by Josh Sewell
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
(Rated R for pervasive strong crude and sexual content, graphic nudity, and language. Available on Amazon Prime.)
The cast: Sacha Baron Cohen and Maria Bakalova.
What it’s about: 14 years after his first hilarious, shocking film, journalist Borat Sagdiyev (Baron Cohen) returns to the United States from Kazakhstan. This time he brings his daughter (Bakalova) along, where they discover more about American culture, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2020 election.
The good: Baron Cohen remains a master of surprise, recently announcing that not only had he shot an unexpected sequel to his 2006 box office smash (it grossed $262.5 worldwide) in total secrecy, it would also hit Amazon Prime Video before the election. Far from the lazy cash grab most comedy sequels are, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is a razor-sharp satire of American culture in this garbage fire of a year.
Large portions of the movie were shot during the pandemic, which allows Baron Cohen to address the United States’ volatile political climate, its nasty anti-science streak, as well as its casual acceptance of racism, misogyny, xenophobia and other uncomfortable topics.
Like the original film, Baron Cohen uses a fictional framework – Borat and his teenage daughter attempting to complete a mission for the president of Kazakhstan – to connect a series of encounters with real people (some of whom are incredibly famous) that show how much Americans are willing to admit about themselves despite the presence of cameras.
Many of these interactions are so shocking that I literally screamed and covered my eyes. In fact, the final high-profile interview is so alarming and uncomfortable that I have no doubt it will make national headlines. (If you want to see the movie unspoiled, I highly recommend watching it before the weekend news cycle.) It’s also got one of the most satisfying endings I’ve seen all year.
However, perhaps the biggest surprise of all is that Baron Cohen and his incredible co-star/accomplice Bakalova don’t just capture the ugliness of America’s current moment. They also showcase the best of us. I would’ve never anticipated getting choked up during a sequel to Borat, but that’s precisely what happened. The film is unquestionably crude and horrifying (often unbearably so), but it also has a big heart and noble intentions.
The not-so-good: If you can’t handle “cringe comedy” or suffer from secondhand embarrassment, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is going to be a tough watch. I should know – it runs a brief 95 minutes, but it took me almost three hours to finish. I had to take frequent breaks because I squirmed so much. It’s hilarious, but man is it brutal.
Grade: A-
The Witches
(Rated PG for scary images/moments, language and thematic elements. Available on HBO Max.)
The cast: Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci, Chris Rock, Kristin Chenoweth and Jahzir Bruno.
What it’s about: In this reimagining of Roald Dahl’s story, iconic director Robert Zemeckis (who shares screenplay credit with Kenya Barris and Guillermo del Toro) shifts the plot to rural Alabama in the late 1960s. That’s where a young orphan (Bruno) goes to live with his grandmother (Spencer). Soon after, they encounter a group of evil witches (led by Hathaway) that turn the little boy into a mouse. Shocked by this turn of events, the two must work together to stop the witches from harming more children.
The good: Considering Zemeckis is responsible for some of my all-time favorite films, no one is happier than me to announce that he’s finally got another winner after two decades of misfires. (I haven’t fully enjoyed one of his films since 2000, when we got Cast Away and What Lies Beneath in the same year. So, it’s darkly ironic that the pandemic has forced The Witches to scrub its theatrical release and go straight to HBO Max.
Zemeckis’ adaptation of Dahl’s book is much different in tone than its 1990 predecessor – it’s a slightly spooky adventure yarn rather than full-blown horror, but that makes it far more family-friendly and less traumatizing. Fans of Nicolas Roeg’s version might consider this blasphemy, but I found it to be much more enjoyable than I expected. My 10-year-old daughter had a blast.
As always, the director knows his way around an entertaining setpiece, and the visual effects are impressive most of the time (no Polar Express-style kids with dead eyes in this one). The film is also anchored by engaging performances from Hathaway (leaving no piece of scenery un-devoured) and Spencer, as well as high-energy narration from Rock.
The not-so-good: While Hathaway’s villain is creepy, I do miss the practical makeup effects the 1990 version used to make Anjelica Huston nightmare-inducing. A giant mouth full of sharp, CGI teeth doesn’t quite have the same effect. I was also a little disappointed by the ending, which feels rushed and anticlimactic.
