Brüno (Bruno) (2009)

67% of critics liked it
(214 reviews)
48% of users liked it
(536,960 ratings)

Borat trickster Sacha Baron Cohen returns to the big screen to offer yet another stinging dose of sociopolitical satire in this comedy that finds him assuming the persona of gay fashionmonger Bruno, the self-proclaimed "voice of Austrian youth TV." Originally conceived as part of Baron Cohen's cult… More Borat trickster Sacha Baron Cohen returns to the big screen to offer yet another stinging dose of sociopolitical satire in this comedy that finds him assuming the persona of gay fashionmonger Bruno, the self-proclaimed "voice of Austrian youth TV." Originally conceived as part of Baron Cohen's cult television series Da Ali G Show, the character of Bruno offered a cleverly costumed Baron Cohen the opportunity to highlight the absurdities of the fashion industry by interviewing unsuspecting fashion icons and other haute couture hangers-on. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 28 min.
Directed By: Larry Charles, Dan Mazer
Written By: Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Dan Mazer, Jeff Schaffer
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: Jul 10, 2009 Wide
On DVD: Nov 17, 2009
Studio: Universal Pictures

Critic Reviews

Richard Roeper, Richard Roeper.com
Undeniably funny, but the targets are far too obvious.
Anthony Lane, New Yorker
Wholly unsuitable for children, yet propelled by a nagging puerility that will appeal only to those in the vortex of puberty, or to adults who have failed to progress beyond it.
Ben Lyons, At the Movies
There are lots of moments in this movie that are genuinely funny.
Ben Mankiewicz, At the Movies
It's certainly not that there aren't a few funny moments in the film. There are, but overwhelmingly, Bruno's stunts are demeaning, they are insulting and they are really cruel.
Joe Baltake, Passionate Moviegoer
Teutonic Twins: Baron Cohen's 'Brüno' owes its life to Myers' 'Sprockets'
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor
There's good bad taste and then there's just plain bad bad, which is what describes most of Brüno.
Matthew Pejkovic, Matt's Movie Reviews
Sacha Baron Cohen's latest shock comedy Bruno is a nasty, tired and pointless retread of the gifted comedian's previous work.
Matt Kelemen, Las Vegas CityLife
if mixed martial arts fans who view the film are forever after afraid of fighters getting aroused during a ground-and-pound session on the mat, then Baron Cohen did the job right.
Simon Miraudo, Quickflix
A plot synopsis doesn't quite capture the visceral thrill of our hero's bizarre and shocking adventure.
Dragan Antulov, Draxblog Movie Reviews
there are very little or no examples of comedic genius in this film
William Goss, Orlando Weekly
Staged or not, Cohen still displays a fearlessness and commitment to character unparalleled in the comedy world today.
Rob Humanick, Projection Booth
The first 45 minutes... might be the most concentrated bit of cinematic hilarity since Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters.
Jeffrey Chen, Window to the Movies
[Homophobia] deserves confrontation, but when done in the manner of the movie here, it is less enlightening than it is just plain squirmingly funny.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Merely a collection of supposedly shocking jokes about homosexuality and gay sex.
Brian Webster, Apollo Guide
The Bruno DVD includes a full-length audio commentary by star Sacha Baron Cohen and director Larry Charles, which delves into many of the tricks used in the making of the film.
Brian Webster, Apollo Guide
You can watch Bruno purely as outrageousness or you can view it while pondering where the line is - or should be - between incisive social commentary and misanthropy.
Adam Lippe, Examiner.com
The only thing Cohen can do is to throw the character's sexuality in people's faces, but there are several brilliant sequences of baiting and utilizing American gay panic that really hit the satirical button.
Felix Gonzalez Jr., DVD Review
Universal's Blu-ray edition is packed with extra material, however, so fans should indulge.
Felix Gonzalez Jr., DVD Review
For all of its button-pushing, the end result is almost as superficial as its egocentric hero.
James Rocchi, Common Sense Media
Intentionally shocking comedy even edgier than Borat.

