without a doubt one of the funniest movies of all time. It's as simple as that. And behind the hilarity is a keen perceptive and highly alert intelligence. One of the most memorable characters ever conceived. People who think this movie is stupid are missing alot--not only what was right before their eyes but also what lay beneath. Cohen's creation has been very well thought out and realised (as Cohen has pointed out it's not that Borat's ideas are anti-semetic/sexist,ect...they are ludicrous...He thinks Jews have claws&can change their shape ! ! ! ). I actually feel sorry for people who gave this a bad rating or who found all this offensive.… Expand
  20. KhorneC.
    Feb 6, 2007
    10
    This film is groundbreaking, exceedingly hilarious and enlightening in a sense that it reveals a side of common society that we don't see very easily. my only bad was that the content in the film still feels pretty 'safe'. It would be mind-'blowing' if it featured some typical 'middle-eastern' people in it. High five.
  21. BR.
    Mar 10, 2007
    8
    One of the first movies that I
  22. NathanielD.
    Mar 20, 2007
    6
    As a big fan of Da Ali G show (I own both seasons on DVD) this movie came as a big disappointment. Granted, Borat was actually always my least favorite of Cohen's 3 personalities, but I think that the biggest problem with this movie is that not much of it seemed improvised and that most of it was scripted. Paired with the fact that I don't see how this could be near as funny in subsequent views, I don't think this movie will stand the test of time and won't ever hold a classic status.… Expand
  23. ClintM.
    Mar 28, 2007
    3
    A huge disappointment. The only laughter I had was in the re-telling to people who hadn't seen it yet. Watching it was uncomfortable.
  24. MarkW.
    Mar 4, 2007
    10
    This should have been movie of the year, or best picture as they call it in the academy awards. This was politically insightful, as humorous, and it gives a commentary to the lack of sensitivity that inbred America has towards people of other races. It was a touching film that was funny, witty, and perhaps the best comedy of the year along with Talledega Nights.
  25. JamesM.
    Mar 5, 2007
    4
    Self-indulgent and overrated. Not that I like Freddie Got Fingered, quite the opposite, but I can't understand why critics butchered that film and not Borat... This movie is far from a satire. It is the motion picture equivilent to a fart joke.
  26. CathyB.
    Mar 8, 2007
    0
    What a waste of time and money! I saw the movie Jackass and this was 100 times worse than that movie. The only positive thing I can say is that I saw people trying to make an outsider feel welcome. After I saw the movie, I called everyone I share movies with and told them not to waste their time or money on this movie.
  27. NickM.
    Apr 1, 2007
    8
    Giving the makers of the movie the benefit of the doubt in the fact that most of the movie was not staged, I think it was very funny. It lost two points for me because there were some parts that just went WAY too far and were down right disturbing....such as the two guys fighting naked....Icould have done without that.
  28. Jim10H
    Apr 3, 2007
    10
    Watch it again to see that throughout, everyone is given a chance to show their full humanness here. This work of art satrizes the human race, not so much Americans. It may very well be genius on a par with Swift or Twain or even Dane Cook. Yeah it goes too far - that's why it gets a 10.
  29. GosiaS
    Apr 4, 2007
    1
    This movie was ridiculously stupid. I picked it randomly to watch
  30. AdamB.
    Apr 8, 2007
    10
    Borat is the kind of film in which you need to be able to tolerate crude, rude, and horrible humor that is done so well that it's brilliant. I have seen Borat on "Da Ali G Show" before the movie came out, and I found it fairly funny. It took a very interesting idea and made some laughs. But could it have been better? Yes. This movie is the pure and unadulterated example of how.
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Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
89 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 38 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 38
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 38
  3. Negative: 0 out of 38
  1. Slate
    Reviewed by: Dana Stevens
    100
    Wildly funny. Its best jokes approach some savage, atavistic core of cultural taboo and make the viewer wonder: Is it really possible to laugh at this? But by the time you formulate that question, it's too late: You're already laughing.
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  2. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Pete Vonder Haar
    100
    Borat isn't just one of the funniest movies of the year, it might be one of the funniest movies of all time.
    Read full review
  3. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: J.R. Jones
    100
    As clever as he is crude, Cohen alchemizes bad-taste comedy into Strangelovean satire.
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