Bruno Movie Review
BRUNO: NOT AS FUNNY AS IT WOULD LIKE TO BE
With the film Bruno, Sacha Baron Cohen brings another one of his alter egos to the big screen. Bruno is a gay Austrian television host who wants to be famous. With Borat Cohen focused on racism in the United States. This time he is focusing on homophobia internationally. It is just too bad he is more concerned about taking it to the extreme than actually making a point.
Bruno (Sasha Baron Cohen) is a fashion television show host who resides in Austria. When his show is canceled, he makes the decision to go to America and to make himself internationally known. He takes his assistant Lutz (Gustaf Hammersten) with him. Lutz also happens to be in love with him. Bruno makes many attempts to become famous. These attempts include appearances on television shows, starting his own celebrity talk show, and adopting an African American baby. His in your face tactics ostracize him and Lutz and nobody will work with him. His American dream seems to slip further and further away.
Bruno doesn't really have a story. He is just a man who wants to be famous. There is nothing new or endearing about this man. He is the only one in on the joke. Cohen is a brilliant actor. Sometimes he uses his talent for good (i.e., Borat, Ali G). And sometimes he doesn't (Bruno). It just becomes repetitive and annoying. Cohen, cast, and crew traveled all over the world to make their point. From Texas to Palestine to Germany. There are the backwoods with the rednecks to his sit down with Palestinian and Israeli leaders. All is lost in his quest to show how far he will go to prove that homophobia is rampant.
Borat was trying to make a socially conscious statement. Bruno wants to also but is more concerned with taking every gag to the nth degree, which takes aways from the meaning.
Bruno is just not funny, with every joke having the same punchline. Bruno isn't going to change the way you feel about homophobia. It just shows how misdirected Sacha Baron Cohen became in his goal to prove a point.
Report Card:
Story-D
Acting-C
Visuals-D
Originality/Innovation-D
Enjoyability Grade–D
Overall Grade-D+
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