Brüno (L. Charles, 2009) — The Reviews Thread

[scott1598]

Please continue pre-hype discussion in this thread: Sacha Baron Cohen's "Bruno" set for summer '09

Movie:
"Brüno" (2009) (Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Gustaf Hammarsten, Clifford Bañagale, Bono, Elton John, Slash)

Release Date:
7/10/2009

Rating:
R (for pervasive strong and crude sexual content, graphic nudity and language)

Running Time:
83 min. (1h. 23m.)

Rotten Tomatoes:
Fresh:118 Rotten:54 (69% as of 7/14/09)
RT Link...

Info:
IMDb Link...

Trailer:


Poster Art:

[mdc3000]

Posted this in the other thread but since it's a mini-review, I'll put it here:

Saw this last night - HILARIOUS and outrageous. Very offensive, tons more (mostly male) nudity than I expected. If you liked Borat, you'll like this, as it's pretty much more of the same - the structures of both movies are very similar and have a lot of the same beats. I really liked this, even if I didn't think it was as genius/funny as Borat was - it still has a lot of jaw droppingly funny moments and ends with a great music video. Fans won't be disappointed but this movie isn't going to make any new converts...

I do think the reason Borat still edges it out is that Borat himself is fairly innocent and the humour feels less mean spirited, plus the idea was so fresh then... Bruno is hilarious but his self involved schtick can get to be a little much - but there are bits in this movie that had the audience howling and covering their eyes. Definitely the stuff with his son is the highlight for me and I actually thought unlike Borat which has a few lulls in the last act, Bruno only got funnier as it went, with the second half delivering more laughs than the first. I think due to the nature of the subject matter here, it won't be as popular as Borat (homosexuality, his trip to 'middle earth' etc.) but I'll definitely see it again once it opens.

I just kept thinking that I really wish he'd made the Ali G movie in this style, since I definitely prefer Ali over Bruno...but I guess Indahouse will have to do 4/5

[scott1598]

^^^ nice review mdc.

it sounds exactly like what i was expecting. funny and shockingly hilarious, but since "Borat" happened not as original. but, sounds like a lot of new scenarios and of course different character that would make it no less a fun time.

probably see a matinee sometime since 83 minutes is just so short to pay full price. even at $7.00 it is a little hard to justify, but whatyagonnado.

[Indy Jones Fan]

Much more lewd and crude than Borat but not as consistantly funny either. It was also more scripted than Borat which didn't work as well in my opinion. Not sure how it got away with an R rating.

[The Bus]

Saw the midnight showing of this and there were a few moments

Spoiler:

the "second Austrian" comment, the spinning dicks

where I was crying from laughing so hard. It also did a slightly better job of being really incisive, especially with the segment where

Spoiler:

parents are willing to put their children through anything so they can be famous.

It's a short movie but it doesn't need to be — and can't — be any longer. It is scripted, but it is scripted better: this one actually has a plot that halfway makes sense, as opposed to Borat's flinchingly stupid "get Pam Anderson" plot point.

The humor isn't as weirdly smart, but it's still great. They do a much better job of exploiting The Office-style gags of awkwardness.

Recommended, and highly recommended to fans of Borat.

[Suprmallet]

Short review: Funny, but not as much as Borat.

Slightly longer review: Bruno is to Borat as Gaucho is to Aja. That is to say, where the first work was seamless (Borat, Aja), the second (Gaucho, Bruno) shows the seams. Whereas Borat was fresh, surprising, and had a sense of wide-eyed wonder in the innocent Borat, Bruno is vulgar, brash, but still frequently hilarious. The character of Bruno is not as clueless as Borat, which allows him to make sharper digs at his subjects (a scene where he consults a pair of PR women in particular prove how much more targeted Bruno can be). Half the fun of Borat was in watching a guy who would be "normal" in Kazakhstan (or at least the film's version of it) come to America, and the humor comes from the cultural misunderstandings. Bruno is an outsider even in Austria, where he may be famous, but he certainly isn't normal. And since he never tries to be normal, he never appears as much of a surprising contrast as Borat does. That is to say, the humor in Borat comes from the normality of Kazakhstan rubbing against the normality of America, and showing just how different the two can be. Bruno is much more in your face, and thus less outrageous, because it's actually trying to be outlandish, whereas Borat was simply being "himself." Plus, there's the feeling that we've seen this all before, but in a much more organic setting.

That being said, the film is hilarious, with all sorts of outrageous goings-on that you wouldn't expect to see in a movie, even one that's been marketed the way Bruno has. It works well as Borat's younger, less talented sibling. However, this movie proves it's time for Cohen to move on to a new modus operandi, because a third film in this style would be pushing it.

[scott1598]

here we go...

[wendersfan]

Originally Posted by Suprmallet

Bruno is to Borat as Gaucho is to Aja.

I really wasn't expecting a Steely Dan reference in this thread.

[Larry C.]

Man caught the midnight showing last night and I laughed my ass off. Great stuff.

[Mittman]

if you thought the blair witch project was real, you'll get a kick out of this one. otherwise save your $11.

[big whoppa]

I read that Bruno had LaToya Jackson impersonating her brother Michael while she's sitting on a Mexican dude who is on all fours. But it was cut from the movie out of respect for the Jackson family.

I really want to see Bruno badly. I hadn't laughed in a movie theater like I did when I caught Borat. I was completely surprised at how funny it was.

