Frat Boys v. Borat

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

I wonder if it had occurred to them that by making a bigger noise about it, more people would want to check out the movie? (can't wait to see it yet, btw)

US Students Sue over Borat Film

Two US students are suing a film studio claiming they were duped into appearing in spoof movie Borat starring Sacha Baron Cohen as a Kazakh journalist.

The unknown plaintiffs are seen making sexist and racist remarks in Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.

Legal papers said the two men "engaged in behaviour that they otherwise would not have engaged in".

Spokesman for 20th Century Fox Gregg Brilliant said the case "has no merit".

The men are identified in the film as two fraternity members from a South Carolina university.

'Humiliation'

They are not named in the case "to protect themselves from any additional and unnecessary embarrassment".

According to legal documents, a production crew took the pair to a bar to drink and "loosen up" before taking part in a documentary they were told would be shown outside the US.

The film "made plaintiffs the object of ridicule, humiliation, mental anguish and emotional and physical distress, loss of reputation, goodwill and standing in the community," the papers stated.

British comedian Cohen appears in the film as an apparently naive reporter whose enthusiastic offensiveness either leaves his US interviewees in shock, or persuades them to reveal a little too much of their own prejudices.

As well as Fox, the two men are also suing three other production companies.

The film is currently at the top of the box office charts in North America and the UK.

[Hartamophone]

The guys said some completely indefensible things, the context of which shouldn't matter. FULL STOP.

That being said, if they were, in fact, told that the documentary would not be shown in the US, I can't blame them for being pissed.

[Booche]

A camera is in your face.

What do you do?

Simple fucking logistics if you ask me. You signed a paper giving that material up?

Too bad if you were wasted. Buck up morons.

[Birdy]

yup.

frat boys.

[Davey Boy 2.0]

Thai zoo to teach panda to mate with porn videos

[mattyp]

Maybe they're just trying to "get a piece of the pie"?

I wouldn't be surprised if other similar lawsuits are filed since it is #1 at the box office.

[dimafleck: the living legend.]

that was one part of the movie where i actually felt uncomfortable.

those guys are such morons.

[MarcO]

I think we're gonna hit this up tonight!

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

We opted for the TPB movie last week, but realised by the time it was over that that one might best have been saved in for a night's watching at home. Borat next time for sure.

[Wassink Wild Card!]

Those frat boys should be embarrased! They were fucking idiots.

I think there was some fine print to be read somewhere, which they obivously didn't do.

If they ever even had an 'image' to uphold, it's been smashed. They should move out of their town asap!

[can-o-phish]

Saw this flick last night and even though it's a comedy in the style of "shock & awe" humour, it has multiple levels...

Laughed my ass off regardless...it's banned in Russia or parts of and I'm wondering why it hasn't been banned in the states as it pokes just as much fun at them as Russia...

Worth every cent!!!

[deranger]

A producer at ABC lost her job for allowing Borat to go on the air without realizing or being aware he was in character. (the scene where he's being interviewed on the ABC monring show and stands up, etc.)

Funny movie, but 2 things I find interesting. 1) So much over the top jewish stereotyping, trying to be satirical but wayyy over the top. 2) the fact the Cohen is jewish and when "speaking" his "language" (what the audience is supposed to believe is Borat 'Kazachstanese') he's actually speaking Hebrew and using Israeli slang. (I was told by Hebrew spekaing friends). An odd juxtaposition considering the content of the movie.

[kookycanooky]

Funny movie, but 2 things I find interesting. 1) So much over the top jewish stereotyping, trying to be satirical but wayyy over the top. 2) the fact the Cohen is jewish and when "speaking" his "language" (what the audience is supposed to believe is Borat 'Kazachstanese') he's actually speaking Hebrew and using Israeli slang. (I was told by Hebrew spekaing friends). An odd juxtaposition considering the content of the movie.

i thought i was just really really high....but he did it through the entire movie!

[AD]

he takes it over the top so that it's not offensive, it's funny. it's the whole essence of the character.

[can-o-phish]

A producer at ABC lost her job for allowing Borat to go on the air without realizing or being aware he was in character. (the scene where he's being interviewed on the ABC monring show and stands up, etc.)

Upon leaving this flic, we were discussing about how we've censored almost everything to the point of it being impossible to talk on any subject without offending someone or some culture...

Case in point...instead of recognizing the humour of this "gag interview" and having a laugh while wearing a bit of egg on the face, someone was fired???

Just my humble opinion but it's time that people learn to relax just a bit and not get their undies in a knot over every little silly thing that happens...

