So anyway, here we go with review no.2. This one has been causing a lot of controversy so thought I would put my own reaction forward.
Bruno (2009) Dir. Larry Charles
After the huge success of Borat,Sacha Baron Cohen returns for a similar slice of excrutiating comedy with the arguably more outrageous Bruno. An Austrian TV personality from the fashion world, he is camp, brash and downright rude. The film follows his exploit to achieve worldwide fame in a number of increasingly shocking scenes which take him from the continent, to the U.S with a thankfully brief visit to the middle east.
The first issue to tackle is Cohen's depiction of a the gay central character. A few gay rights campaigners have vocalised their problem with this stereotypical portrayal and these facets are undeniable- Bruno is bitchy, often preoccupied with sex and flamboyant. However, in the same way that Borat was not attempting to make a comment on the Kazakhstan people, Bruno does not really supply any form of social commentary. There are of course moments which highlight rife homophobia in the US (the climactic scene being the most obvious) but it generally, it seems that Cohen's only intention is to elicit laughs in the most outlandish way possible. In this respect he pretty much successful- there are some genuinely funny moments including an interview with the Paula Abdhul and scenes involving Bruno's newly adopted African baby. Whether it generates as many laughs as Borat is questionable and this is largely down to the simple fact that it is following in it's footsteps meaning that the originality is no longer present and some sections appear suspiciously staged (an encounter with an extremely aggressive dominatrix springs to mind). The film also seriously raises the bar in terms of uncomfortable and extreme set pieces and the film truly merits its 18 certificate so in that sense, Cohen should be lauded for the way in which he pushes the envelope and even puts himself in serious danger.
Not all of the humour is successful though. Littered through some parts of the film are the juvenile and obvious homo and anal jokes that one would expect in a school playground and this is disappointing because it gives the sense that Cohen is pandering to the more bigoted members of the straight community. Despite these problems, Bruno is still shockingly entertaining and offers another superb comedic performance from Cohen. The only question now is, what does he do next?
3/5.
