Bruno – DVD Review

Sacha Baron Cohen has the kind of comic mind that doesn't come along often. That may be a good or bad thing, it may even jump from one to the other and back in the matter of a few minutes, but he's an amazingly funny guy with a lot of different perspectives on what makes for good comedy. Of course, most of the time you probably want to put quotes around "good," but even for those who might be repulsed by much of what takes place in Bruno, you can't sit through the whole thing and claim you never laughed once.

It's the same old story really. It's the tale of a young Austrian lad who dreams of becoming famous. He's managed to become the host of a strange fashion show, and when things don't work out so well for him there, he decides to come to America and really become famous. He's also outrageously homosexual, and the two small bumps in the road to fame are that he's a complete idiot, and has no sort of talent or legitimate reason to be famous for anything. Not that either of those ever stopped anyone before...

The story progresses as Bruno hatches one scheme to become famous after another, and we are witness to the bizarre results. When he arrives in L.A., he figures he needs an agent, and even gets a shot as an extra on a major television show, but it doesn't seem to work out. Deciding this might not be his road to stardom, he jumps from one idea to the next almost like a child on a major sugar rush, flying headlong into any nonsense idea that pops into his head.

He gets the idea to become famous by having his own show and interviewing famous people. That doesn't quite work out either, despite getting a network to focus group his idea. Every new plan seems to fall apart, and Bruno becomes somewhat desperate. During a conversation someone mentions that the videos of those kidnapped by terrorist are shown all over the world, and Bruno perks right up. Really? All over the world?!

In the end, this is essentially Borat Stage II, and it's a new persona throwing wild situations at those who don't expect it, though to one degree or another much of this one is staged. It's wildly different in scope, and just by virtue of the character things are approached with a much different view of what we're trying to get out of people, but you know the basic drill.

There are moments of lunacy, moments that are somewhat amusing for their sheer near-X-ratedness (and others that are not at all amusing for the same reason), and there are more than a few times you'll laugh at the ridiculous things people will say when they think they're talking to someone who isn't making of them. The model at the very beginning stands out on that last score.

But, Cohen's true genius comes through in the smallest moments, and the biggest reactions. At one point Bruno decides that to be famous he has to stop being gay, and he goes to see a minister of some sort who specializes in converting homosexuals. During their conversation the minister says, "I met someone who changed my life," and Bruno quickly, and with utter seriousness replies, "Vas it Karl Lagerfeld?"

On the other side of the coin, the funniest moments are the reactions he can manage to draw out of people (or not draw out of people) simply by being completely ridiculous at them. For all that he is outrageous, vulgar, and at times completely disgusting, he's really just a reporter of a kind. He's acting ludicrous, but all the while he's only pointing out how ludicrous everyone else. I mean, look at the way people react when he kisses a guy in a cage, or pulls a baby out of box from an airport baggage claim. It's more of the same when he asks parents trying to get their infants into a photo gig if they're fine with dressing their baby up like Hitler, or if liposuction is an option.

It's bizarrely unwatchable at times (though you'll watch anyway), but it's hard to deny the comic genius behind the wheel. Moments are great, and (for me anyway) there are stretches where you're only going to get mildly amusing, but watching the overall product is decidedly interesting if nothing else. An entire movie that basically revolves around a guy simply walking around saying, "I'm acting like a fool on purpose, what's your excuse?" is pretty funny.

Rating:  

The standard DVD release is not overly loaded with special features. There are around an hour of alternate, deleted, and extended scenes, and they are certainly worth a watch. I wouldn't say that anything truly hilarious was cut, but some of the moments are pretty good.

There's also an enhanced commentary, which basically means that at certain points the film will pause while we go over that scene in detail in order to not get lost in the next segment. Sacha Baron Cohen and director Larry Charles are on board for the commentary, and for my money the commentary is worth more than the film itself. Cohen really is rather funny, and as you can imagine, a lot of crazy stuff went on during the filming.

You also get an interview with Lloyd Robinson, Bruno's real Hollywood agent. It's a nice addition, and has a few laughs.

The Blu-Ray has an exclusive video commentary with Cohen and Charles, and some BDLive features such as My Scenes Sharing, My Chat, and more.

Own it on DVD and Blu-Ray November 17th!

Check out a couple of the deleted scenes below.

Are You Screening?

© 2009, Are You Screening?. All rights reserved. Reprinting without express permission of the author is prohibited.

About Marc Eastman

Marc Eastman is the owner and operator of Are You Screening? and has been writing film reviews for over a decade, and several branches of the internet's film review world have seen his name. His reviews have brought him personal praise from the director of a major motion picture, and have been used as required reading in a course at a major University. These priceless rewards, along with just bags of cash, keep him from straying from freelance writing. He is also a member of The Broadcast Film Critics Association and The Broadcast Television Journalists Association.

Twitter | Facebook | More Posts (1450)