The Damn Dirty DVD Review: Bruno

Posted by Ron Martin on 11.22.2009

Can Sacha Baron Cohen deliver yet again with one of his characters out in the real world? Bruno thinks he's fabulous and obviously worthy of A-List status. Others may think differently.

Written By: Sacha Baron Cohen
Directed By: Larry Charles

Cast

Bruno -- Sacha Baron Cohen
Lutz -- Gustaf Hammersten
Diesel -- Clifford Banagale
O.J. -- Chibundu Orukwowu
Kookus -- Josh Meyers



I had high hopes for Bruno. I loved Borat. I thought it was unique, hilarious and creative. It was something we weren’t used to from Hollywood. I thought Sacha Baron Cohen was the next coming of Andy Kauffman. What was he going to give us next? The answer to that is Bruno, the story of an overtly gay Austrian fashion reporter coming to America to become a huge celebrity. On his journey, Bruno tries an American celebrity talk show, to become an actor, to start a celebrity charity event, modeling, create peace in the Middle East, seducing US Senators and ultimately become straight.

Unlike it’s predecessor, Bruno just completely falls flat. Unlike Borat, Bruno is one joke pulled out across 80 minutes. You know when you watch a one joke Saturday Night Live skit that runs about 5 minutes too long? Try 70 minutes too long for this one. Not that there isn’t anything funny in this film. There are a couple of chuckles here and there, but nothing fall down, laugh out loud funny. It’s an 80 minute gay joke.



Think of every place you would feel uncomfortable watching a supergay person interact with others and you’ve got this movie. Racists? Check. Government officials? Check. The Middle East? Check. With a group of hunters? Check. Religious Officials? Check. In Middle America during an MMA fight? Check. In the middle of a Gay Hate Parade? Check. That’s pretty much it. Sacha Baron Cohen went from the master of innovative thinking to the master of the gay cock joke.

There are some flashes of the brilliance that lies somewhere inside of Cohen. The entire sequence with the African baby is disturbing, ballsy and funny all at the same time. This is the kind of humor that Borat excelled at, but is completely lacking in most of Bruno. What is really depressing is that there is a really funny movie here, it was just left on the cutting room floor. The deleted scenes focus mostly on Bruno’s interaction with the fashion industry and Hollywood moms and is hilarious. Instead of going for the satire of a fashion model telling us how much therapy she had to have because she is so beautiful, Cohen thought we needed a scene with Bruno in the army, yet another place an obvious homosexual might have some issues.



Another area Bruno lacks is believability. With Borat, we knew he was making a documentary so there was a reason for the camera to be there when he was filming his interaction with Americans. Though many scenes in Bruno were played off as a documentary to the participants, there are no such implications within the film itself. Several of those getting documented are aware of the camera and were paid for their appearances.

That brings us to another topic. With Borat everything seemed genuine, which was its charm. With Bruno, too much is set up. Case in point, Bruno pulls off in a scooter with his black baby just as a car pulls out and skids to a stop sideways just in time. Are we really supposed to believe that Cohen (or a stunt guy) would risk that chance that some random pedestrian would be quick enough on the brakes? I know there’s nothing wrong with a little stunt action in a Hollywood film, but when the basis of the film is real people and their reactions, I shouldn’t have to come away from each scene wondering if it was set up or not.

In the end, I think this film fails mostly because Bruno is just not that likeable. I found myself rooting for the other guy in the scene all too often. He’s goofy, he’s offensive but lacks sympathy. This is a movie that sounds cool when you try to explain scenes to your friends, but in the end it plays like the little publicity stunt between Cohen and Eminem at the MTV Movie Awards – just not that well.

Video
Video is in anamorphic widescreen, your standard 1.85:1 fair.

Audio
Dolby Digital 5.1 English Surround complementing by German dance music.

Special Features

Commentary: “Enhanced” commentary features Cohen and director Larry Charles. The enhanced part comes when film is actually stopped and/or picture within a picture technology is used. The commentary has good insight into the making of the film.

Additional Scenes: Scenes that didn’t make it into the movies including Pete Rose walking out on an interview from Bruno where Pete fights on behalf of the Mexicans he is using as furniture. Other additional scenes include a compilation of former government employees that got the same treatment as Ron Paul in the film proper with about the same response.


Deleted Scenes: More of the same. This includes the infamous LaToya Jackson scene where Bruno talks her out of her phone and gives his assistant Michael Jackson’s phone number in German. This was pulled from the film after Michael’s untimely death. The rest of the scenes here make the film so frustrating. There is really good stuff here, especially that involving the fashion industry. If Bruno has focused his attention on this more satirical and understated comedy, this film would have been tons better. Instead we get the same joke over and over.

Extended Scenes: Admittedly, the swinger party stuff is pretty funny.

An interview with Lloyd Robinson: An interview with Bruno’s Hollywood agent after he finally gets the joke. He seems okay with it.

The 411: This movie just doesn't have the same impact as the rest of Cohen's movies. It may be the Sandler/Ferrell effect where we are getting tired of the same old formula, but I think it's more of were the production team left the better movie on the editing room floor. Sure, there are a couple of laughs, but out of Cohen, I expected a lot more. At least half this rating is because of the deleted scenes that were much funnier that most of the movie.

Final Score:  4.0   [ Poor ]