Read all 26 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Sophie B

Really didn't expect much but it was hilariously funny with several really good moments however it did also have some genuinely sad and emotional parts. It's not Oscar worthy but it was funny and cheering up.
Eric A

Not as funny as Borat. Had tid bits of entertainment, but I mostly found myself saying "wtf is going on"?
Anthony L

Bruno is as shocking as you'd expect from Sacha Baron Cohen after the success of Borat and especially considering the character (also seen on Da Ali G show in the early 00s). The fact that this isn't Bruno's first outing is also it's problem in a way. He was… More
Bruno is as shocking as you'd expect from Sacha Baron Cohen after the success of Borat and especially considering the character (also seen on Da Ali G show in the early 00s). The fact that this isn't Bruno's first outing is also it's problem in a way. He was invented to take the piss out of the world of fashion first, and then the world of celebrity but he couldn't do it in this film because he'd already done it years ago and he is still remembered. Same story as Borat really, that's why he went to America but the world of fashion in America is different to that in Europe and it just wouldn't have worked. That's why this film is a bit of a mess as far what it wants to achieve. Is it about celebrity, is it about homophobia, is it fashion, xenophobia? Weren't these covered in Borat? All that said, I did like it. it's not as successfully executed as Borat but it's still very funny, I do think he often goes after the wrong people to get his message across but generally the people who really deserve it come off worst. Better than the TV show but not as good as Borat or even Ali G for that matter, I guess that's it for Sacha Baron Cohen's trio of pranksters then yeah?
Jennifer X

Really disgusting, but sometimes it's entertaining.
Mike S

Sacha Baron Cohen does it again! Altough not the masterpiece that Borat was, this movie was a riot from beginning to end. Some of Brünos antics, like the scene with the wrestling event, are so priceless I can't even find the words for it. And in a world full of… More
Sacha Baron Cohen does it again! Altough not the masterpiece that Borat was, this movie was a riot from beginning to end. Some of Brünos antics, like the scene with the wrestling event, are so priceless I can't even find the words for it. And in a world full of political correctness, I'm glad there's at least one comedian and film-maker out there who dares to challenge society's taboos - all in the name of good fun. What I like the most about Sacha's humor though, is that he makes fun of everyone, even minorities he himself is a part of. He isn't just controversial for the sake of it, but also tries to convey how important it is with self-distance. Because in my eyes, putting too much of a leash on what you can and cannot joke about, only serves to undermine the freedom of speech, and the liberties that we should all be able to enjoy. Anyone who feels differently, and gets offended by this film, obviously takes life way too seriously. Anyway, I'm not gonna get too long-winded here. My point is that this is no ordinary movie, but a rarity of a comedy that dares to go all the way, and hits a home-run while doing so. So if you loved Borat, I can promise you're gonna enjoy Brüno as well. Because this is, without the shadow of a doubt, the funniest comedy of 2009.
vieras e

Such a disappointment.
Rachel F

Crazy, but I thought it was funny. Definitely not everyone's cup of tea.
Daniel J D

Why didn't anyone tell me this movie was only mediocre? Could've saved myself an hour. And another thing, I wasn't sure whether this movie was supposed to be helping the gay community in any way or merely profiteering from it. I guess more profiteering. Like he did with… More
Why didn't anyone tell me this movie was only mediocre? Could've saved myself an hour. And another thing, I wasn't sure whether this movie was supposed to be helping the gay community in any way or merely profiteering from it. I guess more profiteering. Like he did with Borat to the Middle East. But at least Borat was really funny. Most of the funny parts here were in the commercials. That and the bit where he starts giving all those celebrities more Germanic sounding names like "Bradolf Pittler."
Stuart B

Sick, stupid and so funny it will kill you!
Spencer S

Not as amazing as Borat's release, but it has several good ole' fashioned laughs.
Jeff "

