I SAW BRUNO
Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen was first known for Da Ali G Show which hit airwaves in 2000 on HBO. A show made famous from pranking politicians and conducting fake interviews, unbeknownst to his interviewees. It was on this show that he popularized the two foreign characters we have come to know and love, Borat and Bruno.
While Borat worked as both a skit on a television show and in a feature film, Bruno walks a thin line between an 
hour-long mini-series and a full-length movie. While Borat seemed 100% real seemingly the entire duration of the film, Bruno (and I can’t believe I’m saying this) actually jumped the shark.
It started off on a great note and was very reminiscent of his brilliant skits on Ali G. The expectation of full-frontal male nudity and rolling on the floor hilarity was rampant through the first 45 minutes of the movie. While having the respect for his style of comedy, I still found myself somewhat bored and skeptic during the second half of the film.
The genius of the characters of Borat and Bruno relies almost entirely on Baron Cohen’s ability to make both the people around him and the audience uncomfortable in a realistic setting. Bruno did not accomplish this for its entire 81 minute run time.
Bruno is such an outrageous character and so over-the-top that it’s extremely hard to imagine that someone like Sacha Baron Cohen could jump the shark - but it happened. I found myself wondering what was real and what was fake, and it’s that flaw that took something away from the movie.
I laughed my ass off 75% of the time, which is much more than your average movie-going experience. It’s wildly funny, but comedically isn’t on par with Borat - which may be a letdown for some. This movie is definitely a must-see, but I would be hard-pressed to call it “must see now“.
Save your $12 and wait for the DVD. 7.5/10
Watch this clip if you’ve ever wanted to hear Barbara Walters talk about floppy penises (I mean that might be the type of thing that turns you on, she gets me hot). Here’s her thoughts on Bruno from The View:
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