Every week, Ultimate Movie Year looks back into the past to highlight the best film that came out that weekend.
"Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan"
Released Nov. 3, 2006
Directed by Larry Charles
Critical acclaim for film comedies does not come easy. No matter how successful or funny a movie is, they are rarely slotted for a "Best of" list or awards consideration, despite even the Golden Globes having a category that recognizes explicitly comedy, which is some feat.
So how do we rate film comedy? It often comes down to public sentiment, and often revolves around one standard: Is the movie quotable, or not? The best comedies of modern film all meet this standard, from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" to "Ghostbusters," "The Big Lebowski" to "Anchorman." Presumably, dust-covered children who dropped Rufus T. Firefly lines on classmates were the coolest kids of the Depression-era.
By this standard, "Borat," the 2006 comedy starring Sacha Baron Cohen's Kazakh transplant wreaking havoc across the cultural norms of America, is one of the best. But all good things must come to an end, and it's time to retire the film's choicest lines.