The Tread on Borat‘s Tires
Laugh-out-loud amusing and “outrageous” as it sometimes is, Sacha Baron Cohen‘s Bruno (Universal, 7.10) — oddly — isn’t all that funny. Certainly not in a convulsive sense. It is sort of heh-heh funny in a dry, observational, “is that all there is?” sense… but what’s that? It’s basically a series of misanthropic “screw you” jokes — 82 minutes worth of effete put-on gags, each one meant to provoke homophobic reactions to SBC’s flamboyantly gay, blonde-coiffed Austrian fashion reporter. The point being to “get” the constipated illiberal, small-minded types by making them look bad.
All I can say is that clips and promotions and put-ons are one thing, but when you sit down for a movie you expect a certain build-up of dramatic and emotional elements — you need to see characters and story threads start to take shape and transform and “pay off” in some way. Bruno never even tries to get off the ground in this sense.
Neither did Borat, I realize, but this time the lack of undertow felt like more of an issue. I said to myself about 20 minutes in, “Wow…this isn’t happening.” I said the same thing at the 40-minute mark. Although Bruno has loads of great bits and goofs and snide attitude to spread around. Let no one say it doesn’t score from time to time.
The problem for me is that (a) the tread has worn down on the tires since Borat — a comedy of this kind just doesn’t feel as out-there brash as it did three years ago, in part because it’s harder to believe that the encounters in the film aren’t staged or performed by the victims, (b) the humor is more than a bit cruel and misanthropic at times, and (c) SBC’s Bruno character simply doesn’t work as well as the revolutionary Borat.
Borat was funnier because it was at least faintly conceivable that a dorky moustachioed TV correspondent from a small Kazakhstan backwater could be that culturally clueless. But Bruno is no idiot — he’s from Vienna, knows the fashion world, knows the rules of the game. The joke is supposed to be that he’s so blinded by ego, arrogance, ambition and random sexual arousal that he doesn’t realize how offensive and irritating he is to everyone he meets. And that’s just not buyable.
So what we’re left with is just watching SBC doing his best to put people on and make them squirm as best he can. I’m obviously gay, you’re perhaps a little uncomfortable with gay men, and so I’m going to up the ante more and more until that discomfort tips into some form of hostility (usually suppressed). Over and over and over. Because I’m convinced that you’re a yahoo of some kind, and the point of this film is to expose you as same and too bad if you don’t like it, Ugly American.
For me the best Bruno material has already been seen in the trailers and clip reels. The marketing campaign has been amazing. There’s certainly nothing in the film as good as SBC dropping into Eminem‘s lap on the MTV Award show. Or his recent Tonight Show appearance with Conan. All right, the Arkansas wrestling match sequence comes close, although (again) it’s not really all that hah-hah funny.
My favorite Bruno moment comes when Harrison Ford is confronted by a microphone-wielding SBC and barks a harsh “fuck off!” as he gets into a car. Why did I savor this in particular? Because it’s the only time that a victim expresses more hostility towards SBC than what he/she is getting from SBC to begin with. In short, Ford trumps. He’s saying in effect, “I don’t want to hear it, just go away, you’re not worth it, don’t even start…I’m ahead of you!”
I also liked a visual gag that I’m not going to spoil (although Variety‘s Todd McCarthy already has in his review) that involves a certain part of the male anatomy talking and gyrating.
Who was the first Bruno? Andreas Voutsinas, the thin, devil-bearded gay guy in Mel Brooks‘ original film of The Producers (’68). His character’s name was Carmen Ghia. He was living with Christopher Hewett‘s Roger De Bris (the guy Gene Wilder was referring to when he said “Max, he’s wearing a dress!”), and his first Bruno bit was when he, Wilder and Zero Mostel take a brief elevator ride together and he does a kind of suppressed-erotic-writhing routine.
I agree with McCarthy that the “gotcha!” sequence in which SBC pretends to come on to Ron Paul, who ran in last year’s Republican primaries (and whom my son Dylan was for until he switched to Obama), is “noxious.” When Paul realizes what’s going on he freaks and shows his true homophobic colors, but it didn’t feel fair or right.
I don’t want to sound overly negative here. I did laugh several times during Bruno. I came out in a relatively okay mood, wasn’t pissed off. But a feeling that it didn’t really make it began to grow in the days that followed. I tried writing about it yesterday but the review wouldn’t come, probably because I was torn between admitting to myself that I laughed and chortled at times and also realizing that the film has hostility and believability problems.
Remember that moment in Mad Dog and Glory when Robert DeNiro‘s cop character tells Bill Murray‘s mafioso character (who does a little stand-up) that jokes don’t work as well when they’re “aimed out” and that people tend to laugh more when they’re “aimed a little more in” — i.e., at the teller?
Cohen’s supremely talented. I hope this stage of his career is over, and he can do real movies now.