Even with the fact that its basically, Borat, Bruno has terrific moments of laugh out loud comedy. I liked it, and what I loved about Sasha Baron Cohen is his brand of comedy exposes the ignorance of important issues. With Bruno it's the issue of how people are discriminating… More
Even with the fact that its basically, Borat, Bruno has terrific moments of laugh out loud comedy. I liked it, and what I loved about Sasha Baron Cohen is his brand of comedy exposes the ignorance of important issues. With Bruno it's the issue of how people are discriminating against people that are homosexual. Bruno is funny, but it's basically a rehash of Borat.
Jani H

"I am going to be the biggest Austrian celebrity since Hitler." Sacha Baron Cohen's previous film, 'Borat', was one of the funniest movies back in '06. Critics and viewers liked the film and one of the reason why it was so popular was due to its offbeat… More
"I am going to be the biggest Austrian celebrity since Hitler." Sacha Baron Cohen's previous film, 'Borat', was one of the funniest movies back in '06. Critics and viewers liked the film and one of the reason why it was so popular was due to its offbeat humor. Conservative Americans were slaped in the face way many times and it worked brilliantly. 'Bruno' tries to copy the success of 'Borat' with an almost similar storyline, style etc, but I'm not that sure if it worked... So what's funny about an Austrian fashion reporter that happens to be "totally" gay? Not that much. There was a couple of scenes that made me laugh but while I was watching the movie, it reminded me constantly of 'Borat' so much that it started to annoy me a little. But watching a politician, Ron Paul (former candidate for presidency) getting in a awkward situation is always worth a look. And King Osama... Works. 'Bruno' is a very uneven film that delivers some occasional laughs (Harrison Ford's "Fuck off!") but fails to gain the same success as Sacha Baron Cohen's previous works. I even enjoyed 'Ali G' more than this movie! I've never known that much about this character before and I guess this movie was made because of 'Borat's' success. Didn't work for me.
Chris G

Bruno is basically Borat, except this time it's a gay guy trying to become famous in the USA. It's like Candid Camera from hell, trying to shock the people that Bruno runs into during his jaunt across America. The thing about it is that Bruno is not the work of genius some… More
Bruno is basically Borat, except this time it's a gay guy trying to become famous in the USA. It's like Candid Camera from hell, trying to shock the people that Bruno runs into during his jaunt across America. The thing about it is that Bruno is not the work of genius some people believe it to be. Now I loved Borat, but the problem with Bruno is that it's basically recycling the Borat formula with another character. The trouble this time is that, like Mike Meyer's Scottish accent, it's been done before. Bruno does have its funny moments and its shocking moments (jaws were agape from the people I watched this with) but it really drags in certain places- and this is a short movie. Bruno is about shock value. Yes, it shocks. It also fails to live up to the expectations the audiences has after seeing Borat. Of course seeing Slash in this boosts its stars.
Chris W

While it's not as funny or as engaging as Borat, Bruno is still a damn funny, shocking, and subversive attack on insecurity, homophobia, and predjudice. I liked it, but things felt stale and predictable for the most part. Still, as far as crude entertainment goes, you could watch… More
While it's not as funny or as engaging as Borat, Bruno is still a damn funny, shocking, and subversive attack on insecurity, homophobia, and predjudice. I liked it, but things felt stale and predictable for the most part. Still, as far as crude entertainment goes, you could watch far worse.
Derek A

