Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
14 years after making a film about his journey across the USA, Borat risks life and limb when he returns to the United States with his young daughter, and reveals more about the culture, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the political elections.
The sequel retreads much of the original's mockumentary formula — hidden camera pranks, social satire, fish-out-of-water comedy — without meaningfully reinventing the format. The addition of Borat's daughter (played capably by Maria Bakalova, who is the real standout) adds some heart and freshness, and the Giuliani scene generates genuine shock value. But the plot is thin scaffolding for set pieces, cinematography is intentionally rough and functional by design (scoring low as a craft category), and the ending feels rushed and unearned. Novelty suffers most because the shock of the original's form has already worn off, making this feel derivative of itself. A serviceable comedy sequel that has moments of brilliance but rarely surpasses its predecessor.