By Ben Cohen
I came back from a pre-screening of the movie 'Bruno' last night literally reeling in shock from what I had just seen. The mockumentary about a Gay, Austrian fashion reporter coming to Los Angeles was just about the most ridiculous, offensive, boundary smashing piece of film I have ever seen. I'm still not sure whether I liked it, but it left a lasting impression, that's for sure.
The movie's premise is fairly simple - Bruno (Sacha Baron Cohen) gets fired from his job as a fashion reporter in Austria, then moves to Los Angeles to do whatever it takes to get famous.
And that includes just about every sexually depraved act you can possibly imagine.
I won't go into detail, but the gratuitous sexual imagery makes 'Borat' look like a Disney movie, and Basic Instinct look like an evening with Pat Robertson.
The plot was pretty thin (almost identical to Borat) and some of the sketches so outrageous it was difficult and extremely uncomfortable to watch. If you have any underlying prejudice about homosexuality, you will be forced to confront it head on (and even if you don't, you'll have a hard time). It also parodies celebrity culture and provides a rather shocking insight into how superficial and sometimes dangerous the entertainment industry can be (to the point where parents are willing to starve their babies to get roles).
Cohen's ability to expose his victims idiocy makes the movie interesting to watch, but a lot of Bruno relies on toilet humor - funny for a while, but often down right disgusting and not a good substitute for real comedy. Over all, it's worth going to - not because it's funny (it is mostly), but because this type of thing hasn't really been done before, and probably won't again once the general public gets a look.
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