The Official BORAT IS ANNOYING Thread

[Parche]

He is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ANNOYING

How can anyone listen or watch his drivel????????????

[Shakespeare]

1. Well, 99 percent of movie critics and enough movie goers to make it...

...the number one film two weeks running would disagree with that.

One could counter by asking how can you NOT find him funny? :shrug:

Just because something's not my cup of tea, I don't feel compelled to berate those who do like it.

I watch him because I find his cultural satire to be bitingly funny, and his character at heart an appealing, well-intentioned clown. :shrug:

[zanne]

2. I read somewhere that he's actually from England.

Born there. If so, that's a hell of an acting accent!

[Shakespeare]

3. He's also Cambridge educated.

He's very, very bright. If you've ever seen him in interviews as himself, he's very soft-spoken and articulate; comes across as a completely gentle person.

Note: Heard on the news this morning that they've just signed him to play the lead in Sweeney Todd, with Tim Burton directing. Now THAT ought to be good!

[Parche]

4. bright

He is as annoying as Country music or Rap...................and that is annoying

[Shakespeare]

7. To YOU that is annoying.

Meanwhile, I'll be listening to my Dixie Chicks and Cypress Hill CDs and deciding when to go see the Borat movie for a second time.

I just love it when people take a dismissive "that sucks!" approach instead of just conceding that something just MIGHT have artistic and/or social merit, whether they personally like it or not.

[Parche]

9. dismissive

Thats not the approach, I KNOW that he sucks along with Country, (if you call that music)
and Rap..........
Country (music) is the most disgusting and annoying thing out there, same tune same song.....
ANNOYING ANNOYING ANNOYING

[Shakespeare]

10. LOL...ok.

You done learned me! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Parche]

11. i always win

Winning is fun

[Shakespeare]

13. Ignorance is funner.

Enjoy!

[Parche]

15. ignorance

"Your ignorance makes me ill and angry.........your savageness must............end"

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

6. Here's a clip of Sacha Baron Cohen as himself on 'The Daily Show'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InJaGmmv5d4

[zanne]

28. Amazing.

He's really an attractive guy with a very British accent.

[PVnRT]

33. Explain to me how the OP was "berating those who do like it"

He said Borat is annoying and boring. Someone needs some thicker skin.

[Shakespeare]

44. Oh?

"How can anyone listen or watch his drivel????????????" certainly implies a defect of some kind. If I don't like something, I don't presume that anybody else who DOES like it must be an idiot.

And it's got NOTHING to do with how thick my (or anyone else's) skin is--but don't make yourself (and I'm using "you" in the broad sense, just so we're clear :eyes: ) look like a bigger idiot than you say Cohen is by making illogical and uninformed statements.

[fishnfla]

60. I'm free to say it: people who like this act are idiots

I'm sure its very clever and all, but it just goes down to the basest of instincts: put down humour dressed up as satire.

Set your intellect aside: all the critics think he's great! I'm sure SBC the man is very intelligent,clever even, in the same way PT Barnum was. Probably has the same lesser view of the rubes too.I aint buying

[ohiosmith]

5. as annoying as a wet fart

[Haole Girl]

8. I don't think he's funny

But, I don't find obnoxious, sexist, racist, and repetitiously annoying behavior funny. I guess I'm just getting old.

[IntiRaymi]

12. People were also laughing at scat humor not too long ago.

(neither do I, btw)

[fishnfla]

59. add exploitative and you've summed it up

I cant stand the character. I'm sure the actor is brillant, clever, witty and charming, etc. All charlatans are.

But he uses people, everyone, including his audience

[belladonna]

14. Yes, he's annoying as hell

To all who enjoy him, have at it. No judgement here, I just think he's obnoxious and about as funny as that kid every high school class had... attention-starved and willing to do whatever it takes just to get noticed.

[WindRavenX]

16. He and Dave Chapelle provide some of the sharpest social commentary

Humor is often the vehicle that leads to the most fruitful and astute observations on our modern society, and his character of Borat is such an example.
I sometimes think people think Borat is a "real" person and not an example of a specific character used to represent an abstract idea and get people to react to it.

