Sacha Baron Cohen is hoping to win over some of his fiercest critics with his latest magazine offering.
The Bruno star appears on the cover of Attitude this month following accusations from some sections of the gay community that his character promotes rather than satirises homophobia.
The controversial comedian, who plays a flamboyant Austrian designer in his latest big screen film, peeled right off for the front cover of the UK’s best selling gay magazine.
The photograph appears under the tag line: ‘Comedy genius of the most homophobic film ever made?’
In the interview, which Cohen conducted as his outrageous alter ego, he cites his favourite gay icons as X Factor boss Simon Cowell and singers Kylie and Dannii Minogue.
The cover follows claims Bruno is offensive and perpetuates gay stereotyping.
Rashad Robinson, of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, said last month: ‘Some people in our community may like this movie, but many are not going to be OK with it.
‘Sacha Baron Cohen’s well-meaning attempt at satire is problematic in many places and outright offensive in others.’
Actor Peter Paige, from US TV series Queer As Folk, echoed the sentiment, saying: ‘When you see a Bruno clip in a room full of gay men, everyone laughs and it’s fine.’
‘When you see a Bruno clip in a room full of straight men, they’re all laughing, and it’s a different thing. You start to go, “Hmmm, I don’t know how I feel about this.”‘
Claims were made that producers were forced to undertake ‘significant reshoots’ after preview audiences reacted angrily to the film.
source [Daily Mail]
July 1st, 2009 at 8:54 am
I believe the movie will help promote homophobia rather than fight it. The movie is more about profit making than fighting homophobia. That was also true for BORAT.
July 1st, 2009 at 9:42 am
Stereotypes, stereotypes.. and more ridicul stereotypes…
Just hate this gay clow characters.
Why don’t make movies about NORMAL gay people??
Yes, there are NORMAL GAYS. They can be funny too!
The stereotype humor is not the way for acceptance.
July 1st, 2009 at 9:59 am
it’s entertainment. leave it at that. i am gay, and think it is great. stereotypes are never going to away, so why not have fun with them. why so serious?
July 1st, 2009 at 10:52 am
People need to lighten up! It’s a comedy, and it is funny! But if you want to be so serious about it then don’t be so one-sided. Cohen is not creating an insulting representation of a gay man; people like this character do exist. Is a non-gay man playing a flamboyant gay character on screen a bad thing? If it is, then you’d have to say the same for a flamboyant gay man playing a non-gay man on screen…
More importantly, this movie (and Borat, for that matter) is not about the main character it’s about the people he interacts with, the real people (for the most part) that are in reality as vapid as Cohen is pretending to be or dangerouly the opposite. At times, he puts himself in real danger to show us the scary reality of human nature…to very humorous ends.
July 1st, 2009 at 1:55 pm
Just check out all the positive effects “Hard Gay” had in ultra-conservative (read up on him or watch some youtube clips). He’s waaay more offensive than Bruno, and much less “normal”, but he helped eliminate a great deal of homophobia in Japan simply by being a popular gay icon (even those the actor that plays him is straight). Bruno is also taking direct stabs at homophobia, essentially exposing just how taboo it is. I’m jewish, and I loved that Borat exposed the ridiculously easy-to-come-by antisemitism in the US. It brought the often-ignored topic to the forefront and showed people how relevant it is. Homosexuals need to be less fearful of people tackling these topics in whatever way, because, the more homophobia is shown and talked about, the more will be done against it. Bruno is really here to help (and entertain, of course).
July 1st, 2009 at 4:14 pm
It is not simply a matter of the Gay Community being offended by this film or not. No matter what the subject of the film is (remember Borat?), there will be some out there who will be offended, regardless of personal connections with the film. This is what controversy is all about, because we all think differently.
I’m gay, and I personally find Bruno’s stereotyping to be hilarious, BUT I also see that those with a more sensitive outlook on homophobia would see it as offensive.
My answer: if you want to see the film, see it.
If you think it’s going to be bad for you, don’t see it.
