Title: Bruno
Directed by: Larry Charles
Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat)
Scores: Technical: 90, Story: 90, Acting: 100, Overall: 95
The thing I love about Sacha Baron Cohen is that he is not racist or biased, he will work with anyone. But most of all, he doesn’t make people look stupid. He doesn’t have to.
Sacha Baron Cohen’s latest movie is about a very flamboyant Austrian fashionista named Brüno who, after getting fired from his hit show in his homeland, decides he wants to be famous and takes his show to America. His path takes him to a few different places including; a preacher who can make him “ungay”, an outrageous interview with politician Ron Paul, an actual meeting with a terrorist, a swingers party, and don’t forget the MMA arena. (I don’t know how he lived through that one) First off, if you did not like Borat, you will not like Brüno. This movie was unbelievably funny and incredibly over the top. I don’t know how he gets away with the stuff in this one. The improvisation done by Cohen/Brüno is magnificent. There are quite a few shots of extreme nudity, which are hilarious, as well as some disturbing interviews with some parents who are auditioning their kids for a part in Brüno’s commercial (Are you OK with liposuction for your child? How about crucifixion?)
Now what I meant about Sacha Baron Cohen not making people look stupid is this, there are a lot of idiots in this world; racists, bigots, homophobes, and people who are just plain stupid. Most of these people will never be exposed for what they are. But they are the first ones to yell out what they think is wrong with the world. Cohen somehow finds these people and opens the door for them; all he does is ask questions, they do the rest. The guy is a genius. He didn’t make those collage kids in Borat say the things they did, he just opened a door. Those guys took it and ran with it. There are some similar scenes in Brüno, scenes that make you wonder “What the hell is wrong with these parents?” That is the real impact of the film. Cohen shows the world the darker side that few rarely see, he just does it incognito. My only negative thoughts about his movies are that eventually he will not be able to fool anyone anymore.
If you are a fan of raunchy comedies, you will love Brüno. I thought the movie was great. My only issue was the length. It seemed really short. It says the film is 81 minutes long. I did hear they cut out a scene with Latoya Jackson due to the passing of Michael Jackson. That probably made the movie around an hour. Still, it was the funniest movie I have seen since Borat.
Go see it; just don’t take your grandma. Unless she likes singing penises, then by all means take her.
