---
title: "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan"
year: 2006
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/borat-cultural-learnings-of-america-for-make-benefit-glorious-nation-of-kazakhstan"
fi1m_id: "borat-cultural-learnings-of-america-for-make-benefit-glorious-nation-of-kazakhstan"
imdb_id: "tt0443453"
tmdb_id: 496
wikidata_id: "Q186323"
fi1m_score: 81
critics_score: 82
critics_reviews: 15
published: "2026-09-15"
updated: "2026-10-06T12:12:43.300983+00:00"
region: "NO"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)

Directed by Larry Charles · 1h 24m · Comedy

## Identity

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/borat-cultural-learnings-of-america-for-make-benefit-glorious-nation-of-kazakhstan
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** borat-cultural-learnings-of-america-for-make-benefit-glorious-nation-of-kazakhstan
- **IMDb ID:** tt0443453
- **TMDB ID:** 496
- **Wikidata ID:** Q186323
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443453/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/496, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q186323

**Fi1m score: 81** · Critics 82 from 15 reviews

*In a sentence:* Sacha Baron Cohen says the unforgivable, then waits to see who nods

> Larry Charles and Sacha Baron Cohen make a painfully funny prank film, with real people’s reactions supplying its sharpest moments. The obscenity works more reliably than the politics, and some of the embarrassment feels cheaply bought.

## Synopsis

Sacha Baron Cohen plays Borat, whose journey across America in search of Pamela Anderson takes the form of a series of hoax reports. He brings his prejudices into encounters with real people, who react to a visitor whose questions and behaviour ignore the rules they expect him to follow. Some respond with disbelief; others reveal prejudices of their own. The comedy moves between these encounters, physical slapstick and scatological jokes, with Borat remaining at the centre of the confusion. Ken Davitian plays Azamat, and Anderson appears as herself.

## Review

*Borat* is a ferociously funny comedy whose taste for humiliation sometimes outruns its judgement. Larry Charles lets Sacha Baron Cohen take an outrageous character into encounters with real Americans, then builds the film around their responses. We recommend it, provided that watching people struggle through an impossible social situation is a pleasure rather than an ordeal. The jokes depend on Borat saying things that most people would know to keep to themselves.

Cohen gives Borat a sweetness that makes people willing to hear him out. The character’s apparent innocence invites patience, and his bigotry then tests how far that patience will go. Cohen does not need to force every laugh; another person’s incredulity can do the work for him. His timing is particularly good at prolonging the uncomfortable business of waiting for somebody to decide how to respond.

The screenplay is credited to Peter Baynham, Anthony Hines, Cohen and Dan Mazer, and the comedy is more carefully organised than its reportorial form suggests. We laughed, then felt slightly ashamed of ourselves, at the ‘running of the Jew’. The grotesque antisemitic premise is presented with the same apparent innocence that Cohen brings to his encounters, so the laughter arrives before we have quite considered it. This is where the character’s combination of naivety and hatred produces something nastier and funnier than provocation alone.

The useful contribution of cinematographers Anthony Hardwick and Luke Geissbühler is keeping the reactions as important as the central performance. A face trying to make sense of Borat can hold our attention without any further assistance from him. Editors James Thomas, Peter Teschner and Craig Alpert keep the encounters moving without losing the hesitations that make them funny. Their handling of those exchanges gives Cohen space without making every participant’s bewilderment feel interminable. Erran Baron Cohen’s music provides useful accompaniment, though the exchanges are what we remember.

Our reservation concerns the people caught in the joke. Some reveal ugly prejudices, and the film gives us ample reason to laugh at their willingness to entertain Borat’s views. Others seem merely bewildered, and Charles is not always sufficiently interested in distinguishing embarrassment from a revealing response. Cohen’s ability to make almost anyone look foolish can become a problem when the film expects that foolishness to tell us something substantial about America: sometimes we have simply watched somebody being wrong-footed by a skilled comedian.

As a feature built from hoax reports, it faces the problem of making each fresh encounter justify starting the joke again. Cohen supplies enough variation in physical comedy and verbal provocation to keep that from becoming a chore. Charles also gives the scatological silliness room to work without requiring every laugh to serve a political purpose. At 84 minutes, the film is sensibly brief for an extended acquaintance with someone whose behaviour requires this much tolerance.

For all our reservations, the laughter is plentiful and often involuntary. We would choose it for an evening with people who can enjoy an appalling joke and still argue about whom it hurts. Anyone hoping for a tidy separation between satirical targets and innocent bystanders should choose something else.

*Fi1m score 81, published 15 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics find the film extremely funny and say so without much qualification. Fourteen of the fifteen reviews are positive, and the praise gathers around Sacha Baron Cohen’s performance and the real, unscripted encounters in which ordinary Americans meet Borat’s bigotry with their own. Several reviews single out the same scenes: the rodeo with its mangled national anthem, and the extended naked fight in a hotel. Larry Charles’s brisk direction earns a mention more than once.

