My Say on Blu-ray by Erik Candiani

Universal / 2009 / 82 mins / Rated R
Blu-ray Release Date: 11-17-09
Reviewed on 11-17-09

Get ready to tighten your sphincters... he’s baaaack. The comic "genius" and progenitor of the wildly successful Borat character returns in this Universal Studios follow-up pseudo-documentary. Brüno stars Sacha Baron Cohen as an uber gay Austrian TV host searching for fame and fortune in America.

Those who didn’t get enough in the movie’s original brief eighty-two minute theatrical version will delight when they discover over an hour of exclusive footage and deleted scenes not shown in theaters.

Not that it’s any secret, but Cohen is a master of bad taste, and his latest incarnation vows not to disappoint or leave a single person unoffended. But like an illegitimate love child between Robin Williams and Don Rickles, this is what he does. As Brüno, Cohen doesn’t simply cross the line of poor taste, he leaps over it again and again and again.

BRüNO is exposed November 17, 2009 on Blu-ray for the first time!

The film starts not-so-innocently enough as we discover Brüno, a flamboyant Austrian fashion reporter, licking his wounds after getting dumped by his pint-sized lover named Diesel. Their love-making scenes are positively side-splitting and so wrong on an infinite amount of levels... but nonetheless hysterical if you are in the right frame of mind,

With a broken heart and assistant Lutz (Gustaf Hammarsten) who has an unrequited crush on his boss, Brüno sets his sights on America in the hopes of becoming an international celebrity. For fame, there is nothing Bruno won’t do—including adopting an African baby and, eventually, negotiating peace in the Middle east.

As with with Borat, the focus of the movie is primarily the reactions Bruno manages to muster from his unwitting victims. Sometimes the results are truly funny while others, like one bit involving an interview with Paula Abdul... fall miserably flat.

Fortunately, the laugh ratio generally beats the groan count depending on your tolerance for lewd humor... and a taste for a slightly deranged version of ‘Candid Camera’. For his part, Cohen attempts to skewer both liberal and conservative views on homosexuality. Brüno is harmless enough (for adults) -- and at best... the movie serves to be a clever indictment on hate.

VIDEO

The 1080p transfer is framed at 1.85:1 and uses the MPEG-4 AVC codec. It's serviceable in the intended pseudo-documentary style... but nothing to brag about. The early scenes are far the most polished and vibrant -- particularly during the Milan Fashion Week. Beyond that, the handheld look gets old quickly... The best video comes from staged scenes where the filmmakers had enough coverage to cull from.

AUDIO

The DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround track delivers what’s intended... basically documentary standards. Dialogue is almost always crisp, until the inevitable havoc ensues with whatever Brüno has wrought.

EXTRAS

Enhanced Picture-in-Picture Commentary - director Larry Charles and actor Sacha Baron Cohen's candid and revealing Picture-in-Picture commentary gives the audience a birds eye view into the mind of the madness, including exactly how Cohen managed to come up with some of the movies funniest bits.

Deleted Scenes - the disc's nine deletions are mixed offerings including uneasy appearances by Paula Abdul, La Toya Jackson and NBC news anchor Neal Barton, as well as other ordinary citizens, fashion industry workers, and international politicians.

Extended Scenes - eight extended scenes, one of which is exclusive to this Blu-ray release.
Alternative Scenes - two sequences are available, one centered around an interview with Pete Rose and another that includes a montage of segments with U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, American Values President Gary Bauer, and former Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge.
An Interview with Lloyd Robinson - Talent and Literary Agent Lloyd Robinson is the focus of this brief but hilarious bit.
My Scenes Bookmarking
Universal News Ticker
BD-Live Functionality

My Say

As with with Borat, my guess is this film will more than likely be divided along gender lines. Women will find this movie about as funny as a fart joke; whereas men will already start to chuckle in anticipation of said fart joke. Given Sacha Baron Cohen’s no-holds-barred commitment to his creation, Brüno is truly a guilty pleasure that’s worth a place on your video shelf... even if you have to wedge it between two lofty Oscar pictures in order to make yourself feel better. Just make sure to keep it high enough away from any kids!

Brüno (Blu-ray)

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