Problem solved, enjoy the movie :3
July 1st, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Hmmm, I don’t how anyone who follows SBC’s work could possibly think that this movie will promote homophobia. This movie will expose people (SBC’s victims) for the idiots that they are, in the same way Ali G and Borat did. For example, in Ali G, the British head of education was exposed as an old-fashioned senile man who wanted to bring back cane-beatings to schools… this never promoted cane beating, it had quite the opposite effect… and I imagine Bruno will have the same effect too except in regard to homophobia, not cane beating
(although in some cases, they are synonymous…)
It will make people realise that there is still a lot of homophobia out there, and how much of a problem it is. It is a totally effective way of raising awareness of the problem, and combating it, through comedy
July 1st, 2009 at 7:55 pm
I have a few things to say. Firstly, I can’t imagine this article ending on the decision that this movie is the most homophobic movie ever because then there would be a lot of question as to why Sascha would pose for the cover.
Secondly, yes, the over-the-top stereotype of a gay man that Bruno is could obviously offend some, but imagine a version of this movie where Bruno acted like an average guy and didn’t fit the stereotype homophobes had of gay men and all he did was just oft-handedly mention that he had a boyfriend. Yes, it would be a bad movie and that could be motivated by profit that that idea sounds lame, but it also wouldn’t really taunt homophobes if he acted essentially “straight” and just stated he was gay a couple of times.
There is a hip hop comedy group named The Party Fun Action Committee that had a song called “Cream Dreams” which got left off their album (which, by the way, did poorly) because the record label was worried that it was too homophobic, but the group explains on their site that they didn’t see it that way, they saw it as such a gay song that it would make anyone who was a homophobe uncomfortable while listening to it. Yes, that song may offend some people who hear it, but I think – similarly to Bruno – it isn’t really trying to offend gay people and it definitely isn’t going to be particularly popular with homophobes.
The end of this long-ass thing no one will ever read.
July 1st, 2009 at 7:59 pm
That’s stupid, it’s not homophobic. I’m straight and when I laugh at Bruno, I’m not thinking ‘look how rediculious and silly gay people are’; I’m thinking, ‘look how rediculious and silly this character is and how these people are reacting to him.’ Sacha’s characters are funny because they’re like off in their own little worlds, and they seem aloof to everything around them; that’s what’s funny about it, not the gay sterotype.
July 1st, 2009 at 10:52 pm
its not the people who make fun of the stereotypes which is wrong…
its what the stereotypes are that is whats wrong if anything is wrong.
i am reminded of the saying truth hurts…
and if this movie leaves hurt feelings, then i say help the people who make these stereotypes live and help them change, so that nobody can make fun of them..
however if the people who live life like the stereotypes portray are happy, then its the people who assume that the other people might feel bad.
meaning if somebody loves wearing wild clothing is happy doing so then let them be…
but
if someone thinks they are supposed to wear wild clothes because they think that is what they are suppose to do…
well help the second person…
July 1st, 2009 at 11:04 pm
I am a gay lover. I have gay family members and my best friends are gay. But if you dont like the way this movie is going or what it is representing then DONT WATCH IT!! Who cares what people think of you anyway!!
July 2nd, 2009 at 12:36 am
he is a genious in comedy, is in another level of comedy he is the best comedian film maker of all the times
just face it , he really is
if you dont laugh of his jokes is cuz you are a really closed mind person and annoying too.
dont be stupid just laugh if not, just go away to somewhere else, dont critizize what others like, cuz are their life
July 2nd, 2009 at 7:51 am
My background is Eastern European, and I found Borat challenging, even painful at points. In order for satire to be at all effective, it needs to hit on representational truths. Stereotypes are blunted caricatures, which by definition resonate with perceptions. Difficult when collective shame is involved. (Even the intro to Borat’s show was wrenchingly evocative for me… Dead on.)
I think the exploitation of stereotypes for satiric purposes necessarily perpetuate them, where there’s a dearth of positive ‘role models’ (stereotypes again).
July 2nd, 2009 at 7:56 am
I think what I mean is… where the ‘fool’ is drawn from a minority more-or-less powerless, in terms of social and economic capital, AND the group’s actual socio-economic conditions aren’t set to improve, AND the portrayal is as aesthetically keen as SBC’s… there might be a problem.
July 2nd, 2009 at 10:49 am
The whole discussion completely misses the point. The point is that the way in which Brüno portraits the Austrian accent is completely wrong! The Austrian English does not sound like this at all! He didn´t spend any time on researching how Austrians talk English. I think, thats a shame. I lost my faith in professional comedy.
July 2nd, 2009 at 12:26 pm
To expose the prejudice bigots SBC had to become what these people think is ‘normal’ for a gay person. The movie would not work and he would not get the footage if the character was not outrageous and stereotypical . He is not portraying what he thinks is bad about gays, but having to become this character to achieve maximum effect, and for it to be funny enough to make a successful film.
