Bruno takes Sacha Baron Cohen’s antics from Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan and turns them up a notch. This time, the British comedian portrays a flamboyant gay fashionista from Austria hoping to find fame in America. As in Borat, most people appearing in the film are unaware of the actor’s true identity and purpose for staging these bizarre scenarios.
Bruno Seeks Stardom
Apparently nothing will stand in Bruno’s way of getting what he wants. He soon decides that his gayness prevents him from achieving the level of fame he desires, so he tries to become manlier – or at least give the appearance of it anyway. Flitting from state to state and country to country, he interviews celebrities, politicians, religious fanatics, anti-gay crusaders, a martial arts instructor, and others in his quest to become a celebrity.
In terms of storyline, Bruno begins as shallow and empty, yet learns, loves, and becomes a better person along the way. However, that’s not likely what viewers will take away from this movie. Instead, they will remember the laughs, which come easily and often, and the non-stop shocking, crude, and offensive behavior exhibited by Bruno and the clueless pawns he interviews and meets during his quest for fame.
Alternate, Extended, and Deleted Scenes on Bruno DVD
Combined with the audio commentary, these extra scenes add lots more laughs. They also explain a little more about the outlandish situations in which Bruno finds himself, such as conducting interviews while sitting on human chairs and engaging a martial arts instructor to help him fight off homosexuals who might attack from behind with sexual devices.
Alternate Scenes: Pete Rose, erotische sex-video vom politiker.
Extended Scenes: kleinen kindercasting, wedding vom schnidelmeisteren, seconden homo-umwandler, erotische sexparty, Lloyd Robinson – agent sprechenzeit.
Deleted Scenes: LaToya Jackson, Fashionveld montage, partymeister, Hollywood hausvendors, haus designenfraulicke, texasche.
An Interview With Lloyd Robinson
This interview reveals the story behind the Beverly Hills talent agent who took on Bruno (without knowing Baron Cohen’s true identity). He describes the process he went through trying to make this over-the-top fashionista into a television personality. A straight-talking businessman who deals with lesser known talent on low-to-medium budget productions, he promised Bruno he would find him work, although he said there was no way he could make him a star in a major Hollywood movie. Robinson comes across as a good sport completely fooled by Baron Cohen’s act, but ultimately happy to have been part of it.
Audio Commentary Features Sacha Baron Cohen, Larry Charles
Sacha Baron Cohen and director Larry Charles provide a thoughtful and intelligent – though often raunchy – commentary on the making of Bruno. Certain mysteries are never solved (such as how they got Baron Cohen on an Army base and how they got some homophobic hunters to agree to a night in the woods with Bruno and a camera crew), but many of the film’s characters and scenes do become clearer after the commentary.
How security was maintained during shooting may surprise many viewers. A security guard was hired for the sole purpose of keeping Baron Cohen from being arrested. As he constantly pushed the limits of tolerance, good taste, and common sense, Bruno the character (and Baron Cohen the actor) became a target for nearly everyone with whom he came into contact. From the runway in Milan to the streets of Israel to the backwoods in America’s deep south, Baron Cohen was chased by cops, swingers, homophobes, religious zealots, and a host of angry others. He endured a beating from a porn star, an arrest and strip search in Milan, and nearly got his head cracked open from a metal chair thrown at him during a cage fight.
Bruno on DVD
- Bruno (2009) Widescreen
- An outrageous gay talk show host loses his job in Austria and comes to Los Angeles to become famous by any means possible.
- Starring Sacha Baron Cohen, Gustaf Hammarsten, Clifford Banagale; appearances by Paula Abdul, Bono, Elton John, Sting, Snoop Dogg, Slash, Chris Martin, LaToya Jackson, Ron Paul, Tom Ridge
- Director: Larry Charles
- Writers: Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Dan Mazer, Jeff Schaffer
- Run Time: 82 minutes
- Rating: R (for pervasive strong and graphic sexual content, graphic nudity, and language)
- DVD Release Date: November 17, 2009
For more information about Sacha Baron Cohen, visit Internet Movie Database.
Leslie C. Halpern - Leslie C. Halpern, Romantic Films/Comedies Topic Editor, authored Passionate About Their Work, Reel Romance, & Dreams on Film.
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