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Bruno – Blu-ray Review

Posted by Donny Broussard on Nov 16, 2009 in Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments Off

The Film:

Vassup, dis ist der Bruno review! I am constantly amazed that Sasha Baron Cohen is still alive. After his antics in Borat, he should thanked his lucky stars, and now after Bruno, he must have sold his soul for his safety, because his antics here, should have got him killed. Bruno is incredibly outrageous, for all 80-some odd minutes, topping the humor in Borat, and besting the next funniest comedy you laughed hard at this year.

One of the immediate things I noticed is this film’s quick attempt to be shocking and unpredictable. It spares no expense, and more importantly, it is funny. Yes, it’s rude, crude, and all of that jazz, and fans of Borat or Cohen’s work in the HBO series Da Ali G Show know what to expect, and it wastes no time being shocking. Now, shocking humor can wear off, or get old and empty quick, but Cohen fuses it with some grounded observations through his interviews or interactions with people. Bruno is gay (hello!) and Cohen loves to flaunt that in everyone’s face. By everyone’s face I mean like Christian homosexual conversion experts, to terrorists, to Muslims, to swingers, and to what? Ron Paul, conservative Republican and ex-Presidential candidate? Yes, even him, and why not try to make a sex tape with him? Bruno is out of control in a very hysterical way.

Beneath all of the laughs, and trust me you will laugh hard, Bruno’s plot is almost verbatim Borat’s. Almost beat for beat, too, and that might turn a few people off to the humor. It’s the only aspect to this film that feels tired. It’s minor, but it makes the film feel like a formulaic sequel. Bruno’s hit show is canceled after a debacle he had with a top runway show, and fearing that his status is slipping away, he embarks on a mission to America to become uber-famous. An assistant comes along too. Sounding familiar? Cohen might have been on a suicide mission creatively, but in the end Bruno is a balls-out (pun intended) comedy that overcomes it’s story structure copy cat syndrome. The humor is offensive, yet sly, as Cohen’s humor always was. Bruno as a character represents the “big gay menace” we (and meaning not all of you, but America at times as a whole) fear. He throws himself in impossible situations, all for the sake at exposing someone’s bigotry or homophobic feelings. It’s satirical and it’s damn genius to teeter on the tightrope he walks, never going too far to incite a hate crime and never playing it too safe, as just to be broad and generic.

Bruno is for Sasha Baron Cohen’s audience, so if you’re not hip to him by now, you won’t be after this.Bruno is Cohen playing with America as his medium, and for whatever the film lacks in plot originality, it makes up for it with it’s humor. It’s beyond funny, and earns it every step of the way.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video

The audio on this disc is pretty solid given that a lot of the sound captured in spur of the moment faux documentary style. While it’s nothing to write home about it’s adequate for what it is. The video is crisp during the obviously staged scenes and no-so-crisp in the spur of the moment scenes, but like the audio it totally works for this flick.

Special Features

Enhanced Commentary: While I’m usually not a fan of most commentary tracks, I am quickly becoming a fan of picture-in-picture commentary. Sacha Baron Cohen and director Larry Charles provide interesting insight into how some of the gags used in the flick are created. I actually enjoyed watching the flick with the commentary on as much as I did without it. Totally worth checking out.

Alternative Scenes: A collection of unused sequences that were pretty darn funny. I’m not going to spoil the surprise by listing who is in them, but I will say that they are all worth watching.

Deleted Scenes: Once again I enjoyed this feature. Some of these deleted scenes include moments with Paula Abdul and La Toya Jackson. Funny and uncomfortable moments make these a must watch feature.

Extended Scenes: This is exactly what it sounds like, extended moments from the flick. Some of these are funny, but like most cuts made to movies these deserved to be made. Not as cool as the other features, but still worth checking out.

Interview with Lloyd Robinson: A funny interview with Talent Agent Lloyd Robinson that is totally worth watching My only complaint is that it wasn’t a little longer.

This disc also contains Scenes Bookmarking, BD-Live, and a Digital Copy of the flick. If your a fan of Cohen’s work then this blu-ray is worth both your time and money.

The Film: Rating: