‘Borat’ With Bill Simmons and Kyle Brandt

In this electrifying episode of The Rewatchables, Bill Simmons and Kyle Brandt dive deep into Borat (2006), celebrating it not just as a comedy classic but as a cultural time capsule that reshaped satire. They dissect Sacha Baron Cohen’s method-level commitment—living in character for a year, never washing his suit, and enduring 92 police calls—while marveling at the film’s unscripted chaos and the sheer audacity of its mockumentary form. The conversation spirals into a love letter to Azamat, the unforgettable character played by Ken Davidian, whose real-life struggles and bizarre audition story make him one of cinema’s most mythic bit players. The hosts dissect the film’s most iconic scenes—the naked fight, the Jewish Airbnb, the Southern Manor dinner—with equal parts laughter and unease, acknowledging how the movie’s cruelty now feels both hilarious and deeply uncomfortable in our current cultural climate. They reflect on how Borat’s legacy was warped by social media, turning its most shocking moments into memes, and lament the absence of a modern equivalent to its brand of fearless, improvisational satire. Ultimately, they argue that Borat remains unmatched—not just for its jokes, but for its ability to make audiences laugh while questioning what they’re laughing at.