Bruno

2.5 if I could. As much as I loved Borat, Bruno was a big disappointment. There were some funny lines and great scenes, most notably his interview with parents trying to find work for their model babies. However, the story wasn't nearly as funny as Borat and I didn't find myself nearly as entertained. I don't mind nudity or sexual humor, but Sacha Baron Cohen's infatuation with graphic displays of gay sex and penises got tired and old very quickly. I laughed at times, but Bruno definitely isn't a movie I would watch again.

I really enjoyed Mr. Cohen's first movie Borat. Not the kind of movie that is funny more than once or twice, but it definitely had it's poignant moments. But Bruno I didn't like nearly as well. Maybe it has the same kind of purpose in it's humor as Borat (exposing and looking at people's stereotypes) but the satire wasn't as good in my opinion. Mostly him acting like a jacka** and trying to get laughs. Being straight, I thought maybe I was missing something and was interested to find out what the gay community thought of it and here is what I found: http://www.thewrap.com/article/exclusive-criticism-gay-insiders-led-bruno-reshoots_3721

This is a film that raises legitimate questions about the limits of "reality" television and films, and to what degree it's really acceptable to bait people for laughs. Cohen, as Bruno, stages a faux TV show and exposes the utter hypocrisy of two fashion pundits, likely damaging or destroying their careers in the process. He parades a raunchy charicture of a rabbi's vestments in front of real rabbis in Israel and has to run for his life. He brings a black child out in front of a mostly black audience, and claims he went to Africa and traded him for an ipod, sending everyone into a frenzy. How much further can this brand of comedy go before it becomes outright cruel and exploitative, or gets seriously dangerous? Still, if laughing at Ron Paul's look of utter terror as Bruno attempts to seduce him make me a bad person, then I must admit I'm a very bad person.