I'm not disliking this because of, god forbid, the vile evil homophobia, but because it was just awfully unfunny and poorly done.

This addition to the Sacha Cohen catalog is pretty decent. Its not Borat, but better than the Dictator or Brothers Grimsby. I actually worked at the Village Inn (where he buys the pie)depicted in the movie. It is in Bentonville Arkansas right off of I-49. I also worked with the lady that serves him the pie. Her name is Dee. It was crazy to see her/it in such a huge world-wide movie. Unfortunately, Sacha and Larry Charles could not remember where the scene was filmed when making the commentary. Bentonville is actually the home of Walmart and the home office is just a couple miles from that restaurant. The cage fight was filmed in a town about an hour south on the same highway. Fortunately Bentonville has a more diverse and cosmopolitan population than the types of people you see at the cage fight.

For whatever reason, I saw this twice in theaters back in 2009. I thought it was pretty funny then, if a little awkward in places. It also had a weak story, but BORAT had basically the same problem. Now with seven years of perspective, I found it about as funny as I did then, but I watched it with better company this time. A slim majority of the gags hit, but I laughed just as hard at them the third time around. Despite being quite scattershot in its targets until the final act, BRUNO does have some interesting points about the way homosexuals and homosexuality are treated in America. Definitely not for the easily offended, and probably best suited to Sacha Baron Cohen fans.

Bruno (2009): Dir: Larry Charles / Cast: Sacha Baron Cohen, Gustaf Hammarsten, Clifford Banagale, Paula Abdul, Michelle McLaren: Explicit and vulgar comedy about a flamboyant Austrian fashion celebrity who decides to seek fame in America. It opens well but structure is divided into numerous situations that play off as gross skits as oppose to further the story. Director Larry Charles and star Sacha Baron Cohen both collaborated on the superior Borat and are again aided by fine locations. The story structure is a near replica of Borat as the disoriented hero travels to unfamiliar land where his lifestyle is met with scorn. Cohen plays Bruno whose homosexuality betrays his judgement. In Australia he seemed on top of his game but in America he is at the mercy of his own ignorance. Gustaf Hammarsten plays his gay lover and personal assistant. He will remind viewers of Borat's companion only instead of naked wrestling in a hotel room, it is blatant sexual wrestling in front of the whole world. Clifford Banagale as Bruno's ex lover could have been broader. There are also numerous effective cameos most notably Paula Abdul whose appearance has her faced with a guy wheeled out with sushi covering his naked body. Michelle McLaren plays a dominatrix, and Gary Williams plays a spiritualist. This film mocks celebrity but it isn't for the squeamish. Score: 6 / 10