Bah, Brüno! We Miss Borat!

Brüno
Running time 83 minutes
Written by Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Dan Mazer and Jeff Schaffer
Directed by Larry Charles
Starring Sacha Baron Cohen, Gustaf Hammarsten

So here’s the problem: How exactly should one judge the new Sacha Baron Cohen movie, Brüno? Should it be critiqued on its success in shocking people (a resounding yes), or for the queasy, teetering-toward-darkness comedy that incites waves of nervous laughter (yes, again), or for the insane heroics of Mr. Baron Cohen in crossing the line of good taste and then turning around to stomp, spit and basically take a poop on that line behind him? Perhaps! But what if we want to judge the movie simply in terms of its enjoyability? Then things get even more murky; Brüno is relentless—an aggressive, squirm-inducing affair where you will most certainly laugh, but you may instantly feel kind of bad about it, yourself and possibly humanity. 

In 2006 Mr. Baron Cohen unleashed the character of Borat, a second-stringer to his famed suburban hip-hop character on HBO’s Da Ali G Show, in Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Borat was a weirdly likable fellow in spite of his joyful anti-Semitism, racism and general misogyny. He lured in unwitting interview subjects with his wide-eyed astonishment and flashes of his uncomprehending smile. When he incited a crowd at a country-and-western bar to join him in a rousing sing-a-long of “Throw the Jew Down the Well”, the viewer felt reasonably O.K., knowing that Mr. Baron Cohen is himself a practicing Jew, and was perhaps trying to make a larger point about the ease with which modern Americans will join into causal anti-Semitism.

It’s harder with the character of Brüno, a flamboyantly gay fashionista Austrian striving for worldwide fame. Brüno has a big ole nasty streak; a glittery hard edge and perma-sneer; and unabashed disdain for just about everything. Mr. Baron Cohen appears to have slimmed down considerably for this role, which amazingly makes him look even taller than his 6-foot-3. And you sure get to see a lot of him—the nudity in this film is rather astounding. (Think that Eminem gag from the MTV Movie Awards was shocking? Just you wait.) He gets himself into one outrageous situation after the next at breakneck speed—whether it be an interview with Paula Abdul (who will no doubt be very unhappy with her appearance), Ron Paul (who you’ll end up feeling sorry for) or a group of unsuspecting tough-guy hunters who are forced to stare at their feet in horrified silence as Brüno continues to push (and push, and push some more) their comfort zone in proximity to his aggressive homosexuality.

But perhaps what’s more interesting is that the movie was able to happen at all and how Mr. Baron Cohen escaped bodily harm. After its release, when the inevitable lawsuits are filed, I’m hoping we’ll hear more about the making-of. But one thing to think about is how people will seemingly do just about anything if there is a camera crew around to catch it (let’s call it the Girls Gone Wild effect). In one particularly interesting—and disquieting—interaction, Brüno sets up auditions with parents hoping to book their toddlers on a photo shoot. Mr. Baron Cohen has a truly remarkable talent in ad-libbing while in character, continuing to push these parents—sporting wide-eyed desperation—into agreeing to the most outlandish conditions imaginable (ruining some of the shocks of this film, as the trailer does to a certain extent, would leave no fun at all). We’re getting to see something at work here, certainly … you just might not like what you see.

Bloggers have already been roused to ponder the question, ‘Will Brüno be good or bad for the gays?’ According to an entirely unscientific poll after the screening, feelings ranged from highly amused to sickened despair—all of which might be the point. Certainly, the film is worth seeing if only for the fascinating range in reactions (give ’em something to talk about indeed!). However, I did find myself wondering throughout the film whether Mr. Baron Cohen and Borat/Brüno director Larry Charles’ point was to expose society’s sanctimonious hypocrisies or simply to shock for shock’s sake. Probably a little of both.

svilkomerson@observer.com