Grade: B
Friendsgiving
(Rated R for crude sexual content and language throughout, and for drug use. Now playing in select theaters and available On Demand.)
The cast: Malin Akerman, Kat Dennings, Aisha Tyler, Jack Donnelly, Jane Seymour, Ryan Hansen and Deon Cole.
What it’s about: Abby (Dennings) is looking forward to a simple, quiet Thanksgiving with her best friend Molly (Akerman) so she can sulk about her recent breakup. However, her plans are disrupted when Molly’s new fling (Donnelly) and overbearing mother (Seymour) invite themselves to dinner. Things get even more chaotic when Abby and Molly’s other BFF (Tyler) changes her family’s plans at the last minute and invites a ton of other people – including Molly’s ex-boyfriend (Hansen).
The good: Writer-director Nicol Paone assembles a killer cast, full of talented comedians (including some fun cameos). Plus, it’s always nice to see Akerman and Dennings play to their strengths rather than get shoved into boring roles like “funny sidekick” or “mean ex-girlfriend.”
There are some genuinely hilarious moments, along with some poignant conversations between the friends. The actors handle both with ease and I’m sure they appreciated the opportunity to keep their characters from being cliché or one-note.
The not-so-good: Even at 95 minutes, Friendsgiving overstays its welcome – much like some of the movie’s characters. That’s primarily because it constantly seems like a long sitcom episode rather than a compelling story that deserves feature-length treatment. (Even the title evokes classic Thanksgiving episodes of Friends.)
Paone clearly knows she’s got a talented cast, so it makes sense that she’d give them freedom to improvise. Unfortunately, she doesn’t seem to know where to rein it in, so a lot of these moments drag on a few beats too long, contributing to the film’s uneven pacing. There are also some jarring tonal shifts – especially in the third act – when Paone pivots from hijinks into more dramatic material about relationships. It’s not necessarily a bad idea, but these moments definitely could’ve used smoother transitions.
Grade: C+
Also available: Once Upon a Snowman, a delightful new animated short on Disney+ that details the origins of Olaf, the scene-stealing sidekick from the Frozen films. Picking up right after Elsa brings him to life, Olaf searches for his purpose and gets help from some familiar faces. It’s a lovely visit to a world fans love and proves there’s still plenty of life in the franchise.
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
 |
| Courtesy of Amazon |
(Rated R for pervasive strong crude and sexual content, graphic nudity, and language. Available on Amazon Prime.)
The cast: Sacha Baron Cohen and Maria Bakalova.
What it’s about: 14 years after his first hilarious, shocking film, journalist Borat Sagdiyev (Baron Cohen) returns to the United States from Kazakhstan. This time he brings his daughter (Bakalova) along, where they discover more about American culture, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2020 election.
The good: Baron Cohen remains a master of surprise, recently announcing that not only had he shot an unexpected sequel to his 2006 box office smash (it grossed $262.5 worldwide) in total secrecy, it would also hit Amazon Prime Video before the election. Far from the lazy cash grab most comedy sequels are, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is a razor-sharp satire of American culture in this garbage fire of a year.
Large portions of the movie were shot during the pandemic, which allows Baron Cohen to address the United States’ volatile political climate, its nasty anti-science streak, as well as its casual acceptance of racism, misogyny, xenophobia and other uncomfortable topics.
Like the original film, Baron Cohen uses a fictional framework – Borat and his teenage daughter attempting to complete a mission for the president of Kazakhstan – to connect a series of encounters with real people (some of whom are incredibly famous) that show how much Americans are willing to admit about themselves despite the presence of cameras.
Many of these interactions are so shocking that I literally screamed and covered my eyes. In fact, the final high-profile interview is so alarming and uncomfortable that I have no doubt it will make national headlines. (If you want to see the movie unspoiled, I highly recommend watching it before the weekend news cycle.) It’s also got one of the most satisfying endings I’ve seen all year.
However, perhaps the biggest surprise of all is that Baron Cohen and his incredible co-star/accomplice Bakalova don’t just capture the ugliness of America’s current moment. They also showcase the best of us. I would’ve never anticipated getting choked up during a sequel to Borat, but that’s precisely what happened. The film is unquestionably crude and horrifying (often unbearably so), but it also has a big heart and noble intentions.
