Bruno (Universal Pictures)
Worse Than You Think It Will Be
When you go to see a movie like Bruno you pretty know what you are getting, especially if you have already viewed Borat, its movie cousin. You know there will be embarrassing ambush scenes where unsuspecting individuals will be conned into exposing their fears, prejudices, etc on camera. There will also be graphic nudity, and fairly explicit sexual sequences. You know all this going in, but with Bruno you might not expect it to be boring. It is!
Bruno follows the adventures of Bruno (Sacha Baron Cohen), a flamboyantly gay Austrian who comes to America seeking fame. He does this in a variety of ways, none of them particularly interesting. Along the way he decides to interview former Presidential candidate Ron Paul. He decides if he can get involved in a scandal with Ron Paul then it will give him fame.
This is one of the most embarrassing moments in the movie. As Bruno begins his seduction attempt, Paul seems to be completely blindsided and flees. He also hurls an epithet as he is departing which will probably haunt any further campaigns he might make.
There is also an extended sequence where Bruno brandishes a black baby he says he has adopted. The baby is adorable, Bruno is not. Although it is assumed he is trying to make a point about celebrity baby accessories the joke falls flat. An add on involving parents of baby models is just depressing.
Some of the sequences seem real and others seem staged. By the time the movie ends and Elton John, Bono, Sting and others appear singing a Bruno anthem all tolerance for celebrities major and minor has disappeared. Most people will welcome this indication the film is ending; others will have fled the theaters long before this point.
The film is rated R. Why If ever a movie cried out for the NC-17 rating this is it. There is profanity, nudity, sexual situations and even some violence. There are also explicit sex acts that may be blurred by the camera but are fully presented.
Censorship is basically dead and nowadays mostly anything goes, but it is still shocking that a major studio would be behind such a film as this. Is this entertainment Hardly. It may be shocking and it may be gross but overall the main feeling generated by Brunos antics is boredom.
The audience I saw this film with barely emitted a chuckle or two and that is not enough to justify the waste of time and effort exerted by Cohen and company. That lack of humor and the films tedious presentation will sink this latest shock effort.
I scored Bruno a lost in translation 2 out of 10.
