If you've seen Borat, you probably remember the scene: Borat, played by Sacha Baron Cohen, goes to a driving school and takes a driving lesson. During the lesson, he makes ethnic slurs, discusses the relative brain size of women, drives on the wrong side of the road, and offers the driver of a passing car money to "make sexy time".Well now the driver's ed coach, Michael Psenicska, is suing the filmmakers, saying that they misrepresented the nature of the film when he signed the waiver.
He's asking for $100,000 and frankly, given the success of the film and his fairly prominent role in it (the straight man in a pretty long scene), it seems like a reasonable request.
And do the filmmakers really think that describing Borat as a documentary about the integration of foreign people into the American way of life is a fair and complete description?
Just give the guy his $100,000. It's fair.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-05-2007 @ 7:15PM
thetraderboy said...
are you some sort of moron?
12-05-2007 @ 9:58PM
Eric said...
Based on some of the things that the driver said, it probably hurt his reputation... I'm surprised he's not suing for more. (He did agree with Borat on a few topics, after all)
Give him the money, they can afford it.
12-06-2007 @ 8:24AM
Leonard said...
The key element in the suit, as described in the news blurb, is the allegation of injury to his reputation. I'm puzzled by the claim of injury. I saw the movie and purchased the DVD, and I've never thought the plaintiff driving instructor was anything but a very patient, level headed individual. He's not "entitled" to $100,000. He signed a waiver. If there's no injury from the "misrepresentation" alleged of the movie's producers, then his suit is groundless.
12-06-2007 @ 2:03AM
Jon said...
I would agree with you in an ideal world. $100,000 almost seems like a pittance considering what some actors make these days. However, if they give in to him, it sets a precedent for everyone that signed the waiver that misrepresented the movie to come asking for their share. Probably not the best business plan.
12-06-2007 @ 10:11AM
Jeff said...
I imagine this movie did nothing but great things for the guy. What teenager wouldn't want the driving instructor from Borat?
He's tasted Borat's fame and now thinks he's entitled.