The actor Mel Brooks called his comedy heir: “The Brooksian boldness in that young man”
There’s only ever going to be one Mel Brooks, and with the legendary actor and comedian rapidly closing in on his centenary and showing no signs of slowing down, his ‘2000 Year Old Man’ sketch might become a reality, meaning we’ll never need one.
Much like the EGOT-winning funnyman learned from his heroes and inspirations, when he grew up and often collaborated with the likes of Sid Caesar, the Ritz brothers, the Marx brothers, Carl Reiner, Jack Benny, Norman Lear, and others, his own anarchic style has inspired several generations.
The Producers and Blazing Saddles broke new ground for Hollywood comedy by tackling taboos and shattering boundaries, after which the genre continued to see how far it could push the limits of good taste. Brooks thinks he only went too far once, but he hasn’t always appreciated the crude and puerile evolution that arguably owes more to his work than it does anybody else.
On the other hand, one of modern cinema’s most famous, or infamous, bad taste comedy performers was named by no less of an authority than Brooks himself as his heir apparent. Even when he was travelling as near the knuckle as he ever did, the writer, director, actor, and producer wouldn’t dare wrestle a naked obese man, incite potential riots, or risk the wrath of an entire nation by repeatedly offending them.
Still, when Time asked him to name the people he saw as his spiritual offspring, there was only one that came to mind. “I would say one of my grandchildren would be Sacha Baron Cohen,” he said. “The nerviness. The boldness. The Brooksian boldness in that young man. I think he’s great.”
They do have fairly similar origin stories, even if they’re far from identical. Before he’d even set foot on the silver screen, Brooks cut his teeth on television, serving as a writer, performer, and producer on Your Show of Shows, Caesar’s Hour, and Get Smart, before he graduated to developing, scripting, and starring in his own vehicles.
Similarly, Cohen started his career on The 11 O’Clock Show as Ali G, which led to a spinoff series that debuted several other new characters, which led him to a pair of Academy Award nominations for writing the two Borat movies and established him as modern cinema’s marquee undercover comedian, who couldn’t meet a dangerous situation that he wouldn’t launch himself into headfirst in the name of a laugh.
He’s a lot cruder than Brooks has ever been, and the veteran would no doubt draw the line and turning innocent people into figures of mockery and ridicule, but it’s easy to see why he would view Cohen as having that trademark “Brooksian boldness,” looking at the scrapes he’s gotten himself into over the years by refusing to break character, even when being faced with very real threats against his life.
To some, he may not be deemed fit enough to lace Brooks’ comedic boots, but if he’s good enough to get the seal of approval from the man himself, then it’s hard to argue.
