Exercise bike dildo machine + Gay baby + Scooter soundtrack = The second great Austrian the world turned against in this century

Vassap! I just went to see Bruno. And I laughed so hard I cried. But it's still not as good as Borat. Waaaaaay more obscene though. Here's a review that will tell you why, without any major spoilers.

After seeing the trailer I was counting days till Bruno. The “Ve ag jast laik ze Zeks in ze Ceetee gihls” and “I svapped it foh an ipod” lines came up in my mind and made me grin at all the inappropriate times. So I made sure to book tickets way ahead because I was expecting that the film will be sold out.
To my surprise, the movie was showing in Brooklyn Cinema 9 – the one that usually shows kiddies films during morning hours, after they've been on the circuit for a few months. Furthermore, the theater was only about half full (or empty if you want to be difficult). Is the South African society so conservative that they won't watch a movie about a gay Austrian reporter that promises full frontal nudity? That doesn't make much sense after the success of Borat.

Social commentary aside, Bruno follows a formula and structure almost identical to Borat. Both Bruno and Borat leave their country to go to the US, they both have sidekicks, story arc of both films peaks in a sad moment when the protagonist is alone and being rained on, and finally happy ending. So in a way, it's basically Borat with a different skin and different catchphrases. Since Borat was a fresh and innovative idea, it scored top points for originality. But what Bruno loses out in originality it completely makes up in obscenity. You thought that the naked 69ing by Borat and Azamat Bagatov was sick? Um, compared to Bruno that was pretty innocent. One review said that the movie can be described by two words – ass bleaching. Once again, that's PG13 stuff compared to what you will see on screen. There were moments when everyone in the movie theatre was too shocked by what was happening on screen to react, unless you count sitting with your mouth open as a reaction. Not me though, I was going hyserical.

One of the criticisms of Bruno so far is that the set pieces are much more set-up than in Borat. It certainly seems that way but it is not a failing. Bruno did have a much higher budget and the director (Curb Your Enthusiasm's Larry Charles) and the crew had much more possibilities this time around. Bruno is certainly more 'real' than many of the reality shows you see on MTV and the E!News Channel. However, many will miss the film's important points (I really dare not say 'message' and dismiss it due to its crude (very crude) humor. Sascha Baron Cohen has a lot of fun on camera. In one of the film's strongest scenes he manages to get a quasi-celebrity to talk about her humanitarian aspirations while using another human being as a sitting stool. That scene was real – the quasi-celebrity even complained about it on one of the late night talk shows. Borat was once again much stronger in this aspect – it had countless moments like these. Sascha Baron Cohen is not Michael Moore when it comes to bringing out the worst of humanity on camera. But there are times when he comes close.

Whether you like the movie or not, Sascha Baron Cohen must be given A LOT of credit for his work. He is an extremely talented actor – completely transforming himself from homophobic Borat to homosexual Bruno. When it comes to fearlesness and shocking the public, few have succeded: Ozzy Osbourne, Marilyn Manson and Eminem. Well, they are so last century compared to Cohen. The three musicians were doing their shocking in a controlled environment – mostly through obscene acts on stage, explicit lyrics and controversial music videos. Sascha Baron Cohen actually goes out into the real world. Of course, he has a team of bodyguards standing by in case things go really wrong. Still, most people (myself included) would be too scared to do that.

Will I go an watch Bruno again? Certainly. I will also buy the DVD, although I will probably use the option to skip a few scenes. Will I speak like Bruno and irritate my fiancée like I did when Borat came out? Fuck no. Will I anxiously wait for Sacha Baron Cohen's new project? Hell yes.