Bruno gets edge more from sex than satire, but Sacha Baron Cohen's latest still has plenty of laughs
Elizabeth Weitzman
Updated Thursday, July 9th 2009, 11:30 AM
Peterson/FilmMagic
Sacha Baron Cohen as 'Bruno.' His satire has lost some of its edge, but the movie has plenty of shocks and big laughs.
Packed with filthy jokes, insane sight gags, and body parts used in decidedly uncommon ways, "Brüno" is hands-down the dirtiest R-rated movie you'll see this year. Only you know if that's reason to run to the nearest multiplex.
With fewer moments of spontaneous madness, the latest double-dare from Sacha Baron Cohen and director Larry Charles doesn't offer the outrageous highs of "Da Ali G Show," the tv series that inspired it, or "Borat," the movie that preceded it. But while Cohen's samurai satire has lost some of its edge, he can still leave audiences howling - when they're not gasping in disbelief.
Brüno, for those who never watched Cohen's HBO show, is his Austrian alter ego, an absurdly flamboyant fashionista with more ambition than brain power. After an unfortunate catwalk incident, he heads to Hollywood to become an American superstar. He doesn't have much of a plan, but then, Cohen doesn't seem to, either.
Like "Borat," the movie is a blend of candid-camera moments and scripted sketches. Some fall flat (the adopted baby bit is funnier in the trailer), many are amusing (oh, Paula Abdul), and a few feel downright inspired (if Cohen ever gets bored, he's got a promising future as a Middle East envoy).
"Borat" came out at a time when immigration anxiety was at its peak, and Cohen deftly used his fumbling foreigner to unmask all manner of hypocrisy and prejudice. "Brüno" is similarly well-timed, given the contemporary debate over gay rights, and the best scenes remind us how provocative he can be. It's a safe bet that neither L.A. stage parents nor Southern wrestling fans will recover quickly from his assaults.
Unfortunately, though, Cohen can no longer fool the average moron, and his written material lacks the danger of his fearless improvisation. And the final sequence - in which he proves his own star power without earning any laughs - finds him flirting with the sort of celebrity self-indulgence he's spent much of the movie spoofing.
That said, when he hits, he hits hard. So here's hoping he resists the twinkling lure of fame, which has seduced men far better than Brüno.