Well now, I haven't seen 'Borat' so I didn't have anything to compare it with, but I was pleasantly surprised by this little movie; judging by the almost continual laughter around me, I reckon at least 200 people agreed.
But it's not for everyone; for once, the BBFC have given a movie the right classification (18). If Louis Theroux gives you the creeps, if Roger's Profanisaurus goes over your head, if you think Captain Jack Harkness is a bit gay; then you should stay away from this flick. 'Brüno' is a continuous assault on attitudes to sexuality, religion and race, with particular focus on the citizenry of the USA. That group is obviously targeted as a result of the movie-making industry, so residents there shouldn't think that Cohen has it in for them alone; he quite happily spreads his antics around the world, with a couple of cringe-making episodes set in Israel and Lebanon.
It's filthy, but it's not juvenile; there are far too many sophisticated jokes which the average teenager couldn't understand unless he was a twink rentboy who read broadsheet newspapers when not servicing punters.
Of course, Cohen and David are canny enough to realise that a fair-sized portion of their audience may not get to see the movie until the DVD is passed around the playground later this year, so they very generously include plenty of material for the hard-of-thinking. Normally, I'd despise that type of film-making, but I had an extra frisson of delight while in the cinema when I could see the joke coming over the hill and could wait for those around me to catch up - I felt like some sort of sleazy god surrounded by a host of sycophantic angels.
SPOILER: I didn't just include the above to show teacher that I'm ever so smart; the film-makers are also aware of the varying speeds of the audience members and edited together the most carefully timed climax towards the end of the movie. A fight in the wrestling ring went on just long enough for everyone on this side of the screen to realise that Brüno and Lutz were going to reconsummate their relationship in front of a large crowd of dyed-in-the-wool straight men. One by one we waited as we converged on one thought; we were all simultaneously salivating as the scene jumped to a middle-American who mouthed, in slow-motion, 'oh shyeeeit': cue 200 synchronised bursts of laughter!
SPOILER: I sincerely hope that the various classifications around the world reflect different attitudes to sex rather than different policies on censorship; I would hate to see the bulk of the world missing out on one of the funniest scenes in all of cinematica; the singing bell-end.
My only complaint? I was nearly exhausted after an hour; I wouldn't say that I struggled through the last twenty minutes, but I'd have welcomed the editing out of the hunters and Paula Abdul to leave more energy for the better bits.
But it's not for everyone; for once, the BBFC have given a movie the right classification (18). If Louis Theroux gives you the creeps, if Roger's Profanisaurus goes over your head, if you think Captain Jack Harkness is a bit gay; then you should stay away from this flick. 'Brüno' is a continuous assault on attitudes to sexuality, religion and race, with particular focus on the citizenry of the USA. That group is obviously targeted as a result of the movie-making industry, so residents there shouldn't think that Cohen has it in for them alone; he quite happily spreads his antics around the world, with a couple of cringe-making episodes set in Israel and Lebanon.
It's filthy, but it's not juvenile; there are far too many sophisticated jokes which the average teenager couldn't understand unless he was a twink rentboy who read broadsheet newspapers when not servicing punters.
Of course, Cohen and David are canny enough to realise that a fair-sized portion of their audience may not get to see the movie until the DVD is passed around the playground later this year, so they very generously include plenty of material for the hard-of-thinking. Normally, I'd despise that type of film-making, but I had an extra frisson of delight while in the cinema when I could see the joke coming over the hill and could wait for those around me to catch up - I felt like some sort of sleazy god surrounded by a host of sycophantic angels.
SPOILER: I didn't just include the above to show teacher that I'm ever so smart; the film-makers are also aware of the varying speeds of the audience members and edited together the most carefully timed climax towards the end of the movie. A fight in the wrestling ring went on just long enough for everyone on this side of the screen to realise that Brüno and Lutz were going to reconsummate their relationship in front of a large crowd of dyed-in-the-wool straight men. One by one we waited as we converged on one thought; we were all simultaneously salivating as the scene jumped to a middle-American who mouthed, in slow-motion, 'oh shyeeeit': cue 200 synchronised bursts of laughter!
SPOILER: I sincerely hope that the various classifications around the world reflect different attitudes to sex rather than different policies on censorship; I would hate to see the bulk of the world missing out on one of the funniest scenes in all of cinematica; the singing bell-end.
My only complaint? I was nearly exhausted after an hour; I wouldn't say that I struggled through the last twenty minutes, but I'd have welcomed the editing out of the hunters and Paula Abdul to leave more energy for the better bits.