World's Worst Mom Sees 'Bruno,' Takes Teens

She'd already seen "Borat" and not been unduly traumatized, so I merely groaned when my daughter (not quite 14 years old) asked me to take her and two of her friends to see Sacha Baron Cohen's latest, "Bruno." The two other teens shrugged when I asked if it was okay with their parents that they see this film, saying, "Yeah, they know I'm going. Whatever." So off we went to Rio, where I sat several rows ahead of them so no one would know we were together and I wouldn't have to feel as embarrassed as I might were my daughter to be sitting next to me during what were sure to be scenes she's not really old enough to see.

She might be, but I don't think I am. While the controversial gay sex scenes and full frontal male nudity were so over-the-top comical and idiotic they seemed almost cartoon-like, there were scenes of heterosexual encounters that, while they bore black boxes over the naughty bits, left nothing to the imagination whatsoever. They were crude and more than a little scary, and certainly not what I'd want my teen to see. Serves me right.

Overall though, "Bruno" is just another tour-de-force for Cohen, who's becoming so recognizable that a third movie where he dupes people is surely out of the question. As it is, much of "Bruno" feels staged, with willing and knowing participants. Were all of them in on the joke? Hard to say. Once again, Cohen likes to have a bash at the far right-wing and the Southern religious--who doesn't? But he's left me wishing he'd attack the blind bigotry of some of his countrymen. Southern Baptists have nothing on certain groups of British football hooligans, so perhaps it's time Cohen have some fun with that crowd instead. Less market appeal, I imagine.

Nevertheless, "Bruno" has little of its predecessor's freshness, and its protagonist none of the innocence of Borat. Instead, the soulless Austrian fashionista Bruno keeps accosting people who are trying their very best to be polite and accept him at least on a superficial basis. That they're ultimately unable to do so, after much prodding from Bruno, seems less a sign of their hatred for what he represents as their very human inability to remain calm in the face of a nagging, petulant child.

In one of the final scenes of the film, however, and one that I fear is real and not at all staged, old-fashioned Southern homophobia reveals itself in all its dentally challenged ugliness. It's very disturbing to watch an Arkansas crowd's reaction to what it believes is a straight icon turning gay before their very eyes--their hatred and disbelief seem too powerful to be real, and yet I fear they were. This was the scene the 14-year-olds said disturbed them the most, and that was because of the raw homophobia that seemed to have no source, no logic behind it, just naked fear. Ding, ding, ding!

Is "Bruno" a slap in the face to the homosexual community? It's hard to say. I'm straight but like to think that I'm sensitive to those issues. I think the whole point was to bring out latent homophobia in people who were otherwise trying very hard to hide something they knew to be illogical and socially unacceptable, but the Bruno character had create a caricature to get there, and I could see how that might offend some. Yet I can't get away from the fact that the 14-year-olds were never appalled by the homosexual behaviors, never fearful of anything displayed in cartoon proportions, but were horrified by the hatred others showed toward it. Perhaps GLAAD and other groups who oppose the film have nothing to worry about on that score. As for perpetuating stereotypes, how could anyone as over-the-top silly as Bruno ever seem real to anyone? Someone who makes Ru Paul look sedate, almost matronly?

Apart from all these issues, what remains is that "Bruno," while it has its moments, isn't terribly funny. The first half of the film offered few, if any, genuine laughs, only picking up at the point where Bruno adopts a baby from Africa because "it's worked for Madonna and Brangelina." Seeing what lengths some people will go to achieve fame for their kids--I'm thinking, with horror, that some of these scenes of stage parents might be real rather than scripted--induced some good, guilty belly laughs and reminded me that Prince Michael and Paris Jackson are in serious trouble. Let's forget all about the perceived sins of homosexuality and just lock up all parents who would put their kids in show business, shall we?

I'm foregoing the usual comments about photography, direction, performances, etc. They simply aren't relevant. Cohen is who is he is, and who he is has nothing to do with quality and everything to do with shocking people just for the sake of shocking them. To me, that just induces an enormous yawn. I can't believe I've seen everything, but I've yet to be shocked by anything Cohen has done. Just a little bored.