The not-so-good: If you can’t handle “cringe comedy” or suffer from secondhand embarrassment, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is going to be a tough watch. I should know – it runs a brief 95 minutes, but it took me almost three hours to finish. I had to take frequent breaks because I squirmed so much. It’s hilarious, but man is it brutal.
Grade: A-
The Witches
 |
| Courtesy of HBO Max |
(Rated PG for scary images/moments, language and thematic elements. Available on HBO Max.)
The cast: Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci, Chris Rock, Kristin Chenoweth and Jahzir Bruno.
What it’s about: In this reimagining of Roald Dahl’s story, iconic director Robert Zemeckis (who shares screenplay credit with Kenya Barris and Guillermo del Toro) shifts the plot to rural Alabama in the late 1960s. That’s where a young orphan (Bruno) goes to live with his grandmother (Spencer). Soon after, they encounter a group of evil witches (led by Hathaway) that turn the little boy into a mouse. Shocked by this turn of events, the two must work together to stop the witches from harming more children.
The good: Considering Zemeckis is responsible for some of my all-time favorite films, no one is happier than me to announce that he’s finally got another winner after two decades of misfires. (I haven’t fully enjoyed one of his films since 2000, when we got Cast Away and What Lies Beneath in the same year. So, it’s darkly ironic that the pandemic has forced The Witches to scrub its theatrical release and go straight to HBO Max.
Zemeckis’ adaptation of Dahl’s book is much different in tone than its 1990 predecessor – it’s a slightly spooky adventure yarn rather than full-blown horror, but that makes it far more family-friendly and less traumatizing. Fans of Nicolas Roeg’s version might consider this blasphemy, but I found it to be much more enjoyable than I expected. My 10-year-old daughter had a blast.
As always, the director knows his way around an entertaining setpiece, and the visual effects are impressive most of the time (no Polar Express-style kids with dead eyes in this one). The film is also anchored by engaging performances from Hathaway (leaving no piece of scenery un-devoured) and Spencer, as well as high-energy narration from Rock.
The not-so-good: While Hathaway’s villain is creepy, I do miss the practical makeup effects the 1990 version used to make Anjelica Huston nightmare-inducing. A giant mouth full of sharp, CGI teeth doesn’t quite have the same effect. I was also a little disappointed by the ending, which feels rushed and anticlimactic.
Grade: B
Friendsgiving
 |
| Courtesy of Saban Films |
(Rated R for crude sexual content and language throughout, and for drug use. Now playing in select theaters and available On Demand.)
The cast: Malin Akerman, Kat Dennings, Aisha Tyler, Jack Donnelly, Jane Seymour, Ryan Hansen and Deon Cole.
What it’s about: Abby (Dennings) is looking forward to a simple, quiet Thanksgiving with her best friend Molly (Akerman) so she can sulk about her recent breakup. However, her plans are disrupted when Molly’s new fling (Donnelly) and overbearing mother (Seymour) invite themselves to dinner. Things get even more chaotic when Abby and Molly’s other BFF (Tyler) changes her family’s plans at the last minute and invites a ton of other people – including Molly’s ex-boyfriend (Hansen).
The good: Writer-director Nicol Paone assembles a killer cast, full of talented comedians (including some fun cameos). Plus, it’s always nice to see Akerman and Dennings play to their strengths rather than get shoved into boring roles like “funny sidekick” or “mean ex-girlfriend.”
There are some genuinely hilarious moments, along with some poignant conversations between the friends. The actors handle both with ease and I’m sure they appreciated the opportunity to keep their characters from being cliché or one-note.
The not-so-good: Even at 95 minutes, Friendsgiving overstays its welcome – much like some of the movie’s characters. That’s primarily because it constantly seems like a long sitcom episode rather than a compelling story that deserves feature-length treatment. (Even the title evokes classic Thanksgiving episodes of Friends.)
Paone clearly knows she’s got a talented cast, so it makes sense that she’d give them freedom to improvise. Unfortunately, she doesn’t seem to know where to rein it in, so a lot of these moments drag on a few beats too long, contributing to the film’s uneven pacing. There are also some jarring tonal shifts – especially in the third act – when Paone pivots from hijinks into more dramatic material about relationships. It’s not necessarily a bad idea, but these moments definitely could’ve used smoother transitions.
Grade: C+
 |
| Courtesy of Disney |
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