Review: The antics of 'Bruno' fizzle too early

'Bruno' (C) Universal Studios

Bruno makes it all seem so easy. An outrageously gay character ambushes "celebrities" and "regular folk" with a fake penis (sometimes two of them) while having anal bleaching done and/or gyrating to a funky beat. For those that may think this morally reprehensible behavior has no place in American cinema, I have news for you. It surely does. After all, it's American cinema. And for those who feel the antics of Sacha Baron Cohen is a one-trick penis, er, pony that has been painted as an in-depth critique of American socio-political society, well, there's some truth to it you can get over the rocking of a cradle by sex toy.

Cohen once again returns to the big screen with a mockumentary set out to savagely deride the worst kept secrets in the United States; some of us our jerks. A lot of us are pretty embarrassing. It's a good thing we have an embarrassing stereotype to shine the light on other embarrassing stereotypes. As Bruno would say, "up your Auschwitz political correctness."

Bruno (Sacha Baron Cohen), the fabulous host of Austria's top fashion TV show Funkyzeit (No.1 in all German-speaking countries sans Germany), has been blacklisted for creating a disruptive scene during Milan Week. He decides to do what every celeb-seeking wannabe would do: come to America to become famous. When his acting career fizzles shortly after becoming an extra on the set of Medium, Bruno switches gears and becomes a celebrity interviewer. After all, Mario Lopez is doing it.

Poor Paula Abdul. When furniture doesn't arrive for their chit-chat, Bruno pays off some Mexicans to act as furniture. Witness the hilarity as Ms. Abdul speaks of her sensitivity towards mankind while sitting on a human bench. Later on, after the test screening of his TV pilot is denounced by the panel (on Jamie-Lynn Spears' fetus: abort it or keep it? "Abort it."), Bruno intends to gain celebrity by solving that vexing "Middle Earth" problem as he travels to Jerusalem. "Isn't pita bread the real enemy?" Bruno asks to the Israeli and Palestinian Representatives. “You are confusing Hamas with hummus. We both like hummus, it's very healthy."   

When Middle East peace looks like a ridiculous waste of time, Bruno tries to get kidnapped by Islamic terrorists ("Your King Osama looks like a dirty wizard or a homeless Santa Claus."), frighten burly, beer-swillin' good ol' boys by making out with his assistant (played by Gustaf Hammarsten) in a steel-cage and showing off his new African baby on a talk show.   

Many of you have already seen the headlines and saw the trailers so most of the gags are well known. More shocking than the surprising amount of penises in the film, is how quickly [penis] the jokes get old. Considering that the movie is only 83 minutes, this a rather unfortunate situation. Over and over, the audience is pelted with gay joke after bigger gay [penis] joke. Political commentary aside, the jokes and imagery that are sold as "shocking" (and most are) become annoying after the first 30 minutes. Bruno shines when the "shock" takes a backseat. It's during the more subtle moments of the film where Bruno becomes actually funny. When sitting around the campfire with his new hunting pals, Bruno informs his party that he is concerned that he will wake up with a sore...you know, and the awkward silence makes this scene one of the more hilarious of the film.

Besides reenacting the much funnier [penis] Borat but without the authenticity, Bruno appears largely staged with professional actors with the curious case of wondering just how rigged this [penis] entire movie is. That alone makes Bruno a huge [penis] joke. While deceiving people in order to humiliate them is probably hilarious, having some of those yokels in on the surprise is a letdown. Especially when one is [penis] looking to laugh at and mock others.

Here's what audiences may learn from watching Cohen's latest project based upon a character from earlier in his career (Da Ali G Show): the Southern United States is rife with homophobia, intolerant rednecks and religious fanatics. They shoot guns, spit, and have threesomes too, as shown by our tour guide of America. However, it doesn't just end there as Los Angeles mothers (and one father) auction off their younglings to horrible, truly horrible photo shoots. One mother actually agrees to have her baby dress up as a Nazi while pushing "Jew baby" into a stove. If Bruno is a status-whore, so are much of his marks. As horrifying as this scene was, it pales in comparison to actually witnessing a child, not more than seven-years-old, leaving with their awful [penis] Bruno-esque parents after the film. The irony is rich.   

As much as Sacha Baron Cohen pokes fun at American oddities, perhaps his biggest joke is on us. We actually find it funny [penis].