Brüno

In director Larry Charles' Borat, Sacha Baron Cohen played an ignorant, anti-Semitic journalist from Kazakhstan supposedly making a documentary in the U.S. In Charles' follow-up raunchy satire, Cohen is Brüno, a flamboyantly gay Austrian “fashionista” determined to become an American celebrity. In both films, Cohen cajoles real, unsuspecting people into awkward situations—often with hysterical consequences—here, crassly exploiting the homophobia of some heterosexuals, especially men. In one scene, sex-crazed Brüno inveigles Rep. Ron Paul into his hotel room on the pretext of an interview about economics; eventually, the conservative Texas congressman exits in disgust. In the freeform plot, Brüno “adopts” a baby in Africa, tries to get himself kidnapped in Lebanon, and embarks on various attempts to “go straight” (through martial arts instruction and religious conversion). Perhaps the most scandalous gag is Brüno's mock casting session for a glamorous baby photo shoot—at which ambitious parents recklessly offer up their offspring. British-born Cohen has become a cultural phenomenon thanks to his stable of rude and riotous alter-egos (Ali G, Borat, Brüno), making a name for himself as an original comic willing to take social risks while also forcing people to challenge their own stereotypes. Whether Brüno strikes you as outrageously offensive or offensively outrageous, it's often laugh-out-loud funny. Recommended.[Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary with Sacha Baron Cohen and director Larry Charles, deleted scenes (35 min.), extended scenes (18 min.), alternate scenes (6 min.), an interview with Hollywood agent Lloyd Robinson (6 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a video version of the audio commentary, additional deleted, extended, and alternate scenes (11 min.), and a bonus digital copy of the film. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a daring comedy.] (S. Granger)