Sad that a producer lost her job over this as it was all about humour...

[MarcO]

An instant classic, Cohen is a genius.

I was not disappointed at all.

[dimafleck: the living legend.]

actually,

the producer was fired because of her reaction to her own mistake, not because she let borat on the show.

[Hartamophone]

I'm definitely in the minority of people who have seen this movie but didn't think it was one of the funniest movies ever made.

I was entertained - for the most part - but I don't know how much "genius" it takes to bring a bag of shit to a dinner table, or prove that an elderly man working at a rodeo in the south is a raging homophobe.

The premise is funny, and props to Sacha Baron Cohen for coming up with the character. That said, I don't think it's much of a stretch, once in that character, to make unsuspecting people look like idiots. Wow, he got a couple of frat boys to admit to being misogynistic racists - never would have seen that one coming.

My two cents.

Peace,

Hart

[faoy]

The guys said some completely indefensible things, the context of which shouldn't matter. FULL STOP.

That being said, if they were, in fact, told that the documentary would not be shown in the US, I can't blame them for being pissed.

According to the link they were told it would be shown outside the US. This does not mean it would not be shown within the US. It's a play on words which I believe is perfectly legal and proves once again how ignorant they are.

[NewRider]

I'm definitely in the minority of people who have seen this movie but didn't think it was one of the funniest movies ever made.

I was entertained - for the most part - but I don't know how much "genius" it takes to bring a bag of shit to a dinner table, or prove that an elderly man working at a rodeo in the south is a raging homophobe.

The premise is funny, and props to Sacha Baron Cohen for coming up with the character. That said, I don't think it's much of a stretch, once in that character, to make unsuspecting people look like idiots. Wow, he got a couple of frat boys to admit to being misogynistic racists - never would have seen that one coming.

My two cents.

Peace,

Hart

I agree 100%. Just saw it tonight, laughed my balls off but it's not genious to me. When I see a film like The Big Lebowski, Waiting For Guffman, Almost Famous I think genius. The film hasn't been out two weeks and I already heard about every part of the film. It isn't surprising or shocking in the least. I saw the damn movie in Milton and I think people were cheering on the rodeo dude and frat boys.

A fun movie to go and see but the funniest?!? Genius?!?!? Not in my opinion.

[Booche]

Some Jokes Aren't So Funny As Borat Gets Punched In The Face

November 13, 2006 9:47 p.m. EST

Matthew Borghese - All Headline News Staff Writer

New York, NY (AHN) - Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, who plays the culturally clueless Kazakhstani TV reporter, Borat, got more than he bargained for on the streets of the Big Apple.

While pranking an innocent bystander in New York, Borat said to a man, "I like your clothings. Are nice! Please may I buying? I want have sex with it." The man, however, didn't appreciate the remark and punched the comedian in the face.

According to London's Sun newspaper Cohen, the comedian was struck again and again before being rescued by actor friend (and star of Ten series House) Hugh Laurie, who was accompanying Cohen to a New York bar. The reported incident took place after Laurie and Cohen appeared on the US TV show Saturday Night Live late last month.

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

And again,

Accidental Stars of 'Borat' Want the Last Laugh

By BLAIR SODEN [ABC]

Nov. 12, 2006 — Some unwitting stars of the hit comedy "Borat" don't get the joke.

In the fall of 2005, Michael Psenicska, owner of the Perry Hall Driving School in Baltimore County, Md., got a call from a production company making a foreign documentary film. Their star needed driving lessons.

Psenicska was not surprised: His school offers a class specifically for immigrant drivers. But when the student arrived, Psenicska had no idea that the supposed Kazakh journalist, Borat, was really British comedian, Sacha Baron Cohen. Little did he know that 18 months later, the "foreign documentary" he agreed to appear in would be the number one movie at the American box office.

Psenicska and several others approached by the film's producers are the inadvertent stars of "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan." The feature film grossed over $26.4 million when it opened last weekend in limited release. With the number of theaters tripling to over 2,500 this weekend, it held the top spot, earning an estimated $29 million more.

Duped by Cash

But the films "stars" aren't celebrating the chart-topping debut.

Most recently, Britain's Daily Mail newspaper reported that villagers in the Kazakh town of Glod, where Baron Cohen filmed scenes, feel that they were tricked and ripped off by the actor and his producers.

Psenicska and several others said they were duped into participating in the film. At least three people who appeared in the film claim a producer handed them cash to distract them from the release form that followed.