Why is it funny when Borat the character sings "Throw the Jew Down the Well"? The song itself isn't that funny on it's own-- until you consider the context of the song (in a southern bar) and the language he uses; by satirically playing on the stereotypes of Jewish individuals, he creates an atmosphere where REAL bigots (Borat himself is not "real" bigot in the sense that Borat is just a character) start GENUINELY singing along.

This is what comedy does. It draws out behavior that most people would hide-- and in the case of Borat, it reveals how racist, misogynistic, and TRULY anti-semetic most of the population can be.

/rant

[Shakespeare]

17. I've always wondered....

...what was going through Cohen's mind ('cause he's Jewish) when the crowd started heartily singing along with him. His ability to never break character (i.e., show the "oh my fucking GOD I'm surrounded by bigots" expression on his face when you KNOW it must have been screaming at him from the inside) just impressed the hell out of me from a comedic perspective. As a satirist, I think he's the best we've seen in a very long time.

The FIRST time Cohen impressed me was when (as Ali G) he got Pat Buchanan to talk straight-faced about finding BLTs (instead of WMDs) in Iraq.

[WindRavenX]

18. I always wondered that too

I think it's somewhat responsible for what caused Dave to leave-- no one was *getting* the fact he was doing SATIRE. He wasn't just using racially charged skits/ language for laughs-- it was to make a POINT and show the fallacies of racial stereotypes and black culture today. And no one got it. Most teens just thought it was an excuse to use the n-word coz Chapelle did :eyes:

His other character, Bruno the gay fashion reporter, should yield some fantastic stuff :D

[Shakespeare]

19. Dunno if you saw my other post upthread, but he's going to be in Sweeney Todd...

...playing the deranged barber Adolfo Pirelli. Tim Burton directing.

I can't WAIT.

[Parche]

52. barber

Well he is deranged all right...........very deranged

[bif]

20. I think he's bril!

Sorry to dissapoint you. He makes me laugh out loud.

[survivor999]

21. He's a f*cking idiot!

Sorry, had to say it. Am I an anti-something now? Sue me.

[Shakespeare]

22. I know!! Cambridge produces SO MANY idiots.

:eyes:

[survivor999]

24. If Yale can produce GW, Cambridge can produce this guy....

You know, going to a school does not mean you learn anything... Which indicates you are not very familiar with coleges and all that.

[Shakespeare]

25. Oh it does, huh?

Actually, I'm awfully familiar with colleges "and all that."

You see, I've actually sought out interviews with Cohen so I could see him out of character. He is remarkably bright and articulate, soft-spoken and gentle.

That you assume so much without knowing a damn thing about him says more about you than it does about him...or me.

[survivor999]

26. Let me reiterate: he's a F*ING IDIOT, IMO.

Better?

[Shakespeare]

31. And let ME reiterate:

To judge someone and conclude he's an "idiot" without having the first goddamn clue what you're talking about means only one thing: it's not Cohen who's the idiot.

[PVnRT]

34. Wow, you just HATE it when people don't agree with you, huh?

Jesus fucking Christ, he's an entertainer, not the messiah. Get over yourself.

[JVS]

38. Messiah eh? Borat got beaten up for our sins!

[PVnRT]

40. For God so loved the world, he sent his only Son, Borat

n/t

[Shakespeare]

42. No, I'm just irritated by the lack of logic.

As I've stated in other posts, I have NO problem with somebody not liking Cohen's humor; it's not everyone's cup of tea. What I don't respect, however, is the utter lack of logic in people making kneejerk judgments about the film without having seen it and making judgments about Cohen as a person without having the first fucking clue what they're talking about.

It's the stupidity that irks me.

[Parche]

54. cohen

You must really like this weirdo Cohen guy????

[Shakespeare]

55. No, I just really dislike poor logic. n/t

[Parche]

57. logic

Logic can be rich, but never poor

[Little Wing]

61. *golf clap*

[TK421]

23. I don't know much about him, but a good friend of mine is going to see

the movie a second time and wants me to go. Judging by the clips I've seen, it's just OK....nothing phenomenal. Who knows, I may end up liking the movie :shrug:

[Dukkha]

27. I wonder what freepers think of his character

as clueless as they are I'm sure they think he's being serious and agree with him.

