I think I liked it more than Borat. Borat began like a rocket, but I thought it died at the hour mark (right around the time he went into the church). Bruno has its lulls, but the gags consistently build, peaking with that wonderful scene at the MMA fight in Arkansas. I laughed roughly the same in both, but I was more consistently shocked by Bruno. The hick in tears witnessing the gay sex actually had me in tears.

One of my favorite bits was when Bruno was in LA and visit the Charity PR specialists.

Borat was hilarious, Bruno was trash. It just wasn't as funny, nor as interesting. There were some notable exceptions, but for the most part the movie was just bad.

not even the talking penis?

Probably the review I agree the most with so far.

Best scene of the year.

I disagree and throw my money behind "My Heart Will Go On" in Arkansas.

Remarkable. And the funniest movie since, what, The Big Lebowski?

It's a bit disconcerting for a while because there's two movies in Bruno. The first is about celebrity culture and fame, the second, homophobia.

What Cohen does here, and what makes the movie a billion times more successful than Borat yet will doom it to half the former's box office, is that the primary goal of the satire is us, the audience. Borat let us laugh at the boobs from a distance. In Bruno, while we've got that too, Cohen is forcing us to watch some stunning acts of, well, gayness (for lack of a better word) to force an audience to confront themselves. Think of the violent rednecks in the climactic scene; these are no doubt the same guys with Borat DVDs at home and who like to use all those damn catchphrases it spawned. Anyone like that, anyone who would be rendered even slightly uncomfortable by the simple act of two men kissing, are the people he wants in the theatre watching Bruno. He's kind of a self-destructive artist, but oh man, does he hit the bullseye here.

so you ate the brownies?

haha no maybe tomorrow

The most obvious problem: why do we need to skip the commentary bullshit? I grade/review a movie based on all aspects that are relevant, and in this case the social commentary that he paints is incredibly relevant and for that matter prevelant. Moreover, I think grading a movie soley on how funny it is is incredibly idiotic. "Funny" varies to every person and is hardly a way to grade/review a film, at least not a good thing to rest your critique entirely upon.

Anyway, I loved this (like you didn't see that coming?) The first half I more than loved, it was remarkable. Probably the best thing put on screen this year. It's social commentary (yes there was buttloads of it) was relatively accurate, incredibly blatent, (which is a good thing here unlike some films such as crash) and remarkably funny. I literally couldn't stop myself from laughing at certain moments in the film. Cohen is far more funny and entertaining here than in borat (which I liked but didn't love) and all of the real people and situations (I agree with getluv's comment about staging) were very funny too (in the first half.) I absolutely loved this.

The second half was much weaker. Most of the social commentary was made in the first hour. A few scenes such as the army and the pastor trying to turn him straight were important and entertaining, and the swinger party shook me to my very core, but it sort of lulled a bit and most of the best comedy is in the first half.

Overall it's a magnificient film, a 5/5 without a doubt. One of the better comedies I've ever watched, and definitely the years best comedy and one of the years best films.

I didnt lagh too hard.

There were funny bits and there were not so funny bits dotted throughout, but more than anything the film just surprised me by showing how tolerant and accepting a lot of red state America is. That Baron Cohen had to strip completely nude and confront a hunter in his tent with condoms before the guy completely snapped just shows how far we've come along.

The overwhelming feeling I got throughout a lot of the film wasn't so much "Bruno's really showing these people up for what they are!" more "these people sure are humouring this guy far more than I would in this situation". I mean, are we really surprised that people would stare aghast at the sight of two near naked adults strapped to each other in the doggy-style position on a public bus?

That said, there were some genuinely provocative moments (the chat show and, to an extent, the wrestling match) and I laughed out loud at a fair bit of the scripted stuff - but for the most part, where Borat got some genuinely shocking responses from his subjects, it felt like the majority of the people Bruno encountered were either - to an extent - politely playing along (Paula Abdul, the fortune teller, the karate instructor) or doing exactly what I'd expect them to do in that situation (rednecks go apeshit when they get a gay sex show instead of the advertised wrestling match? Who'd a thunk it?).

C-

Just as funny as Borat, and even more telling. I found it funny that my younger brother, who loved Borat, found this disgusting and disturbing. How far we've come, indeed!

B- not as funny or consistent as Borat. Several non-funny scenes were forced into the movie just because they filmed it hoping for funny moments but it didnt' meet expecations.

There are many unbelievably hilarious moments sprinkled throughout this picture, although it's not as consistently funny as Borat was. Shockingly, Sacha Baron Cohen actually goes further in making Bruno even more outrageous than his last film. I've seen a lot of movies but there was some material in this one that I can safely say I didn't think I'd see in a mainstream film. The social commentary is maybe even more pronounced and effective than Borat, in addition. However, Bruno is significantly hurt by several dull vignettes and scenes that go on way too long without a rewarding payoff. Despite this flaw, the sheer hilarious insanity of several scenes in this makes it worth seeing without a doubt. B

well, give the world a break. I would love for acceptance and love to come over night more than anyone, but it's unreasonable to expect it. There's a big difference between this and will & grace or something. Cohen is intentionally trying to make this as blatent and uncomfortable of an approach to the gay issue as humanely possible. Obviously he suceeds beautifully in that sense. But for anyone even slightly uncomfortable not only with homosexuality but with crude sexuality in general, makes for a hard watch.
When a movie like this can make as much as a movie like borat at the BO then we are finally running full speed down the right path to acceptance.

honestly rather meh of a film. A very weak narrative even compared to borat and very hit or miss. The final MMA scene was pretty hilarious but other than that it felt like it was working to hard to offend people more than anything else. It also felt very very scripted.


B-


Also this is the first time I've seen over 10 people walk out of a film during a screening. I couldn't believe it.

Eh.

C

Pretty much, though I think the movie was as funny as Borat.

B-

I felt that Borat was just a much more "likeable" character. He was so naive and so silly that to me it felt like the reactions were more genuine.

Bruno was just...well offensive. There were some definitely hilarious parts (the cage fight had me laughing so hard I almost cried) but there were a lot more misses than hits. There were some funny parts but there were a lot more where it felt like they were pushing it way too far. Hard to explain.

I didn't find the early part of the film (with the sex machine etc) to be funny at all. In fact I found it to be kind of gross and pointless. The talk show was hilarious. The fashion show bit was funny. Same with the Paula Abdul part and the "charity" consultants. Oh and when he fell out the window during the swingers party.

The narrative was also so unfocused. There was part about him being destined to be "a celebrity" but of course most of it was to "make heterosexuals uncomfortable"...

Dunno, it just didn't work to me.

6/10 -> C

The movie is all over the place. It goes from incredibly boring to funny in mere seconds. It's actually not as raunchy and offensive as I expected it to be. It was pretty tame IMHO - I expected Cohen would do extravaganza only flamboyant gays are capable of.

Certain parts felt too staged or like they used the wrong take.

About the social commentary. Eh. It's nothing we haven't seen before.

Borat was much, much, much better in every way.

Yeah there really wasn't any social commentary. I mean I guess maybe an obscure reference during the "Mexican furniture" part...

To me the only part that really worked well was cage fight. It did show "homophobia" but then again if I went to a cage fight and two people started having sex in it, I'd probably leave too.

Oh and the swingers party was funny. Just not a "social commentary"

No social commentary? You watch the TV talk show segment? The "Bruno questions the stage parents" scene? Oooh, how about "Bruno and the blonde consultants"?

Point taken.

Maybe "not as much social commentary"...and certainly not much for what it was advertised (homophobia)