Brüno (2009)

Director:

Larry Charles

Writers (WGA):

Sacha Baron Cohen (screenplay) &
Anthony Hines (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

10 July 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Borat was so 2006

Plot:

Flamboyant Austrian fashionista Brüno takes his show to America.

Plot Keywords:

Austrian | Fashion | Gay | Fame | Los Angeles

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Sacha Baron Cohen	...	Brüno
Gustaf Hammarsten	...	Lutz
Clifford Bañagale	...	Diesel
Chibundu Orukwowu	...	O.J.
Chigozie Orukwowu	...	O.J.
Josh Meyers	...	Kookus
Toby Hoguin	...	Mexican Gardener #1
Robert Huerta	...	Mexican Gardener #2
Gilbert Rosales	...	Mexican Gardener #3
Thomas Rosales Jr.	...	Mexican Gardener #4
Marco Xavier	...	Mexican Gardener #5
Bono	...	Himself - 'Dove of Peace'
Chris Martin	...	Himself - 'Dove of Peace'
Elton John	...	Himself - 'Dove of Peace'
Slash	...	Himself - 'Dove of Peace'

Also Known As:

Brüno: Snipped (UK) (recut version)
Untitled Brüno Project (USA) (working title)
Bruno (Argentina) (DVD title) (Peru) (Spain) [es]
Bruno (Brazil) (Portugal) [pt]
Бруно (Russia) [ru]
Bruno (Croatia) [hr]
Bruno (Finland) [fi]
Bruno (Greece) [el]
bo yi cuk shing zi yiu tan gau zou sam dim buk lou gau dim mei gouk lou (Hong Kong: Cantonese title) [zh]

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive strong and crude sexual content, graphic nudity and language.

Runtime:

81 min | Philippines:75 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #45372) | Ireland:16 | Iceland:14 | USA:NC-17 (original rating) | Australia:R (original rating) | UK:18 | Portugal:M/16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Finland:K-15 | Sweden:11 | Netherlands:12 | Germany:16 | UK:15 (cut) | Belgium:KT | Ukraine:(Banned) | Canada:18A (Nova Scotia) | France:-12 | Singapore:R21 (cut) | Brazil:18 (cut) | Mexico:B15 | Hong Kong:III | Philippines:R-18 (MTRCB) (heavily cut) | Australia:MA (edited for re-rating) | Australia:R (DVD) | Ireland:18 (DVD rating) | Malaysia:(Banned) | Japan:R15+ | Argentina:18 | Peru:18

Filming Locations:

Amman, Jordan

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

An interview with La Toya Jackson was hastily cut from the theatrical release due after the unexpected death of Michael Jackson at age 50.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the salon when Bruno is getting his anus bleached, his hairstyle changes as the camera shots change.

Quotes:

National Guard Officer: By the way, where's your uniform? Go get your uniform on. Do it!
Brüno: [Bruno returns with a scarf on]
National Guard Officer: Oh my god. What's up with the scarf?
Brüno: That is like... it's my own...
National Guard Officer: [Interrupts] Let me introduce you to somebody. Captain Miles!
Captain Miles: [Walks towards Bruno] Candidate, what are you doing? Stand into position of attention, candidate!
National Guard Officer: Do it!
Captain Miles: Head and eyes straight forwards, candidate!
National Guard Officer: Do it!
Captain Miles: Head and eyes straight forward!
[...]

Movie Connections:

References Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009)

Soundtrack:

Nessaja

For those asking how the shock effect of 'Borat' could be topped...

Brüno is a gay Austrian fashion reporter impersonated by the man that notoriously starred as Borat in... Borat.

(For those that have seen Borat: you probably know what to expect. If you did not like Borat for the painfully explicit content, stay away from Brüno. If you almost died of laughter during a certain hotel scene in Borat, go see Brüno immediately and prepare for almost certain death.)

Obviously, having made Borat, the producers of Brüno had a hard time to repeat the surprise effect. It should therefore not come as a surprise that the movie contains substantially less confrontations between the main character and innocent (famous) bystanders. Still, confrontations with a number of people, among which a few famous ones, seem sincere, and work on multiple levels, as in Borat. Others are clearly scripted, but not less funny for that (watch the ending credits for an example).

In general, compared to Borat, Brüno focuses more on a) effectively shocking it's viewers with the (sexual) misconduct of the main character and b) stunts of this main character in front of a large audience. Essentially, this time the shock effect is moved from the 'random' people that appear in the movie, to the audience looking at the movie.

For many, it will definitely be more shocking than Borat, given the shamelessly explicit content that exploits every possibility for jokes concerning men making out. For others, the never-ending provoked racism of Borat will have a longer-lasting impact.

All I know is that I laughed a lot during this movie. It will once again lead to lots of controversy and imitation at thousands of workplaces around the globe. Maybe it is therefore best if you know what it is about.

But be warned. If you are easily offended, you will be offended. Majorly.