The reservations concern depth and shape. The AV Club thinks the film leans on scatological gags rather than on satire, and Screen Daily finds the sketch structure bitty, wearing thin before the end. Several critics warn it will offend, real Kazakhs included, and treat that as the point. Film Comment supplies the lone negative notice, describing Borat as a cretin pushing America’s buttons and finding little else in him. Otherwise the spread is narrow, with most scores bunched near the top.

## Straight answers

**Is Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan worth watching?**

*Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan* is worth watching for anyone who can laugh at an appalling joke and then argue about whom it hurts, and we scored it 81. Sacha Baron Cohen's hoax encounters with real Americans are ferociously funny, though the film does not always tell a revealing reaction from mere embarrassment.

**How long is Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, and what is it rated?**

*Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan* runs 1h 24m. It is a comedy film.

**Where can I watch Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan in Norway?**

*Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan* is streaming on Disney+ in Norway, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV from kr 39.00. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, and is it suitable for children?**

*Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan* is not frightening and contains little violence, but it is certified 15 in the UK and R in the US, and is not for children. The comedy rests on crude sexual and scatological jokes, an antisemitic premise played for laughs, and the humiliation of real people, which some adults will find hard to sit through.

**How does Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan compare to This Is Spinal Tap?**

*Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan* and [*This Is Spinal Tap*](https://film.one/film/this-is-spinal-tap) are both mock documentaries, but Borat plays his pranks on real people while Spinal Tap's musicians are all actors. Spinal Tap is the gentler and more affectionate film and suits almost anyone; Borat is cruder, more provocative and funnier for those who can bear watching strangers squirm.

**What should I watch after Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan?**

After *Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan*, try [*This Is Spinal Tap*](https://film.one/film/this-is-spinal-tap) (1984, Fi1m 91): Another mock-documentary whose performers understand exactly how seriously foolish people take themselves. Then [*Four Lions*](https://film.one/film/four-lions) (2010, Fi1m 94): Another comedy that risks appalling jokes to make murderous prejudice look pathetically foolish; and [*Nathan for You*](https://film.one/tv/nathan-for-you) (2013, Fi1m 87): Elaborate practical jokes turn ordinary encounters into prolonged tests of politeness and credulity.

