Even before it finally started streaming on Amazon Prime, Sacha Baron Cohen’s sequel Borat Subsequent Moviefilm was making headlines. There’s the controversial Rudy Giuliani scene, in which the current advisor to President Donald Trump got himself caught in a compromising position with Cohen’s Borat 2 co-star, Maria Bakalova. And now we are learning that Giuliani isn’t the only person in Trump’s universe to have bene duped by this duo.
That’s a deleted scene from Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. And I have no clue how they didn’t include it. It shows Maria Bakalova posing as a journalist to befriend a member of the conservative news network OAN – specifically, the network’s White House correspondent, Chanel Rion. And even though Bakalova is an actress, one who is posing as Borat’s “daughter” for the benefit of the movie, she still manages to work her way into the White House briefing room.
How the hell is that possible?
The clip, mind you, is taken out of context. We don’t know what Maria Bakalova said to OAN reporter Chanel Rion to get her to usher her into the White House. But still… THIS IS THE WHITE HOUSE. How does the co-star of a Borat movie get into the press briefing room? This should be difficult, no? When the nation is in the middle of a pandemic (as seen by Rion wearing a mask), this shouldn’t happen.
It doesn’t stop there. At a separate point, now donning a brown wig (as opposed to the blonde one she had on with Chanel Rion), Maria Bakalova managed to get up close and personal with Donald Trump Jr., pretending to be “nervous” and “excited” about meeting him. This interaction is less controversial. They look like they are at a crowded meet-and-greet. It’s not the White House.
How much additional footage do we think Sacha Baron Cohen has from the making of Borat Subsequent Moviefilm? Enough to keep rolling out clips like this on social media? Enough to make… a third film? While it’s unfortunate that the Borat sequel isn’t making its way to movie theaters, it absolutely is raising Amazon Prime’s profile, and is expected to generate strong streams this weekend. No one knew that we needed a Borat sequel. But now that it’s here, it’s worth watching, and talking about.
Also, all kudos to Maria Bakalova, a true standout from Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. She is as gifted of a comedian as Sacha Baron Cohen, and thinks incredibly quickly on her feet inprovisational situation that have to be mined for comedy. So many of them could go south if Bakalova can’t react quick and keep conversation flowing. There’s Oscar talk for the performance, and while that might sounds crazy on the surface, it’s deserved.