[chris_sc77]

I thought it was very, very funny. Maybe even more so that Borat. I feel this one may end up being even more re-watchable than Borat also even though Bruno was my least favorite character on the TV show it may be my. fav. movie.
It was pretty crazy and outrageous though. I hope we get a longer DVD edition cause I still wanna see more of this.
4.5 out of 5 stars.

[Mike86]

I got talked into going with some friends to this. I have to say I didn't really like it very much at all. It seemed like they were just trying to be as outrageous as possible to get cheap laughs. There were a few funny moments but overall it just was way too over the top for my tastes. I'm usually not one to have a really high standard for silly comedies like this but I just didn't find this very funny at all.

[Throwing Copper]

It had some really funny parts and didn't need to be any longer. The crowd seemed to really like it.

It still seems to be a definite NC-17 though.

[Patman]

Yes, quite a bit of shocking footage in this film about Bruno, a gay, Austrian, fashion show host who finds himself on the outside of fame looking in when he finally wears out his welcome. The rest of the film follows Bruno to the US where he tries to raise his celebrity status to A-lister status, but finds that goal to be a tough row to hoe.

The film gets funnier as it goes along, but it's a bit of a chore to sit through the first half, in spite of the outrageous footage we are shown, the pacing isn't good, and the overall concept just sputters too much because Bruno just isn't that compelling of a character, even with his remarkable lack of depth being almost too high a hurdle to overcome.

I give it 2.5 stars, or a grade of C+.

[Suprmallet]

Originally Posted by wendersfan

I really wasn't expecting a Steely Dan reference in this thread.

Gotta keep you on your toes!

[wendersfan]

Originally Posted by Suprmallet

Gotta keep you on your toes!

Just let me know when Cohen makes his Pretzel Logic and I'll be there on opening night.

[brianluvdvd]

Originally Posted by Patman

I give it 2.5 stars, or a grade of C+.

Wouldn't a C+ equate to 3.5 stars?

Anyway, that's what I gave it...3.5 stars.

Decent movie but if you have seen Borat, it feels like it treads mostly the same ground and doesn't feel as fresh. But there are some absolute gems in the movie that you don't want to miss if you like his brand of humor.

It was a lot of fun seeing it in a packed house in Alabama on opening night since several of the scenes take place here. Yeah, I know it makes us look stupid once again...but damn it was funny.

I also think I laughed a lot more because the audience was so into it and I was also quite drunk and stoned at the time.

The biggest difference between the two movies is the dialect. His dialect and destroying the English language was fantastic in Borat. Not so much here.

[cdollaz]

My favorite scenes:

Spoiler:

Anal intrusion scenes at the beginning with the "pygmy flight attendant"
The parents who will do anything to get their kids on TV
The swingers party
The focus group
Arkansas inbred-fest at the end

[Deftones]

Originally Posted by chris_sc77

I thought it was very, very funny. Maybe even more so that Borat. I feel this one may end up being even more re-watchable than Borat also even though Bruno was my least favorite character on the TV show it may be my. fav. movie.
It was pretty crazy and outrageous though. I hope we get a longer DVD edition cause I still wanna see more of this.
4.5 out of 5 stars.

but the real question was, was the length of the movie ok for you?

[RyoHazuki]

I saw it and it was really funny but not on the same level as Borat. The scripted stuff kinda drags down the movie in places. Also, Borat seemed to offend people more subtly. For most of Bruno, it seems like he just set up a normal interview, asks some regular questions and then says something super offensive and gets kicked out or the interview shut down. Its still hilarious but I prefer to see people squirm instead of just get really pissed at one question and storm out.

[dino88]

Originally Posted by Mittman

if you thought the blair witch project was real, you'll get a kick out of this one. otherwise save your $11.

So, you're saying that everything in a movie must be real to be enjoyable? You must hate movies.

I thought it was funny as hell, but I was still a little disappointed. I knew it wouldn't (and couldn't) be as good as Borat, for the simple fact that Borat (the character) is 100x better than Bruno (the character).

I loved:

Spoiler:

Parents of the child actors
Straight Dave's Max Out (something like that)
Swingers Party
The 2 PR girls
Martial Arts to Protect from Gay Attacks
...I'm sure there's more

My least favorite part:

Spoiler:

The song at the end. It wasn't funny at all and was just a horrible song. It was a terrible way to leave the theater after laughing so much before that scene.

[dsa_shea]

I saw it last night with my wife and then again today. I would have to say that it was as funny the second time as it was last night. I might catch it one more time with a buddy of mine as it will be priceless to see the look on his face during some of the scenes.

[chris_sc77]

Originally Posted by Deftones

but the real question was, was the length of the movie ok for you?

It was too short. I was disappointed there were not more scenes. Particularly I wanted to see the scene showcased in the first trailer where they go in a busy shopping mall while locked together in the S&M outfits trying to look for a locksmith. Why this scene wasnt in the movie escapes me.
My favorite parts though (which few in the crowded theater laughed at even though they were generally very responsive to this one):
Mr. Magoriums Wonder Emporium (I dunno why this made me laugh so much but the 10 or 15 seconds they mentioned this movie was prob. the highlight for me.)
Mel Gibson= The fuhrer
JOhn Travolta, Tom Cruise, and Kevin Spacey = What do they all have in common? (this cracked me up and i was the only one who laughed for some reason)

[Shannon Nutt]

Biggest laugh for me:

Spoiler:

Harrison Ford yelling "F-YOU!"

Don't know if that was real or staged - I'm guessing the latter - but I about fell out of my seat. Oddly, that's the most entertainment I've gotten from the actor mentioned in about ten years.