July 2nd, 2009 at 1:15 pm
“Why don’t make movies about NORMAL gay people??”
Same reason gays don’t hold parades about normal gay people. They promote the stereotypes themselves, so why is it not acceptable for a fictional comedy character to be a stereotype
July 2nd, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Stop being so ridiculously sensitive. It’s a joke, do you see rappers and blacks getting upset at his Al-G character, running through the streets protesting?
Just because there’s a stereotype doesn’t mean it’s real, there’s a stereotype for every race, culture, and community, take it lightly or just dont watch it.
Freedom of speech
July 2nd, 2009 at 2:12 pm
So according to that one guy, it’s fine if you’re gay and laugh but not if you’re straight and laugh?
Seems like he’s the one with sexuality issues.
July 2nd, 2009 at 3:11 pm
On another note, if homosexuals have the authority to complain about Bruno, that means Austrians can protest as an entire country, see it’s just not right.
July 2nd, 2009 at 4:38 pm
I think the discussion misses the point, its not about sexuality at all. What he is doing in this movie (just like with Borat or Ali G) is not make fun of a particular group of people which his character represents, but rather I think he is illustrating how ignorant and stupid the society really is.
On another note, if those gay people who feel offended really do want to be seen as part of society, maybe they should accept that people will make fun of them, just like fun is made and stereotypes are used for any other group in society, be it black kids from the “hood”, blond bimbos, immigrants, elderly, etc.
July 3rd, 2009 at 7:34 am
I am gay and in a partnership. I am not flamboyant nor out. And I love Cohan´s humor especially this new Bruno movie about stereotypical gay men!
It is the attitude, guys. If we can´t accept that there are stereotypes of flamboyant gays, then we lose. We ourselves become homophobics.
If we do not know how to tolerate, who will tolerate us?
Let´s just relax and enjoy this movie! Cohan is so sexy like always!!! It is not just a film about Bruno. The funny thing is HOW PEOPLE REACT with him. It is his style, it is almost extemporaneous (or is it really?), it is semi-documentary. It is so effectively funny…you laugh at the situations. The character is not offensive at all. com´on…
July 3rd, 2009 at 11:40 am
does no one see that exactly what baron-cohen is doing is taking the piss out of people who believe that gay men are actually like the Bruno character!? hes a clever man, hes showing the world how ridiculous some of our stereotypes are! and also i think that he is trying to show the true colours of the people who are homophobic. he appeals to the people who cant see past the funny character because of his films outrageousness, while also appealing to the people who can see past the surface by making this film work on many levels. seriously people! lol
July 3rd, 2009 at 7:27 pm
Borat was a stupid ass movie, and Bruno is no different. All this homo is doing is promoting it because he’s gay too. what a dumbfuck.
July 4th, 2009 at 12:59 am
I agree with TM. I highly doubt Sascha’s idea was to help promote the gay community and he just failed. The point is to tease at the community for laughs and I really don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. It’s a comedy, so why take it so seriously?
Has anyone else noticed that no ones like..trying to have this movie removed from the theaters..but everyone wanted to burn “Brokeback Mountain”? I’d say that’s more of a true depiction of a realistic gay relationship.
July 4th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
I think he is showing how homophobic people are to gays. Most of the stuff in the movie is real.
July 4th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
Victor, is there a stereotype for you that everybody can laugh at? And I mean really laugh hard and cruel. The freedom of speech argument is getting a bit tired too; a little poking and prodding and you usually find out this is usually used by people who are determined to maintain their right to call other people “faggot” and “nigger”.
Quote: “Bruno Movie – Delicious Journeys Through America for the Purpose of Making Heterosexual Males Visibly Uncomfortable in the Presence of a Gay Foreigner in a Mesh T-shirt”.
So, some people here are making points about stereotypes and what it means to be stereotypical and what it means to be normal and the reactions of bigots and the sophistication of satire and comedy and the meaning of audience response and the meaning of what it is to be offensive and to be offended, and that’s all very well and yes, of course two different people can laugh at the same thing and it can be for completely different reasons because, yes, it is sophisticated humour and it does work on different levels and one could even mention the old point about not underestimating the intelligence of the audience. Well, SlickWilly (above) is the audience and he has stated his case.