### Reviews we read (15)

- **Empire**, Dan Jolin (90/100, inferred): Cohen has perfected the prank format by placing the outrageous Borat among real people, delivering an endlessly hilarious and insightful look at American prejudices. It is his finest work, a cult classic in the making that should not be missed by those who can handle the offense. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/borat-review/)
- **Slant Magazine** (90/100, inferred): The critic celebrates Cohen’s ability to create squirm-inducing, slapstick, and inappropriate scenarios that expose prejudice while delivering nonstop laughs through physical performance and absurd visuals. The naked wrestling scene and various confrontations are highlighted as peaks of the film’s subversive humor. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/borat/)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film extraordinarily funny, breathtakingly offensive and suicidally discourteous, an anarchic mocu-reality adventure that goes beyond satire. He singles out for praise the real encounters that expose people’s horrified reactions and the surreal rodeo sequence with its absurd national anthem. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/oct/27/comedy.sachabaroncohen)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Kirk Honeycutt (90/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a wildly inappropriate and hilarious mockumentary that uses crudeness to expose the roots of bigotry and ignorance. The naked hotel fight scene is singled out as a highlight of its boundary-pushing comedy. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/borat-2006-movie-review-943833/)
- **The Independent** (90/100, inferred): The film establishes Sacha Baron Cohen as a new master of provocation through his Borat character, whose naive yet hateful worldview leads to hilarious and revealing interactions with Americans. The critic highlights the cruel genius of the satire and urges viewers to see it for the laughs. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/student/magazines/film-reviews-reel-time-427052.html)
- **The New York Times**, Manohla Dargis (90/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a sharp, brainy satire that uses Borat's outrageous persona to expose American prejudices and stupidity while delivering consistent laughs through slapstick and vulgarity. She singles out the film's pitiless social commentary and Baron Cohen's precise comic timing for praise. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/03/movies/03bora.html)
- **The Times**, James Christopher (90/100, inferred): The critic describes the film as one to cherish, noting that Borat's shocking prejudices and barnyard interviews expose the flaws in American open-mindedness more than they mock Kazakhstan. Larry Charles's direction turns the mockumentary into a highlight of the London Film Festival. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/borat-cultural-learnings-of-america-for-make-benefit-glorious-nation-of-kazakhstan-7569k73jvx8)
- **Total Film** (90/100, inferred): Borat is a textured, intelligent and deeply political comedy that will offend many but delights with its edge and refusal to settle for cheap laughs. The film exposes cultural clashes and controversy while maintaining sharp satirical bite. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/borat-cultural-learnings-of-america-for-make-benefit-glorious-nation-of-kazakstan-review/)
- **Variety**, Leslie Felperin (90/100, inferred): The critic calls it an uproariously funny mockumentary whose lead character retains an innocent sweetness that softens the un-PC gags. She praises the brisk direction by Larry Charles and Cohen's ability to generate laughs in nearly every scene while noting it will likely offend some real Kazakhs and the humorless. [Read](https://variety.com/2006/film/awards/borat-cultural-learnings-of-america-for-make-benefit-glorious-nation-of-kazakhstan-1200513557/)
- **The AV Club**, Nathan Rabin (B+): The review praises the leap to feature length by unleashing Borat on unsuspecting Americans for explosive laughs, especially the extended nude fight scene. It notes the film leans more on scatological gags than deep satire but remains highly effective comedy. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/borat-cultural-learnings-of-america-for-make-benefit-g-1798202224)
- **Screen Daily** (70/100, inferred): The film is a sketch-based mockumentary that explodes with intermittently uproarious results as Borat encounters archetypal Americans and satirizes US pride and prejudice. Cohen's energetic performance keeps Borat engaging, though the structure feels a little bitty and begins to wear thin before the end. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/borat/4028616.article)
- **Time Out**, Ben Walters (70/100, inferred): The biggest pleasures lie in watching Sacha Baron Cohen goof off and real people’s incredulity. Plenty to laugh at hard, with relish for the chutzpah of spectacular obscenities like the ‘running of the Jew’. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/borat-cultural-learnings-of-america-for-make-benefit-glorious-nation-of-kazakhstan-1)
- **Film Comment**, Nathan Lee (30/100, inferred): The review portrays Borat as a cretin from Kazakhstan who pushes America's buttons through his mockumentary antics and social provocations. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/issues/november-december-2006/?pdfviewer=issue&pdf-page=24)
- **Eye for Film**, Anton Bitel (90/100, inferred): The critic finds Borat the funniest film of the year, praising its unfiltered id-driven comedy and the real, unguarded reactions it provokes from Americans that reveal their own prejudices. The satire is compared favorably to Michael Moore's work but without polemic and with far more laughs. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/borat-cultural-learnings-of-america-for-make-benefit-glorious-nation-of-kazakhstan-film-review-by-anton-bitel)
- **The Skinny**, Alec McLeod (★★★★): The film is a collection of hoax reports as Borat travels across America seeking Pamela Anderson. It indicts real American prejudice and social injustice by presenting the character's fake bigotry as a Trojan horse. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/borat)

## Details

- **Director:** Larry Charles
- **Director:** Larry Charles
- **Screenplay:** Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Peter Baynham, Dan Mazer
- **Story:** Todd Phillips, Sacha Baron Cohen, Peter Baynham, Anthony Hines
- **Cinematography:** Luke Geissbühler, Anthony Hardwick
- **Editor:** Craig Alpert, James Thomas, Peter Teschner
- **Music:** Erran Baron Cohen
- **Costume design:** Jason Alper
- **Producer:** Sacha Baron Cohen, Jay Roach
- **Cast:** Sacha Baron Cohen as Borat; Ken Davitian as Azamat; Luenell as Luenell; Alex Daniels as Naked Fight Coordinator; Jim Vickers as Kidnapping Consultant; Peewee Piemonte as Saftey; Michael Li as Action Team; Harry Wowchuk as Action Team
- **Runtime:** 1h 24m
- **First release (the US):** 4 August 2006
- **Genres:** Comedy
- **Also in:** [Golden Globe Best Musical or Comedy winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-comedy.md) (Nominee, 2006)
- **Budget:** $18 million
- **Box office:** $263 million

## Where to watch in Norway

- Disney+: streaming, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: rent kr 39.00, hd
- Apple TV: rent kr 39.00, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy kr 49.00, hd
- Apple TV: buy kr 99.00, hd

*Checked 2026-09-15.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, IE, IL, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TR, UA, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 2007: Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (nominated)

## If you liked this

- *This Is Spinal Tap* (1984), Fi1m 91: Another mock-documentary whose performers understand exactly how seriously foolish people take themselves. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/this-is-spinal-tap.md)
- *The Firemen's Ball* (1967): A community gathering supplies embarrassment, petty corruption and precious little dignity for anyone.
- *Four Lions* (2010), Fi1m 94: Another comedy that risks appalling jokes to make murderous prejudice look pathetically foolish. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/four-lions.md)
- *The Square* (2017): Social confidence collapses under pressure, with plenty of time to study the discomfort.
- *Nathan for You* (2013), Fi1m 87: Elaborate practical jokes turn ordinary encounters into prolonged tests of politeness and credulity. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/nathan-for-you.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/borat-cultural-learnings-of-america-for-make-benefit-glorious-nation-of-kazakhstan