07/10/09 - Brüno

Brüno (2009, 83 min)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0889583/

From the creator of Borat we get Brüno. Borat followed a news reporter while Brüno follows a fashion designer. The same offensive humor and outrageous situations are on display here. Though while I didn't find Borat that funny, Brüno has some great moments.

The main actor is again Sacha Baron Cohen, this time as Brüno. His assistant this time, though, is Lutz, played by Gustaf Hammarsten. The duo plays well together but obviously the star is Cohen. The strength of Cohen is his ability to stay in character even during the oddest of circumstances and this is again on display. He plays the part very well and is pretty convincing in the role.

If you found Borat offensive, then there is no doubt you will find Brüno offensive. It's a lot worse in that regard but there are also brighter spots in terms of comedy. The baby acting scene, the television show in Dallas, and the entire ending are all highly hilarious. Most of the other parts of the movie are spent in shock with mouth agape. Sometimes you can tell when the whole thing is staged while other times you can't. It's put together fairly well but the "story" falls short and the whole movie seems to just be a bunch of sketches. Borat did have a (silly) plot and is better in that regard.

Overall, I gave this film a 4/10. The humor is frequently disgusting but there's also genuinely good stuff to be found as well. The ending song was easily the highpoint of the movie and was a perfect ending.

[Note: Due to a voting update, I have changed the rating of Brüno to a 03/10.]