But when all those arguments are exhausted, i’m left thinking about one thing:
when heterosexual males are made uncomfortable enough by the presence of gay men, a gay man ends up dead.
July 5th, 2009 at 7:46 am
I say if you’re offended FUCK YOU!!
And go and get a sense of humour!!
July 5th, 2009 at 8:05 am
This movie won’t change much for the whole population. There will still be homophobia, there will still be people who don’t mind homosexuals.
The only people who get something out of this are Sacha Baron Cohen and the film crew, moviegoers will make them even richer.
So basically, the real victims in this “satire” (that’s just how the movie is promoted to get away with critics), is the audience that throws out money to be entertained for 2-3 hours. After that, they might realize nothing has changed in their life and they’re still tools.
July 5th, 2009 at 9:08 am
“But when all those arguments are exhausted, i’m left thinking about one thing:
when heterosexual males are made uncomfortable enough by the presence of gay men, a gay man ends up dead.”
You must live in a nice area lol!!!
July 5th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
I am a bummer,and I’m not offended by Bruno.If anything I wish he’d have been MORE gay.
July 5th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
Yeah, I’m not gay but I really don’t care and I support gay marriage. Bruno is funny because of the way his character is portrayed. Because of its faithfulness to both the gay and nazi supporting stereotypes, which don’t at all mesh in their ideologies, but even more than that this is funny because of the way that the average human being (no matter their origins) tend to react to the character. It’s more about people than it is about Bruno, which is really the draw of all of Cohen’s characters.
July 6th, 2009 at 12:03 am
God mad adam and eve not adam and steve.
July 6th, 2009 at 3:45 am
Vassever.
July 6th, 2009 at 7:17 am
I’ve got absolutely nothing against gays, lesbians, etc etc AT ALL.
But one thing is true: my gay students are always the ones who are more prejudiced and narrow minded. I found this very curious.
July 6th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
You can’t please everyone…
I really don’t believe that SBC would promote homophobia, I think comically he’s a bit of a genius, yes it is very stereotypical but I’m sure that the movie-going public will see it for what it’s supposed to be, which is just outright comedy.
I’m gay, not that you’d pick me out in a crowd as being gay, i’m pretty normal (whatever that is) and I don’t find it at all offensive and cant wait to see it.
Why do people over-analyse stuff like this? *sigh*
July 6th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
The joke is that his character is such an unbelievable stereotype that it is obviously fake, yet the ‘subjects’ in the pranks believe that the stereotype character is real… thus satirizing homophobia. The same is true with Ali G and Borat characters; and it is genius.
July 6th, 2009 at 7:31 pm
PS – I’m a hiphop artist and my favorite character is Ali G!
July 6th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
I finally understood who Cohen’s roles remind me of. Take away the humor and vulgarity, and you’ll end up with bleached Dostoevsky’s characters. Cannot wait to see the movie to laugh and get mad
July 7th, 2009 at 12:59 am
As a formerly effeminate gay man, who these days (after years of hormones, facial feminization surgery, breast implants, etc.) is now a very beautiful, and very feminine male to female transgendered woman (who adores gorgeous masculine men!), I can tell you that I believe humour is something that all of us can enjoy, and from what I can tell by the previews, this “Bruno” movie is not homophobic, it will be funny, enjoyable, and wonderful, as are previous movies done by Sasha Baron Cohen.
July 7th, 2009 at 7:05 am
Read between the lines people!!! JC gets it…like Borat, it is about the people he(Bruno) interacts with…
July 7th, 2009 at 7:32 am
Give me a fucking break, it’s comedy. Get over yourselves. I’m gay and I think it’s fucking hilarious. Can’t wait to see it.
July 7th, 2009 at 7:46 am
man, you homosexuals are as sensitive as islamic extremists. you think it’s okay to laugh about everybody exept yourself. Sasha Boran Cohen is not discriminative in who he jokes about. he makes jokes about everybody inclusing himself. if you dont have a sense of humour, just get back into the closet and feel sorry for yourself!
July 7th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Some people need to learn to get a sense of humor, it’s obviously not meant to be a serious movie, why would you take it seriously? Learn to laugh in my opinion.
July 7th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
not all gays are like this at all. but this movie is pretty humorous and i love gays ! but i don’t think this movie is going to make people think wrong of gays.
