Unless Bruno was the Funniest Film of All Time it was always going to disappoint after the breath-of-fresh-air that was Borat. Well, long story short; Bruno isn’t the Funniest Film of All Time. The biggest problem is that the audience goes into it expecting, no, demanding to be shocked. So, Cohen, obviously aware of this, cranks the dial up to eleven and seems to miss the point.
The basic plot of Bruno is that he gets fired from his TV hosting job in Austria. Dejected, and rejected by his gay, midget lover, he heads to the good ol’ US of A to become a celebrity; with each shallow attempt to become famous more outrageous than the last. Unfortunately, the character of Bruno is not as endearing as the ignorant but well-meaning Borat. So the plot driven scenes slow the pace of the film down while we wait for the next Yank to be duped.
The fine chaps of the /Filmcast summed up the main flaw of the film well: (paraphrasing) Borat is an extreme character that gets the average American to agree with his warped point of view which drives the humour in that film. On the other hand, for the most part, Bruno exhibits extreme behaviour, and people react as most would; by falling silent, looking awkward, and hoping that he goes away very soon. The only humour that can be drawn from this is either laughing at the poor schmo caught unawares in the situation or laughing at Cohen’s extremities. I found little humour in either. Generally, I just felt bad for both parties.
It could be argued that where Borat preyed on unsuspecting folks during his travels, Bruno is taking aim at the folks sitting in the cinema watching the film. His behaviour is so extreme in some cases that you almost feel the pain of the unsuspecting folks who are trying to minimise the embarrassment and get on with their lives. Did he intend for their embarrassment to reflect our own as we sat in the cinema?
Even if there is some truth to this I always got the feeling that the scenes never worked quite as well as Cohen and his cohorts had hoped. Bruno just isn’t as well conceived, or performed, a character as Borat.
The film does have some very funny moments and most come during the second half of the film when Bruno tries to go straight. It is this part of the film that mimics Borat’s style the closest. Bruno gives the interviewees just enough rope to hang themselves; and hang they do! And the final sequence is as funny as the in-film audience’s reaction is disturbing; and, it is highly disturbing!
So, ultimately this film will probably go down as a footnote to the brilliant Borat. If you are looking for a laugh you could do much worse but it certainly isn’t a must see.
