Review - Brüno

Brüno is a over-the-top Austrian fashionista who longs for worldwide fame. After his local Austrian television show is cancelled, Brüno travels to America in search of becoming a A-list celebrity. Things however don't go as Brüno planned.


Sacha Baron Cohen returns as another one of his alter-ego's Brüno, in an attempt to recapture the acclaim he received from Borat. Unfortunately for Baron Cohen the character was much better fit in shorts spurts on his HBO show Da Ali G Show, than in a feature length film. Overall "Brüno" is about fifteen minutes of funny stretched out into a 81 minute comedy. Most of the jokes are extremely vulgar and push the limits of the MPAA rating scale as expected, but in the end there was just too much un-funny material to save "Brüno."

Director Larry Charles returns for Sacha Baron Cohen's second raunchy character but this time he is unable to capture the same hilarity that was Borat. Most can be credited to the majority of the material being only slightly amusing instead of side-splitting. Charles delivers the exact format here in "Brüno" as he did in Borat, but again the result isn't nearly the same.

Some of the most funny moments in "Brüno" are outright appalling and are there simply for shock value, but they do work. Particularly, Brüno's lover. The scene which explicitly shows an evening of their sexual escapades is both jaw-dropping and ludicrous. I also got a huge kick out of Brüno's pilot episode which is test screened for some unlucky participants. I never thought a talking penis could be so hysterical, but it was. The stuff done with the baby was also fairly funny, but most of the jokes were spoiled by the numerous TV spots for the raunchy comedy.

There is one thing for certain that if "Brüno" doesn't look appealing by the trailers, than you will not enjoy the film. Sacha Baron Cohen's character is exactly what you paid for and he does not hold back anymore than to receive an R-rating. His brand of humor is not for everyone and "Brüno" is about as in the face as you are going to get in 2009. After seeing Borat I was expecting a lot more from "Brüno" and unfortunately, I walked away utterly disappointed and thinking I probably would never watch the film again.