July 7th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
Am a heterosexual female, but completely understand the point being made about the film promoting, rather than combatting, homophobia. I would relate to Peter Paige’s comment as follows: if me and a group of Italian-Australians are laughing at films like ‘Wog Boy’, that’s one thing. But the moment an Anglo-Australian begins to laugh at the film, I start to feel uncomfortable…
Don’t really know what the solution to this would be, though.
July 8th, 2009 at 1:29 am
I just saw the movie, and it was hilarious! As a gay male, I found it to be really, really well made. It was not offensive, nor do I think it promoted homophobia. Great job Sacha!
July 8th, 2009 at 2:46 am
everyone needs to stop being a bunch of pussy crybaby’s. who gives a shit what others think, all that matters is what you think.
July 8th, 2009 at 3:36 am
Can I just say that God DID make Adam and Steve? If he or she didn’t, then who did?
July 8th, 2009 at 6:58 am
Sacha Baron Cohen is a comic genious, and through his comedy he exposes people’s prejudice.
July 8th, 2009 at 7:55 am
This movie is not for everyone. But if you liked Borat and Ali G, you will LOVE this. I thought it was hilarious. I saw a screening before MJ’s death so it included the LaToya scene which was pretty funny too. Here’s my full review as well as more details about the Latoya scene. Enjoy!
http://thecorner33.blogspot.com/2009/07/bruno.html
July 8th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Oh get the stick out of your asses and learn to appreciate a little humor without rushing to the offense. If people stopped being so mortally wounded by every little thing that “may suggest” for or against a viewpoint, everyone would be a lot less hostile overall. Just cruise along, guys, take it or leave it, and stop trying to make a controversy out of every word coming out of people’s mouths that may or may not pertain to you at all. Just learn to chill; its a movie. Be entertained or don’t watch it.
July 8th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
People are saying that this movie is showing the stupidity of homophobes. Most of us see that and laugh and have a good time with this movie. The problem is, the homophobes aren’t “getting it.”
I’m a fan. I just hope that a lot of people understand the motivation behind the movie. We’d have to be super naive to believe that this movie wasn’t made to make money, but I do believe that Sasha is an ali.
July 8th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
OMG!
its a movie it shouldnt matter if something is being promoted or not,its not a REAL documentory. if you dont like what its about then dont go see, dont complain about what you think its doing.
July 9th, 2009 at 5:54 am
Come on people! This is Sacha Baron Cohen, hes supposed to be offensive to some and very funny to others, thats what makes him so funny. The reason he plays a gay guy is cause alot of people are not comfortable being around flamboyant gay men. So this is what makes people’s reactions so dam funny. So stop freaking out, hes not anti gay, he’s simply made an awesome movie that can be enjoyed my straight and gay people.
July 9th, 2009 at 10:49 am
I have been reading the replies to this clip and I can’t stop laughing about how serious the reply was from a person that named themselves “diarrhea moustache party”. Posted July 1st @7:55pm.
Does anyone else find this hilarious?
As for the homophobe issue, the whole point of the character is to generate shock and awe. If someone as outrageous and flamboyant as Bruno approached a “normal” gay man (as I have seen referenced in other replies), I have no doubts that they would be shocked and probably somewhat uncomfortable too.
If you can’t find humor in Bruno then I pity you and I hope you have a good therapist because you are really screwed up!
GFY whiners!
July 9th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Bruno is a funny take on what alot of people think gay ppl are like. Hes making fun of ppl who actually believe the stereotype, just like he did with Borat. This is not homophobic at all!!! I think its pathetic that ppl must make a big deal out of nothing. Fact is there are gay men like Bruno, but must we not show that side of gay men, are we suppose to show the “normal” gay ppl or what ever ppl may think its normal. Why cant someone poke fun at a stereotype? Homophobia is much deeper than some stupid stereotype…
July 9th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
Heterosexuals are outsiders with prejudices to homosexuality. They are not capable of knowing what is anti-gay. This movie only serves to validate heterosexuals wrong and bigoted prejudices of gay men. This movie will validate every prejudice heterosexuals have about gay men. A few years ago a university conducted a test where heterosexual students judged essays of heterosexual and gay participants. No matter what the gay participants wrote even if it was exactly word for word what the heterosexual students wrote they always judged the gay men’s essays as “feminine” and the lesbians as “masculine”. Heterosexuals are not capable of determining what is anti-gay because they are outsiders with prejudices to homosexuality.
