“Bruno” Movie Review (a bit late, I know…)
2006’s “Borat” is one of the funniest (if not THE funniest) movies of all time. I said it, I stick by that statement. After it’s monumental sleeper success, Sacha Baron Cohen was hard pressed to outdo himself. For this “pseudo-sequel”, he goes back to the well of his “Da’ Ali G Show” characters and gives us “Bruno”.
“Bruno” is told in a somewhat similar style as “Borat”: Cohen, in character as an openly gay Austrian TV personality, sets situations up where everyday people are exposed (sometimes literally!) to his outrageous homosexual behavior as he films the results.
The problem I had with “Bruno” is that in“Borat”, Sacha Cohen seemed to get honest, raw responses from people in the various situations he put them in. As a friendly foreigner with a television camera, the general public he “interviewed” for his segments were more apt to welcome him into their homes and say things to him they probably wouldn’t to an American TV personality. With “Bruno”, he is so openly and “in-your-face” gay, the same demographic of people that were so inviting to Borat would sooner spit on him than answer questions or respond to his humor. Indeed, I consider myself a very open-minded person when it comes an individuals sexuality and I often found myself squeamish and uncomfortable at what was being shown on the screen.
I think the best example of how this movie differs from its predecessor is the scene in the woods with Bruno and the hunters/campers. Without giving anything away, I found how they react to Bruno’s obvious sexuality and come-ons to be quite reserved and commendable considering we’re dealing with a bunch of “good ol’ boys” from the south. It isn’t until Cohen does something so overt and shocking to get a reaction out of one of them that they finally crack and become hostile. Honestly, I think anyone in that circumstance, gay or straight, would have become offended and possibly violent towards Bruno. To see Cohen stoop to this tactic felt cheap to me and undeserving of such a comedic talent.
This movie does have it’s funny moments to be sure, but after a while they become a little repetitive and predictable. The plot really slows to a near halt in the last 20 minutes and from there you’re just waiting for it to be over.
Sacha Baron Cohen has proven himself to be a virtual wunderkind when it comes to comedy. This movie felt flat, rushed and undeserving of his talent. Here’s hoping that he learned enough from this film to make a more deserving follow up.
Jason’s Rating: 2 out of 5
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Before anyone says anything, I apologize for the lateness of my review and I promise to do several more in the next few days until I get caught up for the summer.