Brüno

I remember pretending to go to sleep some nights and then waiting for my parents to go to bed. After the coast was clear I would sneak downstairs and watch HBO. One of my favorite shows, besides 'Real Sex', was 'Da Ali G Show'. I still try and catch it whenever its on now and it still is classic and timeless.

I had no idea how they were going to pull it off but I saw 'Borat' in its opening weekend and I, along with the rest of the audience, laughed from start to finish. Borat was pretty close to perfect and definitely engaging and re-watchable. It was fresh and it was nice to see a movie that did not have a tired, recycled plot.

It is hard to watch 'Bruno' without making comparisons to Bruno's first carnation on 'Da Ali G Show'. I was expecting something along the lines of Borat. I went into this film with the same hopes and expectations of 'Borat' and honestly the magic just was not there.

The beauty of 'Borat' was in the reactions of the people interviewed. People were intolerant, racist and sexist. 'Borat' was a complete study of American ignorance and a great sociological experiment.

There was ample opportunity for Cohen to capture this feeling again. Homophobia is a big issue today and I was really hoping to see some kind of exploration into the subject.

It was there but not in the way I expected. It felt, to me at least, that Bruno was there to simply make everyone around him uncomfortable. This was funny the first time but it got a little stale. It would have been nice to see more in terms of intolerance.

I also expected more in terms of parodying the shallowness and unpractical nature of the fashion industry. There were plenty of opportunities to take stabs at fashion but this was only done in the beginning.

Without giving anything away there is a lot of shock and a great scene with Harrison Ford- but other than that it just seemed kind of under enthusiastic. I expected a lot more.

How does Borat have a 7.3 and this only a 5.8? Both movies follow basically the same formula: A crazy, super exaggerated walking stereotype played by Sacha Baron Cohen goes to America, getting involved in wacky antics and meeting some celebrities along the way, often in front of real unsuspecting crowds. Do people hate this movie because its the same formula again? I guess you could argue Borat is a little funnier than Bruno, but even still, its hard to get a laugh out of me and I involuntarily burst out laughing at least 15 or 20 times. Is it because of offensive, overly exaggerated gay stereotypes? I know this movie goes a bit far at points, but come on people, have a sense of humor! Pointing out Americans' ignorance of foreigners with funny accents is OK but doing the same thing with gays is too much? Sure. I often find myself rating movies lower than the average score, but this is a great movie, and I'd easily give it a 7 or 8. I honestly have no idea where the hate for this movie is coming from. Granted, its a HARD R and some of its more extreme content might be a little off putting to some, but come on people, this movie is hilarious!

As a child of the age of Aquarius, I found myself liking this movie. I thought it was completely hilarious in an unusual way. When Brüno puts himself in various situations (and some dangerous situations), and finds himself speechless; it almost makes you think that Sascha Baron Cohen couldn't possibly come up with any semblance of a clever retort. But exactly at those times is when he wows you with his virtuoso-like skill of improvisation. If I wasn't when I saw Borat, I am now completely convinced that Cohen is a genius. I highly recommend watching the DVD for its alternate, deleted, and extended scenes; and a highly pertinent interview with Brüno's unknowing agent after the fact. I highly recommend this movie, if for his skill at making a story into the various peoples he meets.

The comparison between 'Brüno' and 'Borat' seems inevitable and even though 'Borat' tackles some relevant issues and constantly maintains its sense of very crude, offensive, outlandish and macabre humour 'Brüno' does the same but it's more toned down when compared to 'Borat'. Yet, even though the vulgarity is less in frequency when compared to 'Borat' at its crudest, 'Brüno' tops the aforementioned (hint: a swinging penis that talks). Needless to say, the comedic sequences are over the top (which is to be expected in a movie lead by Sacha Baron Cohen) but I found most of it hilarious, even overall funnier than 'Borat'. At the same time the film touches on some relevant issues for example when Brüno visits the gay converters or when he has parents audition for him to take a photograph with his kid. The movie makes fun of them but it also makes viewers aware of the existence of such people. The execution is well done. Even the score is ticklish at times. Overall, it's a hilarious little film but definitely not everyone's cup of coffee.

So I was able to attend an early screening tonight here in Houston, and it seems Bruno is touching some buttons here in America, I understand. Yes Bruno is a flaming stereotype of homosexuals but didn't Borat do the same thing? Cohen ran throughout America depicting Americans in uncomfortably stereotypical situations.

If you loved Borat you will undoubtedly enjoy Bruno. It follows the same genuine formula found in Cohen's previous film, be as outrageous as possible with some slight classiness/taste and the austrian is exceptionally well at it.

I really don't want to spoil anything for yall since the commercials/trailers have shown a lot but Bruno offers everything a great comedy can offer to you which in total means a great night at the movies.

The only cons I can think of are some jokes fall flat but the great ones easily overshadow the bad ones.

If you're easily offended by blatant nudity and controversial topics steer clear of Bruno but if you're open minded and ready to have an amazing night at the movies, I would buy your ticket for opening night ASAP.

9/10