Brüno was never going to be as funny as Borat, was it?
How could it be? With Borat, few people saw Sacha Baron Cohen coming.
By playing a bumbling, confused foreigner, he could easily coax Americans into saying the dumbest things.
The actor’s new alter ego – gay Austrian TV presenter Brüno – is so OTT (and Baron Cohen is now so well known), that many of his victims realise they are being set-up pretty early on.
Consequently, the comedy set pieces in Brüno are often too short (celebs like Paula Abdul and Harrison Ford are quick to bolt) and come across as a bit desperate.
What rescues Brüno is a handful of encounters with crass Yanks (a pushy mum trying to get her child into a photoshoot is incredible), some hilarious bum-sex jokes and Baron Cohen’s considerable skills as a physical comedian.
But, while watching Brüno pretend to blow a member of Milli Vanilli at a seance is worth the price of admission alone, you can’t help but feel that Baron Cohen is now running low on good ideas.
Good for: Those who find anal bleaching funny.
PIERRE DE VILLIERS
