Brüno

Brüno





Cohen attacks what’s wrong with America… And he does it with fashion.

From Ali G to Borat, Sacha Baron Cohen tackles a new character, but this time he’s holding nothing back. Cohen makes a living off of offending people, it’s his day job. Perhaps he has such a diehard fan base because he’s so good at it. In 2006, he played Borat, a foreigner from Kazakhstan who travels to the United States. We follow him as he learns the American culture; it’s hailed by many as one of the funniest films ever, probably because it actually is. Comedy is comedy, but when comedy is reality, the realism only adds to the affect. However, Borat was so 2006.





Now it’s time for Brüno, a flamboyant Austrian fashionista. After becoming blacklisted in his home country, Brüno heads to the United States with high hopes of becoming a celebrity. From there on out it’s nothing but utter randomness. The film is a device that exposes the ridiculous amounts of homophobia in the United States today. Brüno finds these people and puts them in situations that they can’t help but show their true colors. It’s also probably one of the most offensive films of all time, but if you happened to be offended by it, then I feel sorry for you. As if we didn’t already know, we get a glimpse at just a small sample of the hate and prejudice there is against gays and lesbians in our modern society. The film embarrasses these hateful people, and that’s just one of the things that makes it so great. We, as a nation need to break apart from this prejudice. Half a century ago it was the issue of race that took a giant step in ending discrimination, now it’s sexual orientation. While Brüno’s character may be a bit over the top, the hate displayed against him was still embarrassing. The movie is part documentary and part comedy, or you could just refer to it as a mockumentary. Either way there’s no films like Cohen’s films, whether it be his offensive characters, or his unique style of comedy.





Brüno tries his best to offend everyone. From Paula Abdul, to 2008 Presidential election candidate Ron Paul (R), to straight men camping, to straight men at a swingers party, to studio executives, to an arena filled with rednecks, to a homophobic karate instructor, to hateful religious protesters, to Christian “gay converters”, to Harrison Ford, and everything in between. I laughed throughout the entire movie; with non-stop uproarious gags, it’s nearly impossible not to. Not only is the film extremely funny, it’s also something Cohen should be proud of that he made. We needed a film to do what Cohen did, it didn’t have to be a tenth as funny as Brüno, but the fact that Cohen could add so much humor into it made it even more special. I also think that in addition to praising the fantastic filmmaking, I need to congratulate Sacha Baron Cohen on his acting. Very few people could do what he did in the movie, all the while never breaking character. He hasn’t gotten any attention at all for this, and he definitely deserves it. Borat may have been the more creative character, but I feel as if I enjoyed watching Brüno more. They both had equally funny personalities with equally funny lines, but for some reason Brüno just feels more entertaining. But regardless, if you liked Borat, you might like Brüno. If you loved Borat, you’ll probably like Brüno. If you hated Borat, and were offended by it… Just wait till you see Brüno.





One of the twenty greatest comedies ever, and certainly one of the best pictures of the year. Brüno is a landmark achievement, not only for its comedy but for what the film accomplishes politically.


GRADE: A-