Withering Glance: Satirical 'Brüno': Good for the gays?

By Rick Nelson and Claude Peck, Star Tribune

Last update: July 13, 2009 - 12:16 PM

CP: We've laughed at the trailers for "Brüno," and howled at the GQ cover story about its prankster star, Sacha Baron Cohen. Now it's time to weigh in on the actual movie.

RN: I'm still trying to digest it. My instant impression: This series of homophobia-bashing sketches constitutes a motion picture?

CP: You were expecting maybe narrative arc? It's no "Fanny and Alexander," though we see plenty of fanny.

RN: Not to mention other naughty parts. I didn't realize a man could get a Brazilian wax.

CP: The crowd at our screening was hetero city. Millions more straight people will see this movie than, say, "Milk."

RN: No doubt. I've never seen a longer line outside the Southdale AMC, and aside from a few fellow journalists, I wondered if we were the only gays in the audience. I certainly felt that way when you and I were laughing and the rest of the house sat nervously silent.

CP: Yes, I was laughing, but often with a wince. Near the opening there's a line from Brüno's Austrian TV talk show in which it's pronounced that autism is "in." Ugh. Another scene has Brüno stripping to a thong to try and seduce a hang-dog Ron Paul in a hotel room.

RN: And then confuses him with Ru Paul. Awkward! Personally, I thought dubbing Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" over a cringe-worthy makeout scene was a hoot, but the straight guys around us were averting their eyes. Brüno does spit out the best same-sex pickup line, ever: "Has anyone ever told you you look like Enrique Iglesias?"

CP: The humor was often daringly satirical, as in bits with Paula Abdul and at a military boot camp.

RN: Or not. To me it often felt like a raunchier version of a middling "Saturday Night Live" episode, tossing out the outrageous jokes willy nilly, seeing if any of them would stick.

CP: The overall message is that antigay attitudes and celebrity culture are ridiculous. The vitriol is aimed not at "everygay," but at a swishy, obnoxious, fashion-, accessory- and sex-obsessed girly-man with narcissistic personality disorder. Clearly, a lot of gay men would hate on Brüno, too. Confusing much? Or am I overanalyzing?

RN: There is a message buried inside the laughter, Claude. The gays will probably get past the stereotypical parody and hand Cohen a GLAAD Media Award. Hopefully he'll show up in one of those fashion-victim outfits he almost wears so well. Poor Roberto Cavalli: After this movie goes global, he's never going to sell another pair of leopard print hip briefs.

CP: But the private-parts bleaching biz will skyrocket.

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