Seen on: July 6, 2009

The players: Director: Larry Charles, Writers: Sacha Baron Cohen, Cast: Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Dan Mazer

Facts of interest: Larry Charles also directed "Borat" and "Religulous."

The plot: Cohen stars as a gay Austrian fashionista who travels to the U.S. to become a huge star.

Our thoughts: I walked into Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Brüno” with incredibly high expectations, but I really shouldn’t have. Sure, the film is mostly entertaining and at times immensely hilarious, but as it turns out, it’s by no means as original and refreshing as his 2006 smash hit “Borat.” Now, let uns see watt sis one is all abüt…

This time around, Cohen slips into the role of a gay Austrian fashionista whose supercool world totally collapses after he’s fired from his job as TV host of “Funkyzeit.” Determined not to give up, however, he decides to pack his stuff and head to Los Angeles to become the greatest star the world has ever seen.

At first, things don’t exactly work out for the foreign lunatic who enjoys anal bleaching and big penises, but Brüno keeps doing whatever it takes to regain his fame and respect, even if that means picking up a baby in Nigeria and visiting an awkward ‘gay converter’ in Alabama. You may have guessed it already, but this guy’s got no limits.

So, how fünny ist “Brüno”? First of all, I admit I got to enjoy myself quite a lot during the film’s short 83-minute running time. No, I didn’t nearly laugh as much and as hard as I did watching “Borat,” but I nonetheless found several of Cohen’s provocative adventures to be both outrageously hilarious and bold.

I certainly don’t want to spoil all the fun and go into great detail, but what I can say is that some scenes in “Brüno” work marvelously while others don’t. My personal highlights of the film include a surprising interview with Ron Paul, a night out with some hunters, and an unconventional appearance on a trashy talk show.

What you should also know is that this film is way more risqué than “Borat.” Playing eccentric, indecent characters who reflect common stereotypes and prejudices is obviously Cohen’s way of attacking them and the people who keep spreading them, but in “Brüno,” he almost goes a little too far. My advice: be prepared to be shocked and possibly insulted.

On the more negative side, “Brüno” isn’t always funny. The innovation we got to experience in “Borat” is long gone, and several of the scenes here look way too staged. It’s obviously very hard to tell whether some of the folks Cohen encounters were completely in on what’s going on, but some of the film’s moments look a tad too suspicious to be 100 percent authentic.

Cohen, of course, is quite believable as the gay Austrian TV host, and his way of mixing German and English is brilliant. He’s completely in character and doesn’t do anything wrong, and his ability to fully immerse himself into these unique personae largely contributes to the success of his films. If only the jokes would be as good this time…

Freaky quote: "How do you defend yourself against a man with a dildo?" – Sacha Baron Cohen

The final word: “Brüno” is what it is, and you should exactly know what to expect before you jump into the experience. While I certainly can’t say I’m disappointed by the end result, I also admit I was hoping to get more laughs out of this one. Go and have some fün with “Brüno,” but be warned: he’s no “Borat.”

Article by Franck Tabouring