Mixed Emotions Over Sacha Baron Cohen's Bruno

nytimes.com:

"Brüno," a movie that, in mercilessly exploiting the discomfort created when straight men are ambushed by aggressive gayness, happens to (surprise!) expose homophobia. Gay groups are reacting with deeply mixed emotions, heightened by the recent triumphs (Iowa) and losses (California) in efforts to legalize gay marriage. Is the film then vulgar, inappropriate and harmful? Or bold, timely and necessary? All of the above?

Ultimately the tension surrounding "Brüno" boils down to the worry that certain viewers won't understand that the joke is on them and will leave the multiplex with their homophobia validated.

Read the whole story: nytimes.com

Comments

[skippy20008]

Bruno's no Borat. Gimmicky stuff gets old. This will open HUGE but have a significant fallout the following week. It won't come close to matching Borat's box office.

[wbramh]

"Ultimately the tension surrounding "Brüno" boils down to the worry that certain viewers won't understand that the joke is on them and will leave the multiplex with their homophobia validated.­"

Well, that's certainly reason enough not to do comedy - some A&%hat might not get the joke.
Of course, if someone is ignorant enough to be homophobic going into the theater, they're liable to be just as stupid on the way out.

[Tyrione]

Every great Artist has a well-spring of Humor and when they are the butt of the joke they take it in stride. Rednecks, Homosexuals and much, much more are mocked to remind us how diverse the Human Condition is and will remain.

If you can't handle being mocked life will be extremely hard.

[Trueheart]

He likes to make people uncomfortable.

[DogTown]

Sacha Baron Cohen's 15 minutes are Ovahhhhhhh!

[ilovedessert]

HIS 15 MINUTES SHOULD HAVE BEEN OVER BEFORE THEY STARTED!

[SuesW]

Agreed.

[lechatnoir]

Watch out for Bruno to bomb big time.

[ModernTimes1]

Yeah, exactly like Borat-- about $400 million.

[Balzac]

"Ultimately the tension surrounding "Brüno" boils down to the worry that certain viewers won't understand that the joke is on them and will leave the multiplex with their homophobia validated.­"

Objectivel­y-speaking­, men happen to be the more dangerous and more obnoxious gender. I discriminate against men. I'm indifferent to other's sexual orientation, but I prefer to keep all men at arm's length at least, except for very old, dear friends and family.

I don't react the same way towards women, regardless of their sexual orientation. Women tend to be much less physically­-imposing, generally not obnoxious, and rarely ever dangerous.

This kind of "discrimination" between genders while not discriminating based on sexual orientation of either gender is quite different from men who are fixated on other men's sexual orientation, who then become violent in their attitude as soon as they find out some other man is gay.

[nolabels]

Did you type this while laying on a couch?

[puddinpop]

That's so funny that you call yourself balzac given the topic of which you write. Very ironic. LMAO!! And you're right, men are definately obnoxious and, quite frankly and through experience, are incapable of wiping their own a**es.

[JakeMontero]

i think its over the top and plays to stereotypes. all in all, not helpful

[JSDKoeln]

Yeah, that is my problem with this as well. But, I am torn. He is an entertainer, first and foremost. He is not exceptionally talented. But he is doing something for shock value. I have no prob with effeminate men. But I do have a problem when all gay men are depicted as always that way. Heck I have met straight men who were some of the most effeminate men I have ever seen! I never hide my sexuality, but I certainly am not effeminate. I think gay people like me are more the norm, actually. This does us a disservice because it doesn't show who the majority of us are.. just a massive pink stereotype.

[SaddieMcCall]

We need a straight man over playing a gay man to help people to be sensitized to gay issues as much as we needed white men in black face to sensitize us to the Black men? To me, it doesn't seem very helpful to further the cause.

[NHBill]

Wow! this is a great comment!

[gascelebrations]

Perfect

[DogTown]

Well put!

[sweetwhine]

Is that why you think he does it? To sensitized the gay issue?

[Denscape]

In fact we did have John Howard Griffin, a white man who had skin treatments and travelled the South as a Black man. He wrote of his exploits in BLACK LIKE ME. He became a leader in the Civil Rights movement in the early 60s. He did brings attention to the racial bigotry of the day.

[bloodorange]

Someone below states that "gay comedy" is over. I don't think so. In the 90s gay comedy was relegated to the "gay boyfriend" (a la Will & Grace or Sex and the City) the closeted lesbian (a la Ellen). I suppose shows like Queer as Folk and The L Word may have broken that in the early 00's but those shows were only available on subscription television.

Bruno represents a homosexual that is the main character, and not closeted, and potentially viewable by a larger audience (or at least his method is far more invasive as the whole concept is basically bombardmen­t).And he's not a character that anyone could confuse as anything but gay.

The new gay comedy will be overt, unapologetic, and won't require a heterosexual foil.

[James Cinsov]

yeah, but its a "one" shot. this is up there with i pronounce thee larry and dave.

[TishiJo]

I would avoid anything Sasha Baron Cohen does.

[Kaila]

I am openly a member of the LGBT community and I think he's great. He's exactly what this country needs right now because he never apologizes for being both gay and sexual at the same time (I know the real actor isn't gay I'm referring to the character). Even the most ardent straight LGBT supporters get queasy at the "thought" of gay sexuality. That's because they've never been exposed to it. When people see it's just two pretty people petting each other and being intimate just like straight people I think it will end a lot of the homophobia. If you try to "imagine" it of course it's going to seem gross to you. Let me give you an example, Saw 2 (the movie), somebody once sat down and described to me the murder sequences of every single scene in Saw 2. I was seriously ready to barf, I couldn't imagine such a horrible movie getting made, so then I watched the movie... and it wasn't so bad. It was actually a pretty good movie. Your imagination makes things a lot worse than they are.

[MissingAmerica]

I'm not a fan, but that's one beautiful horse!

[deepblue13]

Excuse me for completely misusing a historical phrase and stealing the idea to do so from from David Simon; but, when he came for the Kazakhs and rednecks I was silent.

Mr. Cohen needs to be taught a lesson at the box office like all self-absorbed actors or directors (remember Waterworld). If his movie flops his style of art will change to meet his audience's tastes.

Does anyone really want to sit through two hours of over the top stereotypes, we are all familiar with, and thoroughly planned ambushes of honest, and often repugnant, people by someone who can't even make fun of himself or his own contradictions.

[Cosmic-Zantor]

Yes. This movie is going to be huge.

[MO-JM]

I am very definitely in favor of improved status and greater fairness for gays & lesbians, but I always cringe at depictions of gay stereotypes in movies and TV - and "Bruno" looks like it uses some really over-the-top depictions. In my opinion, this does not help the cause, even if supposedly pro-gay people are making the depictions. Furthermore, I'm not a big fan of tricking people or trying to make them look bad (as is apparently the case in “Bruno”), whatever the rationale might be given for it. And, last but not least, I'm not a big fan of overly raunchy, crude humor. So this film probably adds up to a big Zero for me.

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