Brüno

Here you have it folks; 2009’s answer to “Milk.”

Maybe it’s not as much of a gay groundbreaker, but Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Brüno” is definitely gayer. This guy is all shades of gay. He’d make the “Queer Eye” guys look straight.

Brüno is the host of “Funkyzeit mit Brüno,” an Austrain fashion program. He is disgraced when he wears an all Velcro suit to Fashion Week and tumbles out on the runway stuck to everything near him. Being blacklisted in his home country, he flies to LA with his assistant Lutz (Gustaf Hammarsten) to try to become the “biggest Austrian celebrity since Hitler.”

Just like in his 2006 hit “Borat,” Cohen puts his character into real situations. Sure, some bits are scripted and acted out, but most are the real thing.

If nothing else, this is the boldest comedy this year. Not for depth or ideas or anything like that, but the sheer ludicrousness of the feats Cohen tries to pull off.

Brüno interviews a real terrorist. Their chat is understandably short. There’s also a gay wrestling match before an angry crowd of good ol’ boys. One pelts a folding chair at Brüno.

The weaker moments are typically the scripted ones. The love story between Brüno and Lutz falls flat.

“Brüno” tries to expose homophobia in the United States, but does so with gay stereotypes. Many of Brüno’s antics are so wild that anyone would be taken aback. He’s much different than your average gay man who’s probably not going to force you to watch a video of his talking penis.

Therein lies the reason this film isn’t nearly as funny as “Borat:” the laughs here are really provoked. Borat let his victims hang themselves, but Brüno gives them little choice. Sure, it exposes gay prejudice, but it’s not saying a lot under such extreme conditions.

But that’s secondary to the jokes. This is a comedy after all. Preposterous hilarity abounds. The sex scene between the lead and his boyfriend is probably the most riotously vulgar sex scene since the puppet sex in “Team America: World Police.”

In places, the film succeeds with both social commentary and big laughs. Brüno interviews parents who try to get their babies hired for a film. They’d be willing to dress their kids as Nazis, strap them to a cross, or give them liposuction to become stars.

For the most part, Brüno is pretty funny. The tension builds between Brüno and his victims to staggering heights and is enthralling to watch. But if less of the material had been scripted, the film would have been much better off. Borat is also a more inherently likable character than Brüno.

While it’s not as strong as “Borat,” “Brüno” hits more than it misses. Prepare to laugh, be shocked, disgusted, and back again.

- View It