Influencers, vloggers, social media stars, call-them-what-you-will often do senseless things like destroy cars for laughs and clicks, in what could best be described as a misguided attempt at delivering a twist on escapism. Is it any better if Borat is doing it?
British actor Sacha Baron Cohen has resumed his Borat character for a sequel to the 2006 film, the long-winded Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. It’s now out on Amazon Prime (as of last week), so the video at the bottom of the page was shot and posted online prior to that. It has over 8.7 million views as of the time of press (hat tip to InsideEVs).
Borat is not your typical comedy, and marketing for it has mostly eschewed traditional forms of promotion and advertising. This time around, Cohen has teemed up with popular vloggers for promotional content, used social media (he has his own channels) and other types of PR stunts (like renting out barges and inflatable Borats) to draw attention to the latest release.
The video below falls in the first category. YouTuber David Dobrik got Borat to show up to his house and surprise one of his friends, a huge fan. The result is exactly what you’d expect if you invite Cohen over in character.
Among other things, Borat drove in a mail truck and slammed into Dobrik’s Model X door, almost tearing it off. He argued that “you buy cheap car, you should expect this” and said his truck was the one truly expensive, since it cost more than $300. He then proceeded to try and fix it but probably caused more damage.
Borat also destroyed Dobrik’s gumball machine and made a mess on the floor, and claimed the vlogger owed him money since he no longer had to insert coins into the machine to get the gumballs out. He also took Dobrik & co. for a ride in his mail truck and showed them the world’s latest in technology for safety, a belt that ties you to the seat of the car.
The video is typical Borat fare. It’s strewn with inappropriate jokes, laced with profanity and packs more zingers and improv that you’re likely to see in most of today’s comedians’ acts. Does the fact that he’s in character make it right for Cohen to destroy a car for publicity purposes? Well, that’s up to each viewer, but there is feeling that this would have been just as funny without wanton destruction of property.
*Warning: Please be advised that the video contains graphic language that might offend.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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