Before he starred in high-profile movies such asLes MiserablesandThe Trial of the Chicago 7,Sacha Baron Cohenbecame notable for creating a slate of characters forhis own sketch comedy show. One of those characters wasBrüno, an Austrian journalist and gay fashionista who lacks social skills and puts himself in all kinds of unexpected situations. In 2009, Cohen decided to bring the character to the big screen, and you’ll be able to remember it now thatNetflixdecided to bring the movie to its catalog.
In the story, Brüno gets frustrated after his life is turned upside down. He is fired from his own show after creating chaos during fashion week and also sees hisromantic relationshipcome to an end. Thinking there’s nothing left for him in Austria, Brüno decides to go to the United States andtry to make it in Hollywood. He then meets some celebrities that can give him a local flavor of what it is like to become famous in the U.S., includingElton John,Paula Abdul,Chris Martin,Paul McCartney,Harrison Ford,Snoop Doggand many others.
Brünois the kind of moviethat is very much a product of its time, released in an era in whichhomophobiawas still blatantly displayed by several individuals (more than today, at least). One of the merits of the comedy movie was to showcase the hypocrisy of famous people — especially politicians — with the subject.Brünoalso pokes fun at sensitive subjects likegay conversion therapy,beauty standardsand the weird underworld of child modeling.
HasBrünoAged Well?
Even thoughBrünotackled some themes that were wayahead of its time, other segments of the movie have certainly not aged well. The movie poked fun at the ages-oldconflict between Israel and Palestine— an issue that has just recently resurfaced in mainstream news. Additionally, the screenplay by Cohen himself also went hard oncringe comedy, with Brüno trying to come up with a solution for the conflict, addressing poverty and other social issues in Africa and naming an adoptive baby “O.J.” Brüno also calls himself “the biggest Austrian superstar since Hitler,” so revisiting it will certainly be an interesting experience, to say the least.
Despite itscontroversial themesand title character,Brünowas able to sustain a pretty decent score onRotten Tomatoes: the movie has a67% approval rate, with critics likeThe New Yorker’sAnthony Laneloved the campy nature of the movie and called it “a gaudy celebration of free speech.“NPR’sBob Mondellocalled Cohen “an evelope pusher” and noted that the Brüno’s ignorance is what makes the comedy of the movie work on a deeper level. He wrote that “Cohen’s humor is mostly about Bruno’s obliviousness to real people’s real reactions to him,” which suggests that the character is also someone who you should not really like.
You can streamBrünoon Netflix now.
