So, one of my friends said it was hysterical. Another said it was a terrible disappointment. The review in the New Yorker used up two pages and a full-page illustration to thoroughly and viciously tear it to shreds. But I thought the previews looked good. So I showed my ID (really, children should not see this movie) at the theatre and my movie companion handed over $21 for two tickets. Let me begin by saying that the previews were much better than the movie.
Should have listened to the New Yorker.
First five minutes: pubes. Seriously, pubic hair. I don't even know if it was two minutes in. There was just too much penis in this movie. Too much penis and too many totally innocent people being much less offended than they ought to have been. A refugee camp? A middle-aged swingers party? Hasidic Jews? Come on, Sasha Baron Cohen, have some shame. Also, penises should never talk. Ever. I'll admit, the tiny Asian gymnast lover was amusing. As was the bit with the black baby. And I laughed out loud until I almost cried during the minute and a half that Bruno and his assistant/lover, Lutz, stumbled through a sidewalk full of anti-gay protestors while attempting to extricate themselves from the ridiculous bondage trappings they'd got themselves locked together with during the previous night, all to the familiar 80's beat of 'Tainted Love.' Seriously, I could barely breathe.
The man is truly a great character actor. Bruno was a great idea for a character. He even had a great accent. Even better than Borat's, I'd say. But if you like a plot, this movie is not for you. If you like homosexuals, this movie will enrage you. If you do not like homosexuals, this movie will terrify you. If you are hoping for a movie to righteously lambast and satirize the foolish celebrity culture of America, you will be sadly disappointed. If you like Austria, this movie is probably not for you. And if you like Hitler, you should realize that Hitler did not like gays.
However, if you will be happy with just umlauts and Velcro and sculpted pubic hair as well as stereotypical gay-sex romps, you may just be satisfied by this movie.
My vote: wait for it to hit HBO.
(Note: this review may or may not be influenced by the fact that continually during the movie I kept getting bubblegum and licorice jelly beans from the bag we'd snuck into the theatre, and those flavors can ruin anyone's good time.)
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