Bruno

Release Year: 2009
Review: 'Bruno' finds Sacha Baron Cohen at it again, with his unique brand of humor, bringing us another one of his well thought out and highly controversial characters. The lengths to which Baron Cohen commits to his characters is incredible, tirelessly staying in character no matter how uncomfortable, or even dangerous, the situation gets. Despite the comedic talent in which Baron Cohen has being able to quickly ad-lib and force uncomfortable situations, most of this talent was wasted. The plot of movie was very tenuous. Not that it matters much in this sort of movie, but the problem was there was quite a bit of time spent on plot related build up that really wasn't interesting or funny. More time could have instead have been spent with Bruno interacting with the oblivious public. The crew of the film went to great lengths to set up outrageous set-ups, but in execution the payoff seemed a bit muted. I would have liked a more in depth look at Bruno interacting with one group of people, rather than little segments strewn haphazardly about. Another down point was that rather than trying to have meaning, or showcasing a problem amplified using the character, the film focused more on simple gross out or shock humor which had very little underlaying thought. There was a lot to laugh at, but in the end 'Bruno' was a letdown, feeling more like a rushed sequel and really wasting a great character.
Rating: 2/5