I watched the trailers and thought they were incredibly funny. But packed into those few minutes you will find all the best scenes from the film, and there's very little worth watching in the remainder.
So yes, the film is shocking and pushes the boundaries (again) quite a bit further. And yes, it ridicules our society's obsession with celebrity status. But that in itself isn't enough to make it a good film. Bad acting and a terrible story line remain bad acting and a terrible storyline, even if it has been done on purpose (of which I am not even certain). In any case, it gives the film the doubtful qualities of a cheap 70s porn film.
So what about the humour? Baron-Cohen has always looked for comedy in breaking the boundaries of social convention, and with Ali G and Borat that was often to great comic effect. But not so much in Bruno: cheap shock effect and trying to heap even more embarrassment on his victims appear to have been the main recipes of the film. It doesn't even work anymore: he's now so ridiculous that everyone storms out within the first minute. Porn scenes with a pygmy flight attendant, overacted dancing, a swinging penis (didn't we see that in EuroTrash yeeeears ago?), lowering your trousers in front of a US presidential candidate... it may be funny to some, to me it just stinks.
By the time it came to scenes that *could* have been funny (like the day-time television talk show) - I had properly tuned out, and much of its potential fun was lost on me.
My advice: watch the trailers, laugh your head off, then just be happy with the idea of a brilliant film that could have been, but wasn't made. If you do go, be prepared for disappointment, lots of cringing and the hohoho-type nervous laughter of embarrassment.
So yes, the film is shocking and pushes the boundaries (again) quite a bit further. And yes, it ridicules our society's obsession with celebrity status. But that in itself isn't enough to make it a good film. Bad acting and a terrible story line remain bad acting and a terrible storyline, even if it has been done on purpose (of which I am not even certain). In any case, it gives the film the doubtful qualities of a cheap 70s porn film.
So what about the humour? Baron-Cohen has always looked for comedy in breaking the boundaries of social convention, and with Ali G and Borat that was often to great comic effect. But not so much in Bruno: cheap shock effect and trying to heap even more embarrassment on his victims appear to have been the main recipes of the film. It doesn't even work anymore: he's now so ridiculous that everyone storms out within the first minute. Porn scenes with a pygmy flight attendant, overacted dancing, a swinging penis (didn't we see that in EuroTrash yeeeears ago?), lowering your trousers in front of a US presidential candidate... it may be funny to some, to me it just stinks.
By the time it came to scenes that *could* have been funny (like the day-time television talk show) - I had properly tuned out, and much of its potential fun was lost on me.
My advice: watch the trailers, laugh your head off, then just be happy with the idea of a brilliant film that could have been, but wasn't made. If you do go, be prepared for disappointment, lots of cringing and the hohoho-type nervous laughter of embarrassment.