Lazy, biased and (most importantly) unfunny
Although a fan of Borat (and to some extent, Sacha Baron Cohen) I went into this movie with the full knowledge that it was going to be a one-sided hit-piece on all things 'Trump'
At very least, I expected Baron Cohen to try pull 'something' (anything?) out of the bag, and make me laugh, despite myself......Sadly, not here.
I'm fully aware, that Baron Cohen (and 'Borat' specifically) are quite well known to western audiences, so there's little anonymity to his 'schtick' this time around....but this movie still carried on as if it was all secretly filmed, on-the-hoof film-making (when it clearly wasn't)
Everything here was staged (right down to briefest viginette) and all the (paid) actors and/or onlookers needn't have had to worry about 'corpsing' on camera....because the material here was (worryingly) dire. If this is the best they can do 'scripted', then perhaps Baron Cohen needs to look elsewhere in future?
Nothing (at all) rang true (not even the so-called 'shocked-reactions') This was a stale, lazy and predictable 'hit-piece' and (apart from chuckling slightly at the 'period-gag') the only 'funny' thing about it was the 'agenda' behind it.
Amazon have put this out just before the election (and it shows) The finished product, could have (conceivably) been written, rehearsed, performed, filmed and edited over a wet weekend (it's simply *that* lacking and allround 'meh')
Whereas Baron Cohen once used his 'stereotypical' (albeit, incestuous, fish-out-of-water) foreigner, to (cleverly) prank his prey into revealing their own (real) cultural prejudices/eccentricities....he instead targets the individual (Trump) .....and to a lazier extent, Conservatives and Christianity (primarily, because it's a lot safer than mocking the polar opposite, I guess?)
There was a minefield of material Baron Cohen could/should have used, had he kept it on a level-playing field. Which is a crying shame, because I could envision the (publicity-thirsty) Democrats actually being a lot more susceptible to pranks of this nature....but of course, actual comedy and entertainment take a backseat here, over political bias (and the public are sick to death of celebrity opinions as it is.....even moreso, when it's supposed to be a comedy)
The (oh-so) 'controversial' Rudy Guiliaini sequence was about as forced and staged as everything else beforehand. Employing doubles, inserts and dubbing to pad out the flimsiest of scenes of the former Mayor lying down on a bed to remove his microphone pack.
I hope Guiliaini sues both Amazon and Baron Cohen....which would produce the one genuine laugh from this deeply, unfunny mess (Rounded off by sickening self-advertising from Amazon and a smug Tom Hanks cameo) that'll likely help cement Donald Trump another four years in office.