Brüno

As I have many conservative friends and families, my respect for them would deny me the generalization that right-wingers, as a whole, believe that Brüno represents everything that is wrong with the "homosexual agenda." But I suspect that there is a small crowd of Americans who view this character as a symbol of gay culture and that all gay men are self-centered, materialistic, perverted and godless. Brüno, the film, takes a certain delight in knowing these people exist and mocks them with the most outrageous, stereotypical caricature of the queer community ever to hit the big screen.

Brüno is one of three over-the-top characters created by the English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen from his hit series, Da Ali G Show, and the last character to make his debut in theaters (after 2002's Ali G Indahouse and 2006's Borat). The TV series followed Brüno as he traveled the world, interviewing anyone willing to sit down with him to discuss celebrities, fashion and gossip for his alleged hit Austrian TV show, Funkyzeit. The movie picks up after his East European fan base disavows him for a fashion faux pas and he subsequently loses his hosting gig. He heads to America to become famous with his assistant's assistant, a simple gofer who idolizes Brüno without shame.

Like its predecessor, Borat, the film is one part Spinal Tap and one part Jackass, weaving a mockumentary-style narrative around the pranks and sight gags for which Cohen is infamous. It's hard to tell sometimes what is staged and what is improvised. When Brüno attempts to seduce politician Ron Paul (mistaking him for drag queen entertainer RuPaul) in his pursuit to create a "celebrity sex tape" this is undoubtedly unscripted. But one would hope that when a representative from the Child Protective Services takes away Brüno's adopted African baby, OJ, that she was somehow in on the joke.

This question of reality pervades the entire film, even beyond the narrative of Brüno. When two ditzy PR consultants discuss the merits of supporting a social cause like Darfur or environmentalism as if it were a Gucci handbag, I suspect that the impact of their activism is no more influential than an episode of The Hills. But when a mother agrees to do a photo shoot with her child dressed as a Nazi pushing into an oven another child dressed as a Jew, you have to hope beyond measure that you accidentally stumbled upon a lost episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Because if it's the latter, the scenario is hilarious; but to think that this woman really exists out in the world, well, that's a little unnerving.

That nervous laughter is what makes Brüno ingenious. No where else in the civilized world would this rampant materialism and marked homophobia be so amusing. Although the satire is a little subtler than Borat or the TV series, it's all still sitting there naked under the guise of slapstick and shock comedy. There are some moments of perfection, especially when Brüno sits down to discuss the war tactics with a known terrorist or the joys of women with Paul Cameron of the Family Research Institute. There are a few scenes, however, that seem to exist only for the purposes of creating an awkward situation (re: the hotel bondage scene) that really makes no commentary on the world or society. Granted, on a basic level, the bondage scene is funny but we expect better from Cohen than this type of blatancy.

The film's finale is absolutely perfect and those last 10 minutes are worth your entire admission price. Without giving away too much, I'll simply say that I have never seen the face of a pro-wrestling fan more devastated by the results of a cage match than I did in this movie. I'd bet that if the fan thought he was being put on, he would not have found it so revolting. But, then again, that is the beauty of Brüno.

**** (out of five)