If SBC really had balls, his next movie would be called “Hymie”, about Hymie, a greedy Jewish banker, who along with his big hooked nose, curly hair and constant use of “Oy vey”, kvetches his way through life, plotting to steal Christian babies and install a Jewish run world government, avoiding anything physical because we all know that Jews can’t play sports. Now *that* would be ballsy.
Yeah, hell’d freeze over before he’d do something like that, easier to do that boring routine with The Gays.
July 10th, 2009 at 12:47 am
I manage a movie theater and prescreened this movie at midnight *the release date to be within distribution dates* and found this move to be the most OFFENSIVE and WRONGLY STEREOTYPICAL movie that I have ever seen. The scene with the gay to straight “conversion pastor” was actually filmed in the city I am from and the scenes in Cullman County Alabama are only 30 mins. from where I stand right now. The whole staff that prescreened this movie walked out in the first 45 minutes *except for a few of us* we all find *gay and straight staff* that this movie promotes homophobia and gay people at sexual predators. We do not condone this movie and will do everything possible to deter people from this movie, its portrayed stereotypes, and values.
July 10th, 2009 at 1:03 am
It was awesome to see my guy friends squirm in their seats during this movie. I’m used to watching boobs–it’s about time you got used to watching dick!
July 11th, 2009 at 12:09 am
I believe the movie is making fun of every single homophobic person on Earth. Bruno is essentially every single gay stereotype in one. This has nothing to do with profit, it has everything to do with comedy that speaks about issues. Sacha is a comedic genius and is doing the SAME exact thing he did with Borat and that is to make people against a particular group of people look ridiculously stupid. Borat made the anti-semetic people look stupid and now he is making every homophobe look stupid. I mean for god sakes he interviews a radical terrorist and anyone else he can think of that is known for being very homophobic. For your information, I have many gay friends who approve of this movie. When people stop putting up selfish barriers and see this movie for what it is, a comedy built on stereotypes (which aren’t most if not all comedies written on stereotypes), then we can all truly laugh and enjoy this movie. I can’t wait to watch it, it’s going to be hilarious.
July 12th, 2009 at 1:23 am
I’m an old school Butch who is also a Feminist and a combination film buff & critic of Western popular culture. I think Sacha is brilliant in BRUNO. Having already scratched a bit of surface with BORAT in mocking homophobia, Cohen tackles homophobia full-on in this next mockumentary and demonstrates even more how important it is to recognize the hatred towards gays that exists.
To try and say that we’re only supposed to make films and tell stories that bigots will not be able to use against us is just simple minded. Straight allies like Cohen need to be on the front lines and use their talents to create dialogue and push the boundaries of “acceptable” and test our cultural norms surrounding the topic of ‘sex’ altogether if were going to progress as a culture.
To all of you who say that he’s ‘offensive’ or ‘insensitive to gays’: go get a life. YOU make a film that can have the effect of bringing so much validation to so many as myself who’ve ALWAYS been viewed as ‘other’, as a potential ‘child molester’, as a ‘freak of nature’, as ‘dangerous’ and/or ‘provocative’. BRUNO is so over-the-top in flamboyant gay male stereotype that you’d have to be completely and utterly ignorant of gay civil rights history to not get the irony of Cohen’s message. Just paying attention to the three male ‘A’ List actors he chose to refer to as ‘straight’ and you can hear Cohen’s message loud and clear: you have to pass as straight in order to get ahead in the world of celebrity. Move over Cruise, Travolta and Spacey cuz you just got punked- big time.
Bravo Mr. Cohen. Bra-Fving-OH! Thank you for the risks you take. And as far as those baby stage moms: I hope they have their kids taken away! Brutal stupidity! Damn breeders!
peace!
joey brite
Oakland, Ca.
July 12th, 2009 at 10:05 am
So it’s alright just as long as gay men are laughing, but as soon as straight men find something humorous, it’s suddenly a bad and negative thing? Please can you all grow a pair? It’s supposed to be funny, and if it brings everybody together with its humor, then it’s a positive thing.
July 15th, 2009 at 12:39 am
Stereotypes are a tricky thing.
In the not too distant past gays were bashed and some killed in certain states in the US.
It was indeed an illegal “activity” for a very long time in nearly all modern societies.
the problem when you perpetuate a stereotype in order to expose it or to ridicule it is that you run the risk that many people wont “get it”.
I’m sure most don’t take bruno seriously but if a few people take his stereotype as being somehow indicative of “gay