My oh my, Sacha Baron Cohen how you disappoint me! From the borderline genius who brought us one of my all time favorite comedies, Borat, Cohen desperately shits out this utterly despicable crapfest Bruno. Baron Cohen's efforts to… More
My oh my, Sacha Baron Cohen how you disappoint me! From the borderline genius who brought us one of my all time favorite comedies, Borat, Cohen desperately shits out this utterly despicable crapfest Bruno. Baron Cohen's efforts to duplicate his success from Borat is cheap and reckless with no shred of originality. Even the name Bruno bares such a resemblance to it's predecessor that it might as well be Borat 2. Borat centered around a harmless and funny tale of a foreign man new to the US... however, this time around, Bruno centers around a gay man new to the US. Baron Cohen stoops to an all new low and stops at nothing to deliver the "shock and awe" effect to his audience. But this time it comes at a cost. In this film, the audience is subjected to grotesque stunts and jokes that should only be on ridiculous MTV shows like Jackass.Unlike Borat, this film is a lot more scripted... I'm guessing that's mainly in part to people being aware of the potential prank that is attempted to be played on them. But even the non-scripted scenes aren't as funny this time around. The only genuinely funny parts come from scenes when Bruno adopts a young black boy... and most of these scenes are scripted and the punchlines are in the trailer.This is a horrifyingly, grotesque disappointment. Bruno is a complete failure... you have been warned.
Fernando Rafael Q

Sacha Baron Cohen's latest project, Brüno, shares many similarities with his Academy Award nominated breakthrough "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" (Borat, for short). They're both mockumentaries, even though… More
Sacha Baron Cohen's latest project, Brüno, shares many similarities with his Academy Award nominated breakthrough "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" (Borat, for short). They're both mockumentaries, even though 'Borat' felt genuine, whereas 'Brüno' is so obviously staged. They're both about a foreigner making people uncomfortable. They're both crass and offensive, but while "Borat" is hilarious, "Brüno" is not. Baron Cohen's dedication to the role is evident, but the laughs are far too scarce. Thankfully, it only lasts less than 80 minutes.
Michael G

Bruno uses the gravitational pull from same scarce, skeletal plot that Borat did to pull in a bunch of hilarious and often... just plain wrong scenes to make a movie. The bad news is that Bruno doesn't feel like a movie so much as a compilation of scenes from Da Ali G Show. Good… More
Bruno uses the gravitational pull from same scarce, skeletal plot that Borat did to pull in a bunch of hilarious and often... just plain wrong scenes to make a movie. The bad news is that Bruno doesn't feel like a movie so much as a compilation of scenes from Da Ali G Show. Good news is that Bruno is fucking hysterical. I read a review of Bruno where the author stated that when he wasn't giggling like a 14 year-old he was cringing in terror. If he said awkward terror I'd be in complete and total agreement. If you're homophobic or have no tolerance for flaming gay (as in homosexual, not nonsensical) humor you probably won't enjoy (or get for that matter) Bruno. All I know is after that scene at the psychic's, Sasha Baron Cohen is a complete and total madman. I'd say Bruno is slightly less good than Borat even if the madness was upped. A second viewing helped my appreciation but mostly it just numbed some of the shock.
Film C

boring and cringngly weird with some funny moments!
Sarah G

A lot better than what peopl have given it credit for. Says A LOT about American Culture, especially their views on homosexuality and especially how far parents with babies would go to get their babies in a page very funny. No wonder two of Cohen's films have had some locations… More
A lot better than what peopl have given it credit for. Says A LOT about American Culture, especially their views on homosexuality and especially how far parents with babies would go to get their babies in a page very funny. No wonder two of Cohen's films have had some locations in the US as they seem so gulable. More to follow...
Tim B

It's hard to watch this movie without reading some sort of social commentary into it, and initially, it get's in the way of the comedy. I found myself more occupied with what I thought Sacha Baron Cohen thinks about his "marks", than I was with the jokes. The… More
It's hard to watch this movie without reading some sort of social commentary into it, and initially, it get's in the way of the comedy. I found myself more occupied with what I thought Sacha Baron Cohen thinks about his "marks", than I was with the jokes. The truth is, this isn't news. It's not a documentary (is it even a mocumentary?). As with Borat, it seems a lot of people are having a hard time getting past the "realness" of the situations. If the people that Bruno interacts with think that Bruno is a real guy, does that make it funnier than if they are all just actors? I think this movie is best enjoyed with all that baggage stripped away. What you're left with is old fashioned, uncomfortable situations, pie-in-the-face comedy. It's not the funniest movie of the year, but come on..."A bear ate all my clothes, except for this condom." That's really funny.