Posted on 11/24/2006 4:26:50 PM PST by Silly
Movies are one of my passions, and as I’ve matured, I’ve been able to broaden my viewing choices. I’m willing to sit through films that are disturbing, that challenge my thinking, and that are over the top comedically. Comedy is one genre I’m willing to give a very wide berth when it comes to offensiveness. It is the nature of comedy to poke fun, offend, and outrage, because it often works when it relies on taboos.
This season, there are a lot of promising movies to see, and my “must-see” list is growing. The Prestige, The Queen, The Departed, For Your Consideration, Infamous, Babel, and Volver are all under consideration at the moment. In the future, I’m looking forward to seeing Dreamgirls (the first Broadway show I saw), Perfume, The Nativity Story, Jonestown, and Charlotte’s Web. As you can see, my tastes run the gamut.
But I have limited time and money. And most of all, I have limited emotional energy. Film is fundamentally an emotional experience, and one cannot sit through every film out there and still have the ability to enjoy the ride when one is exhausted. I can take a lot of comedy, and a moderate amount of drama, but only a bit of really disturbing content before I need to pull the plug, get some fresh air, and stay away from film altogether.
I may go see Bond again tonight, which I really enjoyed. I would much rather take a second look at a film which I enjoyed – even at the cost of not liking it as much the second time – than I am to see something I’m unsure about. I’m willing to risk ruining a great experience by seeing a movie enough times to see through the manipulation and deconstructing it. (In such an exercise, however, one often finds films that are truly great, and can be seen again and again.)
One thing I’m sure about is that I’d find Borat funny. But I’ve had doubts about it as well. Borat has never been on my “must-see” list, but it certainly has been on my “must-consider” list.
Since I read Charles Krauthammer’s essay, Throw the Jew Joke Down the Well, I’ve realized why $11.00 may be a lot to pay for some light entertainment (yes, NYC theaters now charge $11.00).
Comedy is funny because it is true (which is why people like Ellen Degeneres stop being funny when they get political). I can enjoy the most scathing jokes about Bush, the U.S., Christians, Jews, and any other topic, as long as their premises are true and fair.
But as soon as they cross over to falsehood, the jokes fall flat. When the joke is based on a lie – in the case of Borat, that Americans are anti-Semitic – it’s no longer funny. It’s Kerry-funny – ha ha, I botched the joke. It’s worse than a botched joke; it’s an attempt to make a political point by putting forth a lie wrapped in the genre of humor.
I grew up in a household where racist or anti-Semitic attitudes were considered shameful, and although we didn’t talk about it a lot, I knew such attitudes were wrong. Even in my tiny Midwest town with about 98.6% Caucasians, I could detect prejudiced remarks and was offended by them even as a boy. But frankly, I rarely heard them in my town.
I have spent years as a gospel singer, and have sung in thousands of churches worldwide, most of them in America. Most likely, I’ve sung in at least 45 states, and churches covering most denominations. I’ve seen the gamut of Christian worship services and styles.
In all my years spent in Christian churches, listening to sermons, I cannot once remember hearing anyone speak against the Jews, or Israel, or Judaism. Nothing but the utmost respect and affection for our Jewish cousins was expressed – in fact, it was usually outright solidarity. Certainly no disdain of any kind.
So, back to Borat. Not having seen the movie, it is unfair for me to criticize it too harshly. But I’ve read reviews and commentary from a broad spectrum of opinion, and everything points to this: Cohen is trying to lampoon America based on general falsehoods, for example, that anti-Semitism is widespread in America, especially in the sticks.
I frankly don’t think Cohen cares a whole lot about fighting anti-Semitism. It seems to me that’s he’s wrapping hatred of America in comedy – and the only way he can get a laugh is to make it so over the top that it leaves people howling. And making a fast buck while doing it, at the expense of many people.
In other words, Borat is doing for Jews and America what The Sound of Music did for hills.
With the utmost respect to everyone's tastes and personal choices in film, I would strongly encourage you think twice before spending money on Borat. If anything, wait for the DVD. It's not like this film must be seen on the big screen.
Wait a few months and then preview it for free at Walmart. If you like it, buy it. That way you can see it as many times as you want.
Not a bad idea.
I saw the guy on Regis' show and Leno, frankly, i thought he was being too silly.
Not my type of humour, so I'm not even interested in the dvd. I figured it's more guy type of humour, but my nephew didn't like it and my husband is not interested in seeing it.
I go see about one movie a week at the theater. I usually get a popcorn and soda when I go. That puts me in the top 5% of movie goers.
I refuse to see Borat. The whole premise is insulting.
My movie of the year was "Brick". No swearing, great story.
I'm utterly perplexed as to why Borat is getting such positive reviews. I usually agree with the majority of critics, but while Borat was occasionally pretty amusing, as a movie it fails and some scenes are downright terrible. The candid camera aspect of it is pretty good, but while apparently very little of it was (completely) staged, I found it hard to believe.
Well, since we know this statement is completely bogus, I'm ready to predict the rest of your essay is too...without even reading it. ; )
I saw him on The Daily Show (you can find the clip on YouTube). i feel the same way -- not really that funny, and certainly not what he's cracked up to be.
I also wonder how much film they had to shoot to get enough material for this feature film. Probably a lot of junk on the cutting room floor that Cohen would NOT like the public to see.
I see no difference
Both are objectionable
Off-topic, but I was pretty disappointed with "Brick". I'm a noir fan, but to me it was merely a mediocre noir movie with a gimmicky high school theme.
Just looked up Brick at IMDb.com. Got breat ratings, but I had never heard of it. Thanks for passing it along.
Saw a couple clips on You Tube.
Though I did chuckle a bit, more than a few minutes of it seems like it was more than enough.
But then again, the last time I went to a theater was to see the Lion King.
I wouldn't make it as a critic. Only about 1 in 15 movies I've seen in the past 10 years, would I say didn't suck
Bond is a fictional character who is highly flawed. One of his (many) flaws is that he "screws" married women. He's not supposed to be admired because of his flaws, but in spite of them. (And yes, we all have flaws.) I would certainly object to the enjoyment of Bond for the sake of purient interests.
I'm sure you find beheadings objectionable, as do I. But would you boycott a film about John the Baptist because it portrays a beheading? I think not.
Getting underneath the surface material and finding the meaning is the point of studying film. It seems to me that the point in Borat is to paint a false picture of America.
I spent 6 bucks to see it and it was funny. Almost Team America funny.
It wasn't lampooning America. It was lampooning idiots everywhere.
If you don't like lampooning idiots, this movie is not for you.
What is it that you look for when watching a film? I'm curious.
Thanks for your point of view; I actually find it helpful.
I liked the first half of Team America (especially whenever Matt Damon said, "Matt Damon") but I got bored during the second half.
The Prestige was an amazing movie. I highly recommend it.
Haven't seen Borat, don't have much interest in Jew humor
Looking forward to seeing it. What exactly do you mean by Jew humor? Just curious...
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