Brüno

Sacha Baron Cohen’s Brüno promises to rile people up even more than his previous sketch-character-turned-film-subject, Borat. Why? Brüno is gay. Like, über, in-your-face gay. And it’s no secret that a lot of Americans just haven’t come to terms with homosexuality. The flamboyant Austrian fashion TV show host sets out to make it in Hollywood. Naturally, that means trying to bring peace to the Middle East, interviewing celebrities and adopting a child from Africa. All in all, Brüno is quite naïve. But it’s this sweet side that provides balance for his over-the-top antics. Some of the funniest scenes don’t actually center around his gayness. Rather, they push the limits of celebrities (he gets Paula Abdul to sit on a Mexican) and Hollywood parents (Brüno: “Is your baby fine with lit phosphorous?” Parent: “Yes. He loves it.”) But the homosexual theme is never far behind. He tests his subjects’—and the audience’s—limits of tolerance with flashy shots of his package, plenty of male nudity and man-on-man action. It is over the top, eye-opening and just plain funny. Tinseltown. Rated R