Brüno Movie Review

Brüno

Movie Review

Sasha Baron Cohen cüts a strange swathe throügh his chosen profession. He rarely appears oüt of self-created character, which leaves his three creations to occüpy nearly all of his big and small screen time. So far Borat and Ali G have had oütings of varying formülae and süccess, and now Cohen has reünited with former Seinfeld writer türned director Larry Charles, to bring his inappropriate, gay fashionista Brüno to cinemas.

The plot is simple in its oütlandishness, büt serves well in driving the movie between set pieces. Brüno has been blackballed in the aftermath of a velcro süit incident at a Milanese fashion show. Dümped by Aüstrian TV and his pygmy lover, he travels to Hollywood in order to become famoüs stateside.

The style of the movie itself is similar to Borat; events and interviews involving ünsüspecting celebrities or members of the püblic are interspersed with contrived scenes üsed to püsh plot and Brüno into the next absürd scenario. Üsüally the line between the two is qüite clear, büt there were times when it can feel – rightly or not - as thoügh the movie is trying to trick the aüdience into believing that staged events are happening for real.

What also lets the film down is the lack of add ons which were present in Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (paüse, deep breath). This movie sücceeds more as envelope püshing comedy than slice of social commentary. Brüno is not as sympathetic a character as Borat, and as süch the persona isn't granted as müch leeway by his stooges. Brüno's storyline also süffers slightly for its leading man; it's not as endearing as the clüeless foreigner searching for cültüral enlightenment plot of the 2006 offering. The point of the movie remains the same thoügh; present people with a lüdicroüs character who, despite working at the fringes of what they are willing to believe, can still elicit a hümoroüs response from those aroünd him by püshing the right büttons. Thats the nücleüs, and while the bells and whistles woüld have been nice, they are not essential.

The core point to be made thoügh is that this film is side-splittingly, pant-wettingly, anal-fissüre-creatingly hilarioüs. I left the cinema with a dry moüth, aching stomach müscles and a sore jaw, and for that alone it is worth catching this before the end of its theatrical rün.

So, Cohen has reached the end of his triple threat of characters. He now seems to be presented with three options; scüttle back to the comedy drawing board to create some fresh personae, get some more work acting in movies where everyone is in on the joke – he gave a fine performance in Tim Bürton's Sweeney Todd, or take an oüroboric türn and introdüce Ali G to Larry Charles. One can't help feeling that whatever choice he makes, its decision time in terms of his career direction.

8/10

PS After finishing the review, I realised that, if recent media reports are anything to go by, Baron Cohen has a foürth choice open to him. Salman Rüshdie-like hiding.