Bruno (Blu-ray)

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Sacha Baron Cohen continues to do what he knows best and that is to recycle characters from his former HBO show "Da Ali G Show" and put people in horribly uncomfortable situations and film their shocking reactions to his antics. His first film "Ali G Indahouse" was amusing and the followup "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazahkstan" had a likable quirkiness to Cohen´s offbeat comedy style. The character of Borat was a likable nincompoop who was not fully comprehending the American lifestyle and getting into situations that were funny and typically not too terribly insulting. His third film featuring the characters of "Da Ali G Show" is based upon the homosexual fashion reporter from Austria named Bruno and "Bruno" is far more insulting than it is humorous and watching the film had me wanting to walk out of my own home theater to escape its horridness.

Part of "Bruno" was staged and the responses were written fabrications, but other targets of Cohen were misled or unaware of what was going to transpire and while those moments are often humorous, the gig is now tired for Cohen. "Bruno" is a re-hash of "Borat" and not a very good one. Paula Abdul is asked to sit on "Mexican Furniture" that are garden and pool workers paid by Bruno to function as furniture. Then, the former pop star is asked to eat appetizers spread over a naked Mexican wearing nothing more than a sock over his penis. She leaves in disgust. Later in the film Harrison Ford tells Cohen to bugger off in slightly harsher words and politician Ron Paul is tricked into believing Bruno is a reporter wanting to ask him questions on economics and instead treated to an attempt by Bruno to seduce him to film a sex video.

The film´s biggest prank involves Bruno trying to become the ultimate heterosexual and he becomes the cage fighter known as "Straight Dave." For the scene in the film where Cohen´s character is reunited with his one-night lover and former assistant Lutz (Gustav Hammarstein), Arkansas citizens were invited to a cage fighting competition that was billed as "Blue Collar Brawlin" and then treated to a homosexual make-out fest in the ring by Cohen and Hammarstein in what turned into a very ugly scene. While I must give Cohen credit for having balls big enough to stage something like this on 1500 Arkansas rednecks, the scene playing out to Celine Dion´s "MY Heart Will Go On" was not even mildly entertaining as those seeking cheap admission and cheaper beer reacted with disgust to being tricked.

A few other instances in the film involve Bruno attempting to become a famous Hollywood star and the uninformed and non-talented homosexual realizes his shtick doesn´t work too well in America and realizes his shots at fame would be better made with a sex tape where he mistakenly believes the previously mentioned Ron Paul is drag queen RuPaul and then attempts to become straight through different church-based interventions and outings with a few rednecks hunting rabbit. He trades an iPod for a small black child and appears on "The Richard Bey Show" in one of the film´s staged sequences and gets himself caught up in an unusual S&M contraption at a hotel after a night of "carb goggles" and gay sex with Lutz, who has fallen in love with him.

Some of the gags of "Bruno" do deliver laughs, but the majority of jokes in the film fall flat and the homosexual stereotypes painted by Cohen are both cruel and demeaning in a way that is hardly comical. The film plays out like a series of staged events meant to push buttons and causes the harshest reaction possible and instead of laughing at what is going on, it is easier to simply feel sorry for those "punked" by Cohen. Additionally, much of "Bruno" is fabricated and intended to look as if it is more of the same trickery. Porn star Michelle McLaren has a role as a Dominatrix and bit actors Hugh B. Holub, Todd Christian Hunter and David Hill are among those inserted as ´real people´ who help bring about an overly staged feel to the film.

There is a story behind "Bruno" and the film walks the line between trying to be a scripted story and a pseudo documentary. With "Borat" and "Religulous" director Larry Charles in tow, "Bruno" does succeed in doing what was intended, but the plot of a clueless gay man assuming he is destined for greatness in Hollywood and failing miserably in Hollywood would have made for a less than entertaining film without Cohen´s hijinks. The story pokes fun at some of the conventions of Hollywood and there are numerous in-jokes for those in television and cinema, but a lot of these things are lost on the masses that bought over $60 million of tickets for "Bruno." The film is a better made picture than "Borat" and perhaps Cohen and Charles´ expertise now in making these films is bringing too much polish to them to be truly entertaining and this is partly why "Bruno" falls flat.

Cohen is a more than capable actor and he earned enough fame from "Borat" and his character appearances in high profile films "Talladega Nights" and "Sweeney Todd." There is a following for his characters and the actor has stated that Ali G, Borat and Bruno are now all retired as the characters are too familiar for his gags to continue as the number of unsuspecting victims is dwindling quickly. Hopefully, these films are now a thing of Cohen´s past and his future is more of a legitimate character actor and he doesn´t simply invent new characters to continue this style of filmmaking and comedy that is quickly becoming tired. It was fun for a while, but whereas Ali G and Borat were fun and unique characters that had a lot of fun with their victims, the character of Bruno is cruel and harsh in his treatment of others and Cohen is capable of so much more than what was done in this film.

I don´t mind penis jokes and I don´t mind poking fun at groups through stereotypes when the intent is not to be harmful to others. Unfortunately, the feeling I got watching "Bruno" was that the comedy was derailed and this is a film that does nothing more than hurt others. The style of filmmaking where Cohen and crew mislead people into situations where footage is then used for a larger story does stir controversy and any of the "Ali G" spinoffs have stirred up their lion´s share of controversy. I laughed through "Borat" and loved "Ali G," but I just can´t get behind "Bruno" (no sexual pun intended) to enjoy this film. There were a few times when I just wanted to hit stop on the remote because I was far more offended than entertained. The only saving grace was the final scene where Bruno is making a music video with Bono, Snoop Dogg, Chris Martin, Slash and Elton John. That was a great bit and the handful of other funny moments keep "Bruno" from joining "The Marine" with the lowest score I can give a film.