Movie Review: Bruno

Note to readers: No one in my family would agree to pose for a Bruno photo for this blog so I am stuck with the studio pic :)

I am one of the masses who thought that Borat was an interesting and hilarious observation of how an outsider/immigrant tries to insinuate himself into rural/unprogressive America. The film was un-politically correct which was refreshing. I expected the same kind of style with Bruno only from a homosexual angle as opposed to immigrant. Sadly, Bruno was a disappointing docu-comedy.

For those of you who have missed the publicity blitz let me break Bruno down for you. Bruno is an Austrian fashion show host who gets fired from his hosting gig. He figures he will seek his fame in America and sets out to host his own show with the help of his devoted assistant. He comes in contact with several unsuspecting individuals and puts them in highly uncomfortable situations, almost too painful to watch. Some critics are calling Bruno "too gay". What does that term mean anyway? To me "too gay" is when people dress their pets up, so I don't agree with that assessment. Sacha Baron Cohen was simply portraying an over the top character who happened to be gay. There was a bit too much showcasing of the "male genitalia" for my taste; it's only funny and shocking the first couple of times but after that it's just a throw away gag.

What I disliked about the film were the people who he came in contact with. I am not oblivious to the fact that there are ignorant people in the world but to see it on a big screen unscripted really pissed me off (which is why I try and stay away from most reality shows). Some of these encounters were scripted I'm sure, but it was hard to tell which ones they were. I do not want to ruin anything for those of you curious to watch the film so please do not read the following in italics: There were two scenes in particular that really got my blood boiling. A rowdy crowd gathers to watch an ultimate fighting cage match. What they end up watching is two men making out. If this upset you personally the logical thing would be to get up and leave, that is not what the crowd does. They work themselves up into this violent frenzy; you'd think they were witnessing a brutal attack on an elderly person. The other scene was a photo shoot audition for toddlers to pose along with Bruno's baby, OJ. While Bruno is interviewing these parents he reads off a list of preposterous and hazardous situations that the children may be exposed to. I was fuming as I watched these parents agree to let their kids do anything Bruno asked. All this in search of those 15 minutes of fame and a quick buck.

If Bruno was made to get people talking about intolerance and ignorance then job well done, but if its purpose was to entertain-- it missed the mark.