The problem for me, with Bruno, is that unlike Borat, he’s actually physically aggressive, and moreover, sexually aggressive towards people. Borat wonderfully exposed prejudices by ingratiating himself so that they felt comfortable expressing true feelings – with Bruno, perhaps sometimes it’s clever (I’ve seen the tv episodes, but not the film yet), but a lot of what I’ve seen seems like he does things that if a straight man did to a woman would get him arrested on the spot.
“It’s the best movie I’ve seen since the last movie I’ve seen.” — Roger Ebert
“Needs more explosions.” — Unknown individual asking to go by the pseudonym actionman.
“I’m obviously gay, … and the point of this film is to expose you as same[.]” — Jeff Wells, Hollywood-Elsewhere.com
Has nobody realized yet that the butt of Cohen’s “joke” are not the celebrities he pranks in his movies but the audience who pays him money to watch it? With each successive movie and TV appearance he is continuing to put one over on Americans by exposing our culture’s collective bad taste and willingness to buy anything remotely hostile and aggressive. It’s Bamboozled on a much grander scale.
“In short, Ford trumps. He’s saying in effect, “I don’t want to hear it, just go away, you’re not worth it, don’t even start…I’m ahead of you!”
I love this writing style of Jeff’s, I think it’s uniquely his. The way he talks in someone else’s voice in a rapid-fire series of short, potent phrases and then….three ellipsis points later…the bullseye quote!
Hah. Always good stuff.
“Remember that scene in Mad Dog & Glory…”
Uh, no. Anyone?
Reminds me of that Simpsons Halloween episode.
“Anyone here see that movie, Tron?”
“No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,…” etc.
Anyway, this is about what I expect from Bruno. not un-funny but just a bit too done and a bit too on the nose…
Bruno had a goal. To drag Pamela Anderson off to a cave, and the movie was his finite road trip to do so. That smartly created at least some direction.
Comedians in Hollywood always fight the suits for funny over story. But feature length funny always needs some sort of structure or context.
I remember Mad Dog & Glory – solid movie. I haven’t been overly moved to see Bruno, mainly based on the feelings I carry from Da Ali G Show. Bruno was always a bore to me; a little too obvious in intent and a little flat in delivery. I don’t know if I necessarily agree with Jeff that the movie has to take any particular form; if the character exists best as a skit, then a series of skits/gags will do just fine. The problem is when a character does try to build a skit into a story and never really goes anywhere the void is inescapable. This whole movie looks forced. I don’t care much if it’s mean or unfair – that can often be called for – but obvious is a killer.
“The joke is supposed to be that he’s so blinded by ego, arrogance, ambition and random sexual arousal that he doesn’t realize how offensive and irritating he is to everyone he meets. And that’s just not buyable.”
The textbook definition of egotistical, arrogant, ambitious, and oversexed people is that they’re offensive and irritating and they don’t realize it.
*Cough*
As ErrantElan alludes, a big problem is that no matter what sexuality is involved, anyone this belligerent, aggressive and physically confrontational is going to evoke a repulsive reaction from their target. Whether it’s a man coming on to a woman, an oversexed woman coming on to a man (an unattractive one in pubic, anyway), etc…so the societal characteristic he exposes is not homophobia but the very benign, unwritten sense of personal space we all respect. Not exactly transcendent.
I don’t see how the marketing has been great. The trailers are so quick and chopped and over-produced. And I feel like I’ve been hearing about this movie for a year. Add to this his overly-orchestrated “antics” at each premiere… enough already. Borat would have been fun at a party. Bruno would kill a party.
By the way, where has actionman gone? Was “Transformers” THAT bad?
Bruno seems too much like an act, rather than a true character. You can see SBC thinking about what he should do next, instead of just being in the moment.
The fact that it comes across as an overly-aggresive Zoolander doesn’t help matters, either.
CHASE: I believe Actionman is on his honeymoon.
I’m sure he wants to get on HE, but his wife is already nagging him and controlling his life even though she promised she never would. Women and their promises.
MAD DOG AND GLORY references are understood and admired by all true gentleman and masters.
“When Paul realizes what’s going on he freaks and shows his true homophobic colors, but it didn’t feel fair or right.”
Considering Paul’s white supremacist endorsements, it might not be too far off, actually.
Stringer: He was in a real movie: Sweeney Todd. Cohen suffers from the SNL syndrome: he can’t sell, unless he plays the same recurring character.
Mark is right. I think so many comedians come from a sketch background they don’t realize that a movie requires enough of a story to sustain feature length.
And now we know why Mike Myers decided not to do Sprockets.
I have to say, if a movie manages to turn off even Jeff with its cheap baiting of red-staters, it must really be unfair and nasty.
“I think so many comedians come from a sketch background they don’t realize that a movie requires enough of a story to sustain feature length.”
Though Da Ali G Movie had a story, and it seriously sucked.
Cohen can do hilarious bits (he’s a kill in Talladega Nights) but it remains to be seen if he can act the part of a believable, likable character for a full movie.
This movie smells like ass.
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