BRUNO

I wrote this Bruno review for my newspaper.

They synopsis: The first half of the movie is relatively pointless, and at times uncomfortably bad.  But the second half, when he puts himself into ex-gay therapy—suddenly the movie has a point and it is HILARIOUS.  And he makes a great statement.

Here we go:

Wassup, Bruno?

Film is raunchy, funny, and very gay

In September 2008, Sacha Baron Cohen popped up in the news: filming on one of his famous comedy-documentaries, he had sneaked into a Milan Fashion Week show and somehow worked his way onto the runway.  With his cameras rolling, he walked along the fashion models, wearing an inexplicably-odd suit, pulling a massive prank that would make the cast of MTV’s “Jackass” jealous.  The runway lights were turned off, the show was cancelled, the polizia were called—and Cohen's work was done, whatever it was.

Of course, we now know he was filming his latest creation, "Bruno," a somewhat-staged documentary about an Austrian fashion journalist who sets out into the world to make himself famous.  After the success of his first film "Borat," a hilarious and shocking look at American culture—it won Cohen the Golden Globe award for Best Actor—expectations have been high for what Cohen has in store this time around.

The plot of “Bruno” is very thin: he wants to leave his life as a journalist, so he heads to Los Angeles and attempts to reinvent himself in various ways.  He tries acting, he tries hosting a TV show, he wanders around trying new things, failing miserably at each turn and horrifying everyone along the way.

When none of those ideas work out, he realizes Hollywood will not accept him if he is gay, so he travels to the Deep South for some ex-gay therapy.  And of course, hijinks ensue at every step of that journey.

Thin plot or not—when "Bruno" is funny, it is uproarious.  The fact that Cohen puts himself into these situations, and then escapes with his life, is a testament to his comedic genius.  At one point, he assembles leaders from the Palestinian Liberation Organization for discussions on the difference between "hummus" and "Hamas"; what does this have to do with the story?  Nothing.  But it is an amazing moment.

But “Bruno” is a mixed bag; there are times the film drags, where Cohen seems to have lost some of his spontaneity.  It is awkwardly obvious many of the scenes are completely staged; I swear I saw one of the guys from the “orgy scene” also in the audience at the “ultimate fighting scene.”   And many of the stunts are uncomfortable to watch: Bruno somehow wrangles an interview with then-Presidential candidate Ron Paul, but then corners him in a hotel room and drops his pants to show off a hideous thong wrapped around his danger zone.  Ron Paul is horrified, of course, but anyone would be.  It’s hard to understand the point of the stunt—other than catching Paul calling Bruno a "queer" as he fled the scene, but it's hard to blame the poor guy.

Cohen's over-the-top portrayal Bruno's "gayness" has come under fire as being a negative stereotype, and the film had to be re-edited several times to tone down the overt sexual lasciviousness, which offended audiences both straight and gay alike.  But the fact that Cohen toes the line of offensiveness is the genius of the character.  He is proving a point: the mere existence of Bruno is threatening to people around the globe, as he travels from country to country scaring the locals just by being himself.  (Although admittedly, stripping down to a g-string and cornering Ron Paul in a hotel room did seem a little threatening.)  Cohen’s films are shocking not because of what he does, but because he coerces people into letting their guard down and being honest, which usually ends up with them saying something racist, homophobic, or otherwise foolishly bigoted.  It’s scary to watch his films, and wonder what kinds of people are living out there in the world.

The film climaxes at an ultimate fighting match, where Bruno tries the most macho activity he can find to battle his gayness—but ends up locking lips with another man in the ring.  The crowd goes crazy, throwing chairs and screaming threats as if they were watching something ghastly.  This stunt made the news when it happened as well; although if two women did exactly the same thing, it would just be considered porn.

As the audience at the fight screamed in horror, the audience in the theater I was at also shouted in protest, saying what they were watching was "disgusting" and "terrible." But they were too busy being grossed out to understand they, too, were falling prey to Cohen’s trick.  Life imitates art.

This should not scare away gay moviegoers, however.  At this point the film is so funny, listening to a bunch of homophobic thugs get grossed out next to you really doesn't matter.  "Bruno" takes a while to get going, and Cohen misses the mark a few times, but once he figures out what he is trying to say, the movie is flat-out funny.

Comments

[Jen]

I think the ultimate fighting scene was taped in my town. It was a huge deal and people were pissed! I can't wait to see it!

[DPOE]

I hate when people make comments to the screen in theaters. I mean if anyone really valued your opinion they would be asking you to write it down. When I went to see twilight there was a woman in the row in front of me that groaned and looked away when robert pattinson was turned into a vamp by a man. I was blown away b/c I didn't even think about it like that and I like man on man lol. It's just odd how some people go out of their way to get offended these days.

[Glenn D.]

By now people should be on top of things when someone who looks like Sasha does something outrageous. It's amazing ow he can do these stunts despite his fame. I guess people are genuinely stupid. And homophobic as well if it's 2009 and they get grossed out by men kissing on screen. It makes Cincinnati look liberal. I love your writing Dan. It's very insightful. Now I want to go see this movie and Borat. I didn't see it when it came out or when it went to DVD.

[John]

Nice review. Thanks for sharing this.