The premiere last night was great. I sat across the aisle from Jeff Garlin and in front of Matt Groening. On the way in I saw Andy Richter, John C. Reilly, Brooke Shields, Chris Kattan, and Will Ferrell. I talked with Judd Apatow for a while about our time at USC Cinema. Also Zach Braff and probably tons of other celebrities I can’t even remember. This was definitely the hot ticket in town.
Best premiere I’ve been to in a while.
The movie itself is hilarious. One sequence (you’ll know which one when you see it) had me laughing so hard I honestly thought I was going to pass out. I didn’t, though, thankfully.
After, we swung by Pink’s for a quick bite and were in line next to Roseanne Barr. I talked to her and her husband (?) about the flick. He loved it, she was concerned it was a little mature for her son, who she’d brought. I agree - he was too young.
After 85 reviews, it’s currently at 95% on the Tomatometer, and 100% if you only count the “Cream of the Crop”. As of now, it’s the best reviewed film of the year. Can’t wait to see it this weekend. :)
I’ll be seeing it soon, too. It’s a double-edged sword for Baron-Cohen, though. The more appreciation he gets, the more recognitition he and his characters get. I think to take things up another notch (I’m remembering Sellers and Kaufman here) he’ll need to constantly find new ways to stay ahead of expectations.
I think this is the first time I ever had tears from laughing in my eyes at a movie theater. I’m guessing it was in the same scene NoWayJose mentions (in the hotel).
Some parts could have been edited out and replaced though, a few of the little sketches fell flat. But overall it’s really funny in a very idiotic way.
Yeah, I agree. He’s brilliant, though, and when his notoriety finally undercuts his subversiveness, I hope he’ll just retire satisifed with the work he’s done. It’s interesting how Colbert’s made the transition from someone his interview subjects completely misunderstood to someone they are willing to play wink-and-nod with. His schtick has always been overt, though (even if some people were blind to it) – Cohen goes that extra crazy mile and inhabits his characters completely. He’s a great improviser, but I think I’m most impressed by the discipline it must take for him to keep a straight face through all of his shenanigans.
Which would be today because this movie is going to be huge. Cohen is going to have a much harder time using Borat from now on unless he exclusively picks on the media unsavvy.
I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard at a movie that I ended up feeling so “meh” about. It’s undeniably hilarious, including the vulgar humor which normally doesn’t appeal to me at all. Despite great bits like the bed and breakfast and the scathing scenes like the ones at the rodeo, I was a little disappointed, though. I’m sure that’s fallout from the gigantic buzz and the love letter reviews.
It’s hard for me to put my finger on what’s causing my ambivalence given that I had such a good time; I guess I just expected more. Or as I put it to my girlfriend (who, admittedly, doesn’t much care for Borat’s schtick): “It’s pretty goddamn funny but you won’t kick yourself if you don’t see it.”
To be fair, Cohen’s next movie is going to be about his third character Bruno the gay Austrian tv personality. So I have a feeling, much like he did with Ali G, he’ll probably put Borat to bed for awhile and work on new stuff.
Also, that’s crazy talk Fletcher… everyone should go see it.
The four-hour (in character) single-take scenes described by Larry Charles are indeed incredible although probably not unprecedented (Sellers and Kaufman may have done this for longer stints, to the point where one wonders about pathological factors). And I love those facial flickers, when he’s supressing a reaction, that reveal the tremendous effort this must require.
Bruno is much less ridiculous than Ali G and Borat, to me. He’s hilarious, but he’s never had me rolling. Also, if Baron-Cohen is truly committed to surfing the curve (if I may use such an expression) he has to be thinking more ahead than that. Sadly, the odds are stacked against him (and us); most movie stars go soft when the money and acclaim really pours in. I haven’t given up yet, but I am hoping for more surprises soon.
Sacha Baron Cohen was nearly arrested during the ‘Borat’ shoot, and some members of his eight-member crew were incarcerated. The FBI followed Cohen and the crew as they traveled across America. The Secret Service questioned the filmmakers in Washington, D.C., and state troopers in Louisiana also investigated the group. During each encounter with authorities, Cohen stayed in character as Borat.
I laughed a lot, but I left the cinema wishing that they’d given the people they interviewed enough rope to hang themselves with, instead of many of the mockumentary scenes being little more than Borat going in, doing a line, and cutting away on their silence/bemused expression. The dinner party worked, but guys like the humourist at the start, or the hotel staff, didn’t really produce anything funny.
