Borat 2 Release Date, Cast And Plot - What We Know So Far

The 2006 comedy Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan remains one of the most popular, quotable, and controversial movies of the 21st century. The film follows Sacha Baron Cohen as the titular Borat, a Kazkhstani man who travels to the United States to learn about its customs, share his own heritage, and stalk Pamela Anderson. And just when you thought people were over saying "very nice" and "my wife," it was unexpectedly announced that Borat 2 would soon arrive to deliver more hilarious hijinks. 

The internet knew something was coming after the YouTube channel CATNIP uploaded video footage showing Sacha Baron Cohen, dressed as Borat, driving around Los Angeles. Confirmation soon followed via a report from Collider that a feature-length sequel was on the way. Not only was the entire film already shot, but it had actually already been screened for a handful of movie industry insiders. Details were sparse at first, but now that the film has finally been released for all to stream on Amazon Prime Video, we can confidently say that the Subsequent Moviefilm is just as offensive and scandalous as the first. 

Early reports and rumblings from the advance screenings suggested that Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan would have a serious political bent — perhaps even moreso than the first film. The October 23 release date, just two weeks before the American election, suggests that Cohen was eager to wade into the vitriolic political season. 

Fears that the COVID-19 pandemic still shuttering many movie theaters across the country might delay a pre-election Borat release ultimately proved unfounded, and the film hit Amazon on October 23 as intended. Now that the film is out, we can safely say that Cohen didn't just wade into the 2020 election — he dove in headfirst wearing nothing but his birthday suit. Prime Video subscribers can now stream this outrageous laugher to their hearts' content.

The screening report from The Film Stage stated the sequel would be called Great Success, but we know now that Cohen actually went to market with the much more cumbersome title, Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. The story catches up with Borat Sagdiyev, who has become an international superstar in the wake of his first documentary, as he goes undercover to continue interviewing public figures in American culture. That culture has changed quite a bit since the original film aired, and now includes one Donald Trump and a serious outbreak of a "viroos," that Borat seems interested in investigating. 

It seems as though Sacha Baron Cohen is sticking with the political themes that have made him so famous over his career. For the original 2006 mockumentary, Cohen traveled around the country in character talking with people from all walks of life. Since Borat is so personable (and back then, mostly unknown, despite debuting on Cohen's earlier TV series Da Ali G Show), these people often ended up letting their guards down and saying some things they may not have wanted to let the world know. The chameleonic comedian parlayed this same tactic into his hit 2018 Showtime series Who is America?, in which Cohen would dress up as various characters and interview political and pop culture figures.

As with most of Cohen's character work, the film does contain the thin connective tissue of a plot (it's all right there in the overwrought subtitle), but the vast majority of the fun is in the ambush style interviews, practical jokes, and sketch-like political satire. Also, there's a Rudi Giuliani scene that's not to be missed.

Amazingly, Cohen is still landing incredibly high-profile cameos for his scenes. Vice President Mike Pence and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani both make humiliating appearances, and that's only the tip of the iceberg, with numerous other cameos from important figures in the mix as well. As previously reported by The Film Stage, one of those appearances is, indeed, bad enough to "potentially derail a political career." 

Don't be surprised if backlash and lawsuits follow. Many people in Hollywood refuse to cast Sacha Baron Cohen due to all of the lawsuits his projects tend to invite. In a year of surprises, the return of Borat seems like it could potentially result in even more bombshells we never saw coming.

This time around, Sacha Baron Cohen is joined by newcomer Maria Bakalova, who portrays his 15-year-old daughter Tutar, the titular gift that he intends to present to American Vice President "Mikhael Pence." If you want to find out whether or not he accepts, you'll just have to watch for yourself. Borat 2 is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video, free with subscription.