Bruno Review

You'll laugh. Much like with Borat, you'll laugh at many things just because they'll make you feel uncomfortable. however, with Bruno, you feel sorry more often for the people Cohen targets with some gags and that leaves it feeling much more mean-spirited at times.

However, again similar to Borat, when the character is used to get people to reveal their underlying shallow, racist or hypocritical nature, the comedy really shines. Segments featuring parents willing to go to any depths while pimping their babies for ad job paychecks or a "gay rehab" preist who, clearly, has issues with women are among the more notable segments where this facet to Cohen's work plays out effectively.

Others, like where he submits a focus group to a pilot Bruno has produced, a scene where he tries to seduce Ron Paul, or where he subjects seemingly high ranking Israeli and Palestinian representatives tend to feel a bit more repulsive (you'll still laugh a little, but you won't feel good about it). Many of these segments have you mosts urprised that no one shot or otherwise brutally murdered him in the process.

And, along those lines- major nations have spent years trying to track down terrorist organizations, and yet somehow Cohen (in-character) was able to arrange an interview with the leader of such a group? Reality can sometimes take such a bizarre angle and vector.

So, overall, I didn't find this one to be as funny or consistent as Borat, though one has to somewhat admire how daring Cohen is at times for sure. Though no doubt the extensive number of gags and subplots regarding the character's homosexuality and other line-pushing gags will likely make some viewers inclined to leave the theater early or turn it off on home video down the road.

(As an side, I don't believe I've ever seen so many people walk out of a movie before- now I wonder if the lone arguing couple I overheard heading to their car on my way into the theater were actually walkouts from an earlier showing and not, as I initially assumed, to be a mere heated argument resulting from an inability to agree on a movie to see.)

So, "buyer beware", and, as a final warning- there is an extensive amount of pipe swinging in this movie, moreso than any recent movies (Saving Sarah Marshall, Watchmen, etc) combined. Nudity doesn't bother me, but I know it will bother some people- and there are times during Bruno where even I really had to go "C'mon- I didn't pay 10.75 for this.".