Sunday, November 12, 2006

I Heart Kazakhstan


And apparently so do most people according to the 92% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie has made $67.8 million in 10 days and only cost $17 million to create.

But the movie has already sparked one lawsuit by two of the drunken frat boys who make racist and sexist comments in the movie; from personal experience that was the only part of the movie that the audience seemed muted. The lawsuit states that they were tricked and quote:
... engaged in behavior that they otherwise would not have engaged in.
The villagers of Glod ("Mud"), in south-east Romania, are equally displeased by the movie and accuse Sacha Baron Cohen of exploiting them. The villagers believed that Cohen was making a documentary about their hardships rather than being portrayed as rapists, abortionists, and prostitutes. Nicolae Staicu, a local councilor, says he was never told what the movie was about and that the film crew never obtained an appropriate permit. The local vice-mayor, Petre Buzea, stated that
"They got paid so I am sure they are happy. These gipsies will even kill their own father for money,"
in response to whether the villagers were offended by Cohen's film.

In London, Turkish Internet celebrity, Mahir Cagri, who gained through his I Kiss You!!!!! website is considering legal action because he worries people will mistake him for Borat.
"If you (see) this, what you think about me? Mahir is a very bad comedian, Mahir is a homosexual, Mahir may be say the bad things about Jewish people? This is very bad."
Mahir set up his website in the late 1990s to make new friends by offering
Who is want to come TURKEY I can invitate ... She can stay my home.
And in Kazakhstan, "Borat" will not be shown even though it is not officially banned, while in Russia, a government agency believes the film will offend certain groups, and Russian distributors will not be releasing the movie.

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