Granted, Brüno is a movie and thus falls outside the purview of this site, but it is based on a character that originally appeared on a television show (Da Ali G Show), so I'm hoping I can get a little leeway on this brief review of the movie, which i happened to catch last night.Minor spoilers follow ...
Like its predecessor Borat (also a character from Da Ali G Show), the movie relies on shock humor. It certainly has its moments.
One scene that will be forever burned into my brain is when Brüno tries to seduce a gun-loving southerner during a hunting trip by telling him that a bear ate all his clothes except for some condoms. Borat proved that Sacha Baron Cohen has no problem exposing himself in a movie.
Unlike its predecessor, some of the humor seemed more contrived and less spontaneous. I did like the ending of Brüno better than Borat and am kind of glad that so many music stars have such a good sense of humor.
The movie tried to be a lesson at the standard person's discomfort with homosexuality, but I think it missed the mark. Brüno's character is so unconventional on so many levels that his sexual orientation seems to be only a part of his problems (the major one being his "fame at any cost" mentally, which is a good theme for our age).
In short, if you're an adult, I think the movie is worth your time and investment. That being said, I don't get why some of the patrons last night brought their kids to this show. What's up with that?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-11-2009 @ 5:49PM
Jake G said...
HOLD THE PHONE! People brought their kids to see Brüno? Talk about candidates for WORST PARENTS OF THE YEAR!
I wouldn't let anyone under the age of 17 into that movie!
I do agree, the humor wasn't as new, like it was with Borat, but at the same time, it was a different kind of humor this time around. Like the Swingers Party scene, or the Texas Ultimate Fighter spoof, was very funny, and showed great stuff.
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7-11-2009 @ 5:55PM
Joe Blow said...
Yeah, I also saw people with their kids... which were about 5 years old.
I also thought they should get worst parent of the year. Regardless of whether or not your kids can understand what's going on, those things do stick with them and affect them later on in life.
7-12-2009 @ 1:02PM
bruce said...
Oh come on, the notion that kids shouldn't see certain things is asinine. It's just parents who are afraid of feeling uncomfortable at having to explain something to their children that they'd rather not explain (so the kid ends up learning about it from TV or the movies anyway).
My parents let me watch whatever movies I wanted - I was never told "you're too young to see that" and I turned out fine. Went to college, finished in 4 years. Went to law school, finished in 3 years, and have no criminal record, never raped anyone, and I never even turned gay.
I'd have no problem letting my kids (if I had any) see Borat, and if they had any interest in seeing Bruno I'd have no problems with that either. And if they had any questions, I'd answer them. That's what parents are supposed to do. "Too young" is just an excuse for having to take more time explaining things to them. And yeah, there's no guarantee that a child won't cry. Part of life - crying children. They get over it.
A child has a much greater chance of getting hurt playing sports than seeing Sasha Baron Cohen naked.
7-13-2009 @ 8:15AM
Shaun said...
@bruce.
Did you just say that being gay is similar to having a criminal record or even RAPING someone?!?!?
7-13-2009 @ 3:44PM
Jussup said...
Bruce, you are a flipping idiot. Five years old is okay to bring to Bruno? Dumbass. Obviously you don't have kids.
7-11-2009 @ 6:32PM
BartmanDK said...
People bringing their kids to see Bruno are just as bad as the parents in the audition thing in the movie. "Does your kid like burning sulfer? Oh yea he loves it"
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7-11-2009 @ 8:28PM
Jake G said...
AHAHAHAHA, very true.
(Baby Nazi and liposuction, those were even more revieling)
7-11-2009 @ 9:48PM
Isabelle Carreau said...
I saw the movie tonight and during that showing there were a lot of kids. Actually, there was a row of at least 7 12-year-old-ish girls (I'm guessing their parents were sitting elsewhere... well, I hope they were).
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7-11-2009 @ 10:06PM
ac said...
Newsflash: stupid parents take little children to movies they should not see A LOT just because they dont feel like paying for a baby sitter.
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7-12-2009 @ 5:18AM
StillBash said...
I guess most children won't even get the stuff that's shown. I mean do you think they'd go "ew" when they see the gerbils or rather "aww"? ;-)
I saw it in english with german subtitles. It's especially funny when you're from germany to hear Cohen and the other guy try talking in german... it's a whole nother level of funny :-)
"Your finger is in my alley" - "Not yet" :-D
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7-12-2009 @ 5:19AM
StillBash said...
"to talk". Gawd. Sunday morning, where's my coffee...
7-12-2009 @ 10:19PM
tony DiMeo said...
I agree with many here that this movie and many others are too inappropriate for kids under seventeen, I say this from experience when i was a kid my dad let me watch anything did not put any restrictions on what i watched he showed us R-rated movies like caddyshack and Blazing Saddles that i just couldn't understand, thanks to my dad I also started watching seinfeld when i was young for years i did not understand what "He took it out" meant, okay children as young as 14 years old should not see movies like Bruno or Borat because they don't entirely understand the humor. it is bad parenting to take your kid to see a movie like Bruno instead of a movie like Ice Age, it's not just that the parents would need to teach their kids about what's in the movie but the that the kids just won't understand the humor in the movie at such a young age.
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