[Digit]

29. I was able to watch enough to know I did not need to watch anymore

I don't mind if other people like him, that is their opinion.
For me, it just got old really, really fast.

[jonnyblitz]

30. for me it's one of those things where i get so sick of the hype

I unfairly have no interest in seeing it. the clips I saw on youtube didn't do much for me. :shrug:

[bigwillq]

32. I've never seen any of that dude's skits

And to tell the truth, I think Borat "the movie" looks annoying but I heard it was soo funny.

[Patiod]

35. Can't stand humiliation humor

Not saying others might not find it funny, but I just find ambushes painful. Don't appreciate Michael Moore's ambushes, either (even though I appreciate why he's doing it).

I feel too sorry for the "dupe".

Yes, yes, I know, SBC exposes some people's racism, etc. etc. etc., but from the clips I've seen, he just gratuitously humiliates a lot of people as well.

(S.O. doesn't understand how I can hate humiliation humor, but love both versions of "The Office", which is even more painful. Can't explain that one)

[laheina]

36. That's a good way of putting it.

And maybe your attitude regarding "The Office" is because work-life is so often that way anyway that it is already expected? I dunno, I haven't really ever watched the show. :shrug:

[azmouse]

45. I couldn't agree more.

Those are also the same reasons why I never thought Candid Camera was funny or entertaining.
It's all based on embarrassing or humiliating someone. And that's just not funny.

[Patiod]

47. well, it's not funny to me

but some people love that stuff - listen to the audience at America's Funniest Home Videos whenever someone falls or gets hurt - even if it's a crying toddler. They love it!

[Dukkha]

56. I agree

There's Candid Camera where it's all done in good humor and everyone has a good laugh in the end, then there's the humiliation tactics like this where the perpetrator comes off as arrogant and smug exploiting unsuspecting people for their own personal gain. Even the Daily Show has gone too far on occasion making fun of some of the interviewees on the show (though if their a right wing fundie they deserve it)

this type of show also demonstrates that people are willing to do anything to be on TV or the movies since after they're humiliated they still sign the waiver release so they can get their 15 minutes of fame.

[laheina]

37. About damn time!

And no, I can't watch it.

[SlavesandBulldozers]

39. nobody can watch the Ali G DVD and come out thinking this guy is anything less

than a genius. sorry. he's a genius.

[LynneSin]

41. I just think everything has been Borat 24x7

Perhaps when Boratmania dies out I'll go see (or rent) the video. But I haven't had any desire to see his movie now

[wildhorses]

43. must monetary success be the ONLY ruler by which we judge?

:shrug:

[Shakespeare]

46. Well....

It was critically acclaimed before it'd made one dime at the box office. :shrug:

[wildhorses]

49. true dat

i have no television capablity so i miss out on a lot of the hoopla--not judging cos have not seen the movie--am not sure his paticular satire is my cup of tea is all--

if he gets people to thinking then i would consider him a success as an artist and it seems that he has done that so that is why i would consider him a success is all i am saying:hi:

[Phillycat]

48. I have never enjoyed "Cringe" humor.

I can't stand watching other people be humiliated on camera. It's the same reason I don't watch those American Idol type shows. I want to crawl up the back of my couch. But when someone is DELIBERATELY humiliating another person, I turn it off. Never seen a full episode of Punk'd either.

[Giant Robot]

50. I am with you on that!

I don't find the humiliation aspect of it funny, and any poignant satire in it will lose me at that moment. I think that satire like that should at best be used against those in power as a means of checking that power, like political cartoons often skewer people in that humiliating kind of way. And really this is ambush comedy, something that is done against someone not really good natured practical jokes. I have never seen Punk'd either because I find the humiliation factor too much for me to find the show enjoyable. I always side with the victims of these things. In my opinion, SBC could use some help in picking targets more carefully. But its just an opinion.

[havocmom]

51. The routine was boring the third time Dan Akroyd and Steve Martin did it

and annoying the forth time on SNL decades ago. Don't have a clue why anyone would be amused now, except they never watched reruns.

[Arkana]

53. Borat rules and anyone who says otherwise sucks.

:evilgrin:

[mduffy31]

58. Really can he come up with a character that is funny

Because Ali G isn't funny either.