“TAKING GAY TO A NEW LEVEL”
Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen and Gustaf Hammarsten
Directed by: Larry Charles
MPAA Rating: R for pervasive strong and crude sexual content, graphic nudity and language
Genre: Comedy
By John Delia
He did it with Borat and now Sacha Baron Cohen does it again with Bruno an offensive, irritating, vulgar and provocative character that is sure to affront most everyone. But, although the film is contemptuous and irreverent, Cohen’s tongue in cheek performance had me laughing during all of the most outlandish film ever. Upon leaving the theatre however, I said to myself, did I just sit through that? If you are not easily insulted, don’t need a lot of plot and like your films very raunchy, then Bruno should be on your must see list.
Bruno, a gay flamboyant German fashion TV show host has been fired because he no longer can get into fashion shows due to an incident involving a Velcro suit. Upset that he may never fulfill his dream of becoming world famous, he sets out for Los Angeles where he plans to make it big in Hollywood. After some loony attempts at acting, he formulates a TV show and his agent puts together a focus group to check it out. When that fails do to his gayness he takes another tact at becoming world famous by trying to become straight.
Most comedians make fun of either themselves or the audience with their comedy, but in this film, Cohen as Bruno does both. Using his comic style of consternating his spectators by totally abusing their senses with bizarre antics, Cohen takes on the subjects from which most other comics shy away. Zeroing in on racism with a baby adoption, getting involved with a swinger’s sex party to try to un-gay himself, holding a gay wrestling match to creep out straights, poking fun at peace in the Middle East and more.
Offensive, irritating at times, vulgar and dumb are the positive things about the film for as long as you understand that this is a goof, you will have a lot of fun with it. I admit I laughed so hard my stomach muscles ached.
The film will probably go on to make as much as Borat over $250 million. Googling the web site for the film comes up with the working title: Delicious Journeys Through America for the Purpose of Making Heterosexual Males Visibly Uncomfortable in the Presence of a Gay Foreigner in a Mesh T-Shirt, which gives you some idea of what you are about to witness.
The movie was originally rated NC-17 but was toned down to get an R rating, although whatever was extracted surly didn’t make the film any less provocative. The MPAA rated the film R for pervasive strong and crude sexual content, graphic nudity and language, but I also witnessed violence in a whipping scene, porn and what seemed to be political candidate abuse (I think). No one under 17 should see this film, but of course that is what I said about Borat.
FINAL ANALYSIS: Bruno is Borat with a gay theme. (3.5 of 5 Palm Trees)