Sunday, September 15, 2024

Matt Walsh and The Daily Wire Strike Again: ‘Am I Racist?’ Is Borat-Style Humor for Conservatives

 Scott Pinsker – PJ Media

One sidenote: Kudos to the editors and producers for making the film Kamala-centric. Numerous scenes were undoubtedly reshot — hastily, I’d assume — after Joe Biden abandoned his reelection campaign just a month ago. The film does a wonderful job at switching the focus away from Biden and onto Harris.

"In certain respects, this film is review-proof: Matt Walsh and The Daily Wire are already big winners. Their new feature film — a mockumentary about diversity education — opened last night in 1,500 theaters. Anecdotally, their fanbase responded enthusiastically, filling 75+ percent of seats in many markets across the country.

"But The Daily Wire already got what it wanted: The visibility of their brand was amplified, and the celebrity profile of one of their biggest personalities, Matt Walsh, was elevated. Regardless of how well it does in the box office, as a vehicle for self-promotion, DEI = ROI.

"The story (such as it is) is fairly thin: Matt Walsh has questions about diversity and racism, which leads him down the DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) rabbit hole. Alas, Wash is so gosh-darn famous, he must don a disguise. And so he does: God-awful skinny jeans, nerd-glasses and an ill-fitting man-bun. The rest of the film is mostly Walsh interviewing mush-brained “anti-racist” educators, slyly — and not so slyly — challenging their most cherished beliefs.

"The parallels to “Borat,” a 2006 mockumentary by Sacha Baron Cohen, are self-evident. Walsh and Cohen are both gifted comedic interviewers with an uncanny knack for maintaining a straight face and perfect composure amidst mayhem and absurdity. Both rely on uncomfortable social moments, cringe-humor, subterfuge, and “gotcha” exposés of self-important tastemakers, influencers and experts. 

“ 'Am I Racist?” veers from the “Borat” formula towards the end, almost becoming a live-action version of “South Park,” complete with a Kyle-esque “I learned something today” speech in the finale." . . .

No comments: