It's hard to imagine "spoiling" a film like Bruno: there's really no story, and the jokes are all about how they're executed, so whatever you've heard in advance surely won't ruin your fun. I mean, telling you that in one scene Bruno is undergoing "anal bleaching" while talking to his agent in Hollywood will subtract nothing from the shock and possible hilarity of what you're going to see on screen.
No, there's no way anything outside of the film can ruin it. The problem lies entirely within its frames. Think of Limburger Cheese. That pungent flavor and stunning odor are its normal properties. And few people choose to eat it.
When my wife and I saw it yesterday our reaction was "mixed" to say the least. I found myself alternately cringing and laughing; my wife alternately cringed and asked me if I was ready to leave yet. For me, the film's flaws were not so serious that I felt that if I ate one more piece of it I'd refund my popcorn, but my wife's gag reflex was stronger, and so we left the theater before the film ended.
For us the most offensive aspects of Bruno did not involve the over-generous displays of backsides and genitalia. Even when Bruno's sizable penis got blown up to an on-screen size of about 3 to 4 feet, our only comment was that we were glad that the movie was not photographed in 3D.
But the conceit of the film is that our society's hypocritical preoccupations with celebrity and other-people's sexuality make many of us fair game for gotcha exposure. "Look at these fools who'll do anything to get themselves or their kids on camera!" "And look at these benighted dolts--both the bible-thumping red-necks from the rural South and the pseudo-sophisticates in the coastal big cities; don't they deserve to have a big man-butt wagged in their faces so we can laugh at them when they get mad?" Those are the questions Bruno poses. His lack of cleverness actually made me feel sympathy for people who usually burn me up. I'm no Ron Paul fan. I find his brand of Libertarian-Republicanism to be far too conservative, frankly. But Bruno's vulgar mock interview with him seemed undeserved. Dr. Paul is a decent, pretty broad-minded fellow. Bruno came off looking like an ignorant fool.
Similarly, his excruciating farcical peace-making session with an Israeli hard-liner and a representative of Hamas did nothing to point out the shortcomings of the two intransigent enemies. If it did anything it made me feel sorry for two aging politicians whose jobs require spending endless hours in boring, frustrating, fruitless meetings. Mr. Baron-Cohen seems to believe that by adding a few hours of mortification to their lives he is somehow adding something to someone's understanding of the slaughter-factory known as the Middle East.
The people responsible for this film are very talented. I have enjoyed some of their other efforts. In spite of the amount of derrière shown in this movie it struck me as half-assed. You can do better, guys. Use some of that other big organ you've got, Sascha, your BRAIN!
No, there's no way anything outside of the film can ruin it. The problem lies entirely within its frames. Think of Limburger Cheese. That pungent flavor and stunning odor are its normal properties. And few people choose to eat it.
When my wife and I saw it yesterday our reaction was "mixed" to say the least. I found myself alternately cringing and laughing; my wife alternately cringed and asked me if I was ready to leave yet. For me, the film's flaws were not so serious that I felt that if I ate one more piece of it I'd refund my popcorn, but my wife's gag reflex was stronger, and so we left the theater before the film ended.
For us the most offensive aspects of Bruno did not involve the over-generous displays of backsides and genitalia. Even when Bruno's sizable penis got blown up to an on-screen size of about 3 to 4 feet, our only comment was that we were glad that the movie was not photographed in 3D.
But the conceit of the film is that our society's hypocritical preoccupations with celebrity and other-people's sexuality make many of us fair game for gotcha exposure. "Look at these fools who'll do anything to get themselves or their kids on camera!" "And look at these benighted dolts--both the bible-thumping red-necks from the rural South and the pseudo-sophisticates in the coastal big cities; don't they deserve to have a big man-butt wagged in their faces so we can laugh at them when they get mad?" Those are the questions Bruno poses. His lack of cleverness actually made me feel sympathy for people who usually burn me up. I'm no Ron Paul fan. I find his brand of Libertarian-Republicanism to be far too conservative, frankly. But Bruno's vulgar mock interview with him seemed undeserved. Dr. Paul is a decent, pretty broad-minded fellow. Bruno came off looking like an ignorant fool.
Similarly, his excruciating farcical peace-making session with an Israeli hard-liner and a representative of Hamas did nothing to point out the shortcomings of the two intransigent enemies. If it did anything it made me feel sorry for two aging politicians whose jobs require spending endless hours in boring, frustrating, fruitless meetings. Mr. Baron-Cohen seems to believe that by adding a few hours of mortification to their lives he is somehow adding something to someone's understanding of the slaughter-factory known as the Middle East.
The people responsible for this film are very talented. I have enjoyed some of their other efforts. In spite of the amount of derrière shown in this movie it struck me as half-assed. You can do better, guys. Use some of that other big organ you've got, Sascha, your BRAIN!