Opinions on Borat

I wasn't familiar with Ali's G's "Borat" caracter until last week. Some friends invited me to see the Borat movie with them. Not wanting to refuse an offer to socialize, I decided to go. We originally wanted to go to a movie theatre close to campus. However that theatre's showings for Borat were sold out. So we went to a much larger theatre on the outskirts of town - the Premier. The Premier was showing Borat on two screens several times throughout the night. I've never seen that theatre so packed! 5 of us nabbed the last tickets for the 10:00 showing (3 unlucking members of our party had to see another movie). We had to split up as seats were limited. I settled in between 2 couples for the offensive maddness that was about to begin.

And trust me, the movie was offensive! It's meant to be that way. But my question is: if it's so offensive, why are people laughing?

I'm troubled by this movie on many levels. Yes, I laughed at parts. At other times though, I sat with my arms crossed and no smile on my face. I saw myself on the screen. I saw my neighbors and friends and family. Perhaps I related a little too well to the characters. I saw Ali G's point and I was sobered by it.

The best commentary on the movie that I found was by Sam Adams. He said that:
"But what makes Borat troubling is also what makes it great — not to mention more subversive and dangerous than most people realize. As much as Borat leads his victims to the slaughter, he sugar-coats the bitterest pills, serving up equal portions of social critique and lowbrow comedy (including a nude wrestling match that has to be seen to be disbelieved). The character illustrates the extent to which people will go along with anything if it can be made to seem socially acceptable, and every theater full of laughing audiences proves the point. The ultimate butt of the movie's pranks isn't on the screen, but sitting in front of it."

I couldn't agree more.