BruNO

I strategically planned this trip to the movies. I waited for the original chaos to subside and then allowed the Harry Potter fanatics to take over the theatre so that I could sneak away and see Bruno.

No matter how much your brace yourself, you will never be prepared for Bruno.

If you think Sasha Baren Cohen’s Borat pushed the boundaries, his most recent adventure rocket launched the boundaries past what we know as space. I have fond memories of Borat, so I was extremely excited to see Bruno thinking that it would be the same type of jaw dropping hilarity. Unfortunately humor was more of a side dish to Bruno’s cringe worthy antics. To become the uber gay character of Bruno, Cohen dons a Zach Efron coif and massive amounts of pleather. The movie chronicles Bruno's hunt for stardom at any cost by stringing together his various attempts to become a Z-list celebrity. This satirical look at popular culture is depreciated by its overly graphic content and Cohen’s repetitive shlong jokes. Seeing a solid 5 minute clip of Cohen’s schnitzel projected on the big screen has brought new meaning to the male preoccupation with size. A tip for movie makers: if your film is rated R and still requires little black censor boxes, it’s time for some reediting.

While Bruno is essentially a one man show, majority of his antics and personality quirks were given away in the media blitz leading up to the film's release. The real scene stealer was Bruno’s black baby accessory, OJ. Though the child is headed for some major parental resentment and will most definitely be irreparably scarred for life, he was one of the most memorable characters.


I personally didn’t find the film offensive, but merely overdone. It is the type of film that you cannot see with family members or casual acquaintances. Bruno is reserved for friends who can make it through 1.5 hours of verbal and visual overexposure. The movie definitely has its moments but it left me feeling conflicted as to whether I had just been entertained or violated.