Entertainment

<< Previous   of   Next >> Universal Pictures  (click to enlarge) Sacha Baron Cohen portrays the title role character in "Bruno."   ADVERTISEMENT   "Bruno" Sacha Baron Cohen returns with another batch of ambush improvisations mixed in with a loose plot: He plays a gay Austrian fashionista who frequently stumbles into situations with homophobes -- although the movie's real (and best) target is grotesque celebrity culture itself. Despite some choice moments, it's a comedown after the uproarious highs of "Borat." Rated: R for nudity, language, subject matter Showing: Alderwood Mall, Cinebarre Mountlake Terrace, Everett, Galaxy Monroe, Marysville, Stanwood, Guild 45th, Meridian, Oak Tree, Woodinville, Cascade Mall   CONTACT THE HERALD Melanie Munk, Features Editor munk@heraldnet.com   Published: Friday, July 10, 2009 'Bruno' has high points, but falls short By Robert Horton, Herald Movie Critic Lightning doesn't strike twice -- at least not in the vicinity of Sacha Baron Cohen, the brilliant English comedian who conquered the movie world with "Borat," his rude and uproarious 2006 hit. In "Bruno," Baron Cohen plays a gay fashionista, devastated when his TV series is canceled in his native Austria. He comes to America hoping for his own talk show. The test screening of this show's pilot, with an unsuspecting focus group, is a pretty funny sequence. It signals what is to come: "ambush comedy" and graphic sexual content. Like "Borat," "Bruno" is made up of unscripted encounters between regular people and celebrities, most of whom are unaware that they are actually talking to Sacha Baron Cohen. With his "19-year-old" face and blond wig (not to mention short shorts), Bruno doesn't look a thing like Borat. This is the comedy of mortification: Baron Cohen traps presidential candidate Ron Paul in a hotel room and comes on to him, mimes a sex act in front of a fortune teller and gets Paula Abdul to sit on the back of a kneeling Mexican laborer in lieu of furniture. These scenes are woven into a scripted story, which is rarely as good as the candid-camera material. Early word on the film suggested that although Baron Cohen was presenting an outrageous gay stereotype, the purpose was to expose homophobia. Well, yes and no. There's some of that: Bruno's hunting trip with a trio of tooth-challenged macho men, and his male-on-male groping inside a "cage match" before an enraged audience. But the most, and best, arrows are directed at celebrity culture in general. There's one devastating, sick sequence in which Bruno asks parents -- who want their children to be in movies -- what the kids are willing to endure in order to land a role (including crucifixion on camera, and liposuction off). One stage mom agrees to all of it, if it means getting the part. And there's a hilarious sequence in which Bruno goes on a Dallas TV talk show as a single parent to a young black child, whom he claims to have purchased in Africa in exchange for an iPod. This is aimed not just at the Madonnas and Angelinas of the world, but also at the tabloid talk shows (and, alas, cable news shows) that thrive on such material. In that sense, it's almost a shame Baron Cohen cut a Michael Jackson joke from the release print during the past few days. The grotesquely overdone news coverage of the death of this talented and bizarre entertainer exemplifies the culture Baron Cohen is satirizing. (The editing is understandable, though: It would've killed the laughs in the theater.) Despite its choice moments and savage satire, the plain truth is that too many scenes in "Bruno" fall short of expectations. This movie needs fewer visits to swingers' parties and more interviews with conflicted men who believe they can cure homosexuality. That's comedy gold. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

1. Some stores, malls to get a jump on ‘Black Friday' 2. $6.5 million lottery ticket purchased in Lake Stevens 3. Fire displaces Arlington family 4. Everett man will take his do-it-yourself ethic to the grave 5. Inmates with mental illness bring extra costs to Monroe prison 6. When the customer is wrong and a jerk 7. Mayor-elect won over Granite Falls 8. Economy may silence Everett Symphony's season 9. Soldier who had lived in Marysville killed in Afghanistan 10. Ongoing road work near schools worries parents 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Eat local this Thanksgiving • Mavericks moving on • Canada's Great Big Sea rolls into Edmonds • A. Murphy finishes 2nd in volleyball • Art Walk features music, demonstrations • EAT LOCAL: Getting the goods • Lynnwood HS history teacher Vic Bennet dies • Wildcats head to semis • CSO Chamber annual show slated Nov. 23 • Boeing will build, flight test and deliver 787s in South Carolina to spe ... • Snohomish County EDC promoting job growth in key industry clusters • $4 million grant to advance brain tumor research has Everett links • Providence medical center construction tops off its 12-story steel frame ... • Tulalip affordable housing project to be financed by KeyBank, Raymond Ja ... • Arlington's Lak of Ink has a growing following for Luke Kooyman's creati ... • Bank of the Northwest formed • Cascade Bank earns $1.6 million