Bible thumpers beware! Bruno is sure to make your worst list, if you can stand to finish it. Better yet, I dare you to start it. Here is a film that most will consider shocking, outrageous, and offensive. Just don't act like you didn't see this coming. Sacha Baron Cohen has had plenty of practice at this game, and although I still consider him to be reckless and fearless, this one does not have the same surprise factor as his previous effort Borat. That being said, it helps that the joke is still pretty funny.
Bruno (Cohen) is an overly flamboyant homosexual fashion reporter who has just been blacklisted from every catwalk event in his homeland of Austria. He decides to come over to America in the hopes of achieving super stardom here in the states. While on his journey he runs across numerous celebrities and common folk to embarrass, and events to destroy with humiliating stunts, videos, and other sordid actions. There really isn't much of a plot here, just a thinly veiled attempt to string together numerous scenes.
The sexual context of this humor has been taken about as far as it was able to go. Nudity (some blacked out/some not) and gay humor dominate this movie. Many of the film's jokes work because they are so outlandish and extreme. Watching the amount of discomfort creeping up on some of these unsuspecting saps is just priceless. There are also numerous reactions shots in this film, and many of them are funnier than the joke itself.
I must applaud Cohen for his ability to take a joke all the way. This guy is not afraid to piss off the wrong people, and he is richly rewarded with plenty of juicy material. Much like Trey Parker and Matt Stone Creators of South Park, Cohen is an equal opportunity offender. Black, white, gay, straight, politicians, prostitutes, and priests are targets one and all.
When compared to Borat there are far fewer scenes that depict how ignorant and scary humans can be sometimes. The major shock scene of this nature in Bruno that comes to mind involved the lengths that some parents will go to make their infant child a star. If their answers are authentic, then it is very disturbing. These people would literally sacrifice their firstborn for a taste of fame.
Did I enjoy this movie? It has been done before and better on The Ali G Show. I would love to see it again with a crowd. Having now seen the movie, I would be more focused and entertained on the reaction of the patrons than on the film itself. With a brisk running time of only 82 minutes I feel Bruno is a summer movie that most definitely is not a nish-nish. B
0 comments:
Post a Comment