In theaters

BORAT: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, directed by Larry Charles, written by Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Peter Baynham and Dan Mazer, 89 minutes, rated R.

In the brash, funny mockumentary “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” the question isn’t whether we should be offended by Borat Sagdiyev (Sacha Baron Cohen), who comes from Kazakhstan armed with a mother lode of anti-Semitism and crude malapropisms.

Instead, the movie’s twist – and its genius, really – is whether we should pity those real-life Americans tricked by Cohen, who is Jewish, into revealing some rather telling sides of themselves, such as whether they are anti-Semites, homophobes, misogynists, bigots, racists, you name it.

The film, which Larry Charles based on a script by Cohen, Anthony Hines, Peter Baynham and Dan Mazer, builds its story of deceit around Borat, a likeable wreck whom we first see enthusiastically showing us around his muddy village.

There, Borat introduces us to the town’s rapist (“Naughty, naughty!”), passionately kisses a woman we later learn is his sister (“She the fourth most popular prostitute in Kazakhstan! Sexy time!”), and enters his home, which he apparently shares with the family cow.

This also is a place that features the popular event “The Running of the Jew,” which likely is one reason that the government of Kazakhstan officially has condemned the film. The same also can’t be said for North American audiences, which have since made “Borat” a box-office smash. Could it be that they’re in on the joke? Or might it be that some favor the bashing? Probably a mix of both, though truly it would take an idiot not to understand that Cohen is aiming for insight here, albeit through a very raw, dark vehicle of humor.

The film’s slim premise goes like this – Borat is charged by his country to travel to the United States with his producer, Azamat (Ken Davitian), to make an informative documentary that presumably will allow Kazakhstan to benefit from all that we’ve learned. But not so fast. It’s in New York that he comes upon the television show “Baywatch” and falls in love with Pamela Anderson. Shifting gears, Borat decides to go cross-country to California, where he hopes to realize his own American dream and convince Anderson to marry him.

It’s on that road trip that the film realizes its stinging worth – it becomes a nest of vignettes in which Cohen nudges himself into pockets of our culture that some would sooner wish to forget.

For instance, right now Alan Keyes likely isn’t a big Borat fan, nor is conservative radio host Bob Barr, each of whom is skewered. There’s the scene in which Borat, dressed in patriotic flair, draws cheers at a Virginia rodeo when he applauds President Bush for his “war of terror!” The crowd goes wild. And let’s not forget the vendor who is asked by Borat which gun would be perfect for killing a Jew – and then, incredibly, the man shows him exactly which one he’d use. Finally, it’s tough to forget Borat’s revealing interaction with several drunk college dudes, all of whom, you hope, will one day work through their stunted issues surrounding sexuality and become better people.

Or not.

Grade: B+

On DVD

“AMERICAN DREAMZ,” written and directed by Paul Weitz, 107 minutes, PG-13.

Paul Weitz’s “American Dreamz” assembles a sumptuous buffet for the viewer, but since Weitz isn’t hungry, he refuses to eat.

The film attempts to send up “American Idol,” George W. Bush, pop culture and our fascination with fame, and yet somehow – incredibly – it misses on every level.

How do you screw up an opportunity such as this? Even if you love “American Idol,” love Bush, love where the culture is going, adore fame, you would think there is no way you could miss taking them all on, even if you felt you had to play it safe by doing it with affection. Certainly even then a measure of good-natured hair-pulling wouldn’t be out of line. Perhaps it might even be fun, as it is in “Borat.”

“American Dreamz” isn’t even a little fun. It’s dull and generic, with the ongoing sense that it was conceived by some dim-witted enfant banal handed a Handicam and sent wandering into the back lot, where it encountered a sideshow it couldn’t understand.

In its most streamlined form, the film is about an attempt by our down-in-the-dumps president (Dennis Quaid) to lift his disappointing poll numbers by appearing on the nation’s most-watched television talent show, “American Dreamz.” The idea is that by being on a hip show, the hipness will wear off. It doesn’t, though the president’s chief of staff (Willem Dafoe, lamely channeling Cheney) and bland wife (Marcia Gay Harden, lamely channeling Laura) believe it might.

Hugh Grant is Martin Tweed, the show’s critic who is meant to be a riff on Simon Cowell, but forget it – it’s a bad imitation. Mandy Moore is Sally Kendoo, a Midwestern climber who considers ditching her boyfriend, William Williams (Chris Klein) when she’s chosen to appear on “American Dreamz” but who has second thoughts when Tweed suggests that William’s war injury might help her chances of winning. Add to this the inclusion of a terrorist Arab bomber named Omer (Sam Golzari), who has a thing for show tunes and a flamboyantly gay cousin (Tony Yalda) at the ready, and what you have is a melting pot of stereotypes moving toward a literally explosive ending.

The problem with “American Dreamz” is that it has no bite. The jokes are lazy and flat. There is no rhythm to the show, no sense that anyone here is having a good time. Malaise is an undercurrent that robs the movie of energy. The performances range from the boring to the Ambien-induced, with the movie offering nothing memorable along the way. In the end, to quote Cowell, it’s hideous.

Grade: D-

Visit www.weekinrewind.com, the archive of Bangor Daily News film critic Christopher Smith’s reviews, which appear Mondays in Discovering, Fridays in Happening, and weekends in Television. He may be reached at christopher@weekinrewind.com.

The Video-DVD Corner

Renting a video or a DVD? BDN film critic Christopher Smith can help. Below are his grades of recent releases in video stores. Those in bold print are new to video stores this week.

Akeelah and the Bee – B+

American Dreamz – D-

ATL – B-

Basic Instinct 2 – D+

The Benchwarmers – D

Big Momma’s House 2 – D

Black Hawk Down: Blu-Ray – B

Breakfast on Pluto – B

The Break-up – B

Brokeback Mountain – A-

Broken Trail – B

Capote – A

Cars – C

Cheaper by the Dozen 2 – C-

Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – A

Click – C-

The Constant Gardener – A-

Curious George – B

Date Movie – D-

The Da Vinci Code – C+

Derailed – C+

Double Indemnity – A

Failure to Launch – C-

The Family Stone – D

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift – B

Freedomland – C-

Friends with Money – B

Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties – C+

The Hills Have Eyes – D

A History of Violence – A

How Art Made the World – A

Howl’s Moving Castle – A-

Inside Man – B+

Junebug – A

Kinky Boots – B+

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang – B+

Last Holiday – B

The League of Extra Ordinary Gentlemen: Blu-Ray – C-

The Libertine – D

Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Vol. 4 – A

Lucky Number Slevin – B

The Matador – B+

Match Point – A

Mission Impossible III – C-

Monster House – B+

Munich – A-

Nacho Libre – C

North Country – C

The Omen – B-

Over the Hedge – B

Paradise Now – A-

Poseidon – B

A Prairie Home Companion – C

Red Eye – B+

Rumor Has It … – C-

Saving Shiloh – B

Scary Movie 4 – D+

The Shaggy Dog – C-

Shakespeare Behind Bars – A-

16 Blocks – B

The Squid and the Whale – B+

Slither – B

Stay Alive – D-

Take the Lead – C-

That Girl: Season Two – B+

Transamerica – B

The Transporter: Blu-Ray – B-

United 93 – A

V for Vendetta: HD DVD – B+

X-Men: The Last Stand – B-