"I saw $500 and signed it," Psenicska said. "I thought nothing about it because I would release them to do a documentary."

Car salesman Jim Sell said he also was deceived by the lure of cold-hard cash when the producers of Borat approached him to participate at the Criswell Chevrolet car dealership in Gaithersburg, Md.

"They put [the release] in front of me right when they were giving me the $150," Sell said.

He didn't read through the release because the crew had already started filming. Sell also worries that his reputation as a dealer of fine vehicles will be tarnished by the implication that he sold Borat an ice-cream truck. (For the record, he did not.)

Joe Behar said he was duped into participating in the movie when members of the production team arrived at the Four Seasons Kosher Bed & Breakfast, which he owns with his wife Miriam in Newton, Mass.

He said he was told the documentary was commissioned by the Kazakhstan Department of Tourism. Even then, Behar and his wife were hesitant to participate.

"I told him that I didn't want our pictures to be presented in the promotion of the movie," Behar said.

The producers kept to their word on that front. The Behars don't appear in any of the previews or advertisements for the film, but the couple believes that's hardly a consolation.

Rumors and Lawsuits

In a scene from the movie, Borat and his producer, Azamat, believe two cockroaches in their hotel room to be the Behars. The joke is that as Jews, the Behars have transformed into vermin to spy on the Kazakh guests.

The Behars said the cockroaches were superimposed by the studio in their house and "hurt us personally."

"This is very insulting to us," Joe Behar said. "They never told us they were going to do this, so this is really terrible to us — because every friend is talking to us, thinks we have cockroaches."

The Behars worry that word of the cockroaches will fuel the town rumor mill, and others fear appearing in the movie will have implications on their futures as well.

Car salesman Sell said he doesn't think he got his fair share of the pie.

"One hundred-fifty dollars, and the movie grossed $26 million in three days," he said. "Everybody there's all smiling at our expense."

Sell isn't the only one questioning the film's payout. Two South Carolina college students who appear in the film are now suing 20th Century Fox for distributing their likenesses under false pretenses. The unnamed plaintiffs said film producers told them they were participating in a documentary to be shown outside of the United States.

Olivier Taillieu, the attorney representing the students, told ABC News, "Our contention is that they were set up, [that] they were set up in a way that made them say certain things that they do not believe to be true."

Driving instructor Psenicska said he also has hired an attorney, but hopes to settle before taking it to court. He claimed he risked his life by getting into the car with Borat, who drives on the wrong side of the road in one scene.

Psenicska is hoping to have the last laugh.

"I don't care what I signed; I know what they did to me and it's just not fair," he said. "Borat has not totally heard the end of me."

Some say Baron Cohen may be the ultimate prankster. Though he may have duped people like Psenicska, Sell and Behar into humiliating themselves for a couple bucks, in some ways he has earned respect.

When asked what he would like to say to Cohen, Behar replied, "He made an extremely good movie. He's very polite. He's very nice. He's a genius."

Despite portraying a character who is wildly anti-Semitic, Baron Cohen himself is Jewish, a fact that was not lost on Behar.

"He doesn't know exactly what he's produced, and I don't think the company knows what they've produced," Behar said, "because what they've produced is a comedy that makes fun of Islam … and he's Jewish, you know."

Psenicska and Behar have different theories on how participating in "Borat" might impact their futures.

Psenicska said his involvement may make him the "cool, old relative" several years down the road.

"My great grandchildren will be saying … 'Back in '06 grandpa was in an R-rated flick,'" he said.

Behar, on the other hand, learned something from his experience. He will forever be skeptical of inquisitive journalists, even the one who wrote this article.

"Just make sure that you don't put anything in that's out of the ordinary," he said.

[Gr8FuL]

The Movie's Hilarious.....Funniest shit i've ever seen without a doubt, and it is genius, he's an amazing actor...just by not breaking character alone,during these interviews etc, he's top notch in my books.

WawaWeeeWah, I like

2 thumbs way the fuck up

[AdamH]

This movie is outstanding and yes, it takes a hell of a genius to put it together. It sounds as if some people viewed it in the same vein as Jackass which is just balls out stupidity. Borat on the other hand, while there's certainly some balls-out scenes, requires real comedic skill and excellent delivery.

It's telling that Hugh Laurie (whose SNL performance was one of the best I've seen in like 5 years) and Sacha are friends.

"Her vagine look like sleeve of wizard's robe"

[djmelbatoast]

So many of those staged scences were just not funny. The TV show was a much better forum for this type of comedy.