It's been a while since a film genuinely cracked me up. Up is the closest I've been all year, I think. So when Brüno came out, I knew what to expect. Brüno, the latest film starring Sacha Baron Cohen, is a lot like his previous film Borat (I won't bother with the subtitle, it's got something to do with Kazakhstan though), one which was shot primary unscripted and with unsuspecting other people. Brüno is pretty much the same, though I got the feeling more of this film was scripted than Borat.
So, what does the film entail? Baron Cohen plays a stereotypically homosexual, stereotypically Austrian man named Brüno, who has gone to America seeking world fame. Taking into account the level of controversiality in Borat, you know what to expect.
(Spoilers ahead)
Happenings in the film include Brüno adopting a black baby (which he swapped for an iPod) called OJ and appearing on an African-American chat show, appearing at a fashion show in a velcro suit and running onto the catwalk attached to several items of clothing, bringing Paula Abdul food served on a hairy, naked man, and seeking help from a Christian "sexuality healer", becoming straight and presenting a straight-only fight club show, only to have his ex-boyfriend climb into the ring and get off with him there and then. Cue hundreds of angry straight audience members throwing their beverages and snacks into the ring in disgust.
(End spoilers)
Brüno relies heavily on shock humour to obtain its laughs, so some people will be immediately put off. Others, however, will lap it up.
I guess the easiest way to determine if you'll like Brüno is if you've seen and enjoyed Borat. If you haven't seen Borat, try out the trailer.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAGpmNb2xfQ]
It's not the cleverest film around by a long shot, and some parts are a little nasty, but I got the laughs I wanted. It's a good, love-it-or-hate-it film, if not quite as good as Borat. (78%)