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has a much more ambitious focus, lampooning politics, Hollywood, sexual promiscuity, rednecks, even sexual orientation “conversion therapy.” Because these scenarios are hysterically funny, most probably won’t notice how random these events actually are, tied together by a shoestring plot that makes little sense.
Brüno will polarize audiences to the extreme–some will snort with raucous laughter, and others will walk out in disgust–but regardless, Cohen’s latest should be regarded as a smart and daring satire that largely succeeds in examining various aspects of today’s culture, even if that examination is oftentimes crass and seemingly done solely for comical shock value. If Cohen is smart–and he’s given every indication that he is–Brüno will be the last film to feature his inventive Candid Camera-esque antics. Because as every gifted comedian knows, it’s no longer funny when everyone is in on the joke.
Movie Grade: B+
Borat trickster Sacha Baron Cohen returns to the big screen to offer yet another stinging dose of sociopolitical satire in this comedy that finds him assuming the persona of gay fashionmonger Brüno, the self-proclaimed "voice of Austrian youth TV." Originally conceived as part of Cohen's cult television series Da Ali G Show, the character of Brüno offered a cleverly costumed Cohen the opportunity to highlight the absurdities of the fashion industry by interviewing unsuspecting fashion icons and other haute couture hangers-on.
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