Despite an ongoing pandemic, a US Presidential Election that’s a little more than two weeks away and all kinds of additional 2020 craziness, Rudy Giuliani’s surprise appearance in Borat 2 has been a major source of conversation both in the movie world and the political world. It seems everyone (including Borat himself) has their own takes. Giuliani offered a defense of himself, and now President Trump has even been asked. He’s worked extensively with the former New York City Mayor during his time in the White House, and he was actually interviewed by Borat star Sacha Baron Cohen more than a decade ago on Da Ali G Show. He hasn’t offered any public comments on the big scene itself, but he apparently did offer some thoughts on Cohen.
President Trump’s comments reportedly came during a chat on a range of topics with the White House Press Corps on Air Force One. During the questioning, he was asked about the Borat 2 scene and whether he was worried about security issues. He didn’t tackle that issue directly, but he did offer these more general thoughts, per Steve Herman, the White House Bureau Chief for Voice Of America…
I don’t know what happened. But years ago, you know, he (Sacha Baron Cohen) tried to scam me, and I was the only one who said no way. That’s a phony guy, and I don’t find him funny… To me, he’s a creep.
President Trump is, of course, referring to his own appearance on Da Ali G Show way back in 2003. In it, Sacha Baron Cohen, playing his Ali G character not his Borat character, sits down with the businessman who was just a year away from launching his mega-successful reality show The Apprentice. The chat is extremely brief. Ali G tries to get Trump to invest in ice cream gloves. He’s clearly not interested and doesn’t even make a strong attempt to hide his disdain. He ends the interview almost immediately. You can check out footage below…
Reviews of the first Borat movie were almost universally positive with many giving the film near perfect scores. Reviews of the Subsequent Moviefilm have been mostly positive though not so complimentary. There is definitely a loss of originality that comes from going to the same well twice, but the movie still finds ways to shock and surprise. Borat’s daughter, played by the delightful Maria Bakalova, is a wonderful addition, and the more topical humor will no doubt please some while turning off others.
You can watch the entire movie, which includes the much discussed Rudy Giuliani scene, for free on Amazon Prime right now. I wouldn’t recommend it for everyone, but if you enjoy cringe humor and aren’t turned off by graphic material, you’ll have a good time.
