Brüno is the most stupid, homophobic movie I've seen in years, just one long, vulgar, shallow caricature of a gay stereotype. Vacuous, self-obsessed Brüno has lost his show in Vienna and wants to be a Hollywood Superstar. What could be a clever skewering of the cult of celebrity just focuses on a tedious parade of fag jokes. The publicity declares that it's supposed to be an exposé of homophobia. Said homophobes only enter the film after fifty minutes of stupid gags about anal sex and bondage, and Brüno is so shallow and unlikable that I felt sorry for the homophobes who were supposedly the targets of this satire, but they only served to make the fag look even sillier than he did on his own. This movie doesn't expose homophobia so much as it exploits it.
Look, I'm cool with over the top stereotypes. I'm not above crude and vulgar. Hell, I dressed up as a nun in mini-habit and fishnet stockings and ran for public office, getting international fame as "Sister Boom Boom," but in my childhood I quickly learned the difference between the "Jewish jokes" told by my Jewish relatives, and the "Jew jokes" told by anti-Semites. Both played on stereotypes, but the simplest litmus test is: Are you laughing with us or against us? As long as you are clearly with us, you can get away with a lot.
A few jokes that struck me as genuinely funny were lost on the young, straight audience that roared through most of the movie as I sank into my chair. Yes, a few moments were genuinely funny, but not nearly worth sitting through the rest of it. Altogether this was not laughing with the gays, but laughing at the fag. Sad. After the brilliance of "Borat" I expected better at least.
It would be interesting to watch the hate crimes statistics and see if homophobic violence edges up in the next week or two. It will be even more interesting to see if Mr. Cohen takes any notice if they do.
This movie does not deserve the controversy and attention of a boycott. Just don't waste your time and money.
Look, I'm cool with over the top stereotypes. I'm not above crude and vulgar. Hell, I dressed up as a nun in mini-habit and fishnet stockings and ran for public office, getting international fame as "Sister Boom Boom," but in my childhood I quickly learned the difference between the "Jewish jokes" told by my Jewish relatives, and the "Jew jokes" told by anti-Semites. Both played on stereotypes, but the simplest litmus test is: Are you laughing with us or against us? As long as you are clearly with us, you can get away with a lot.
A few jokes that struck me as genuinely funny were lost on the young, straight audience that roared through most of the movie as I sank into my chair. Yes, a few moments were genuinely funny, but not nearly worth sitting through the rest of it. Altogether this was not laughing with the gays, but laughing at the fag. Sad. After the brilliance of "Borat" I expected better at least.
It would be interesting to watch the hate crimes statistics and see if homophobic violence edges up in the next week or two. It will be even more interesting to see if Mr. Cohen takes any notice if they do.
This movie does not deserve the controversy and attention of a boycott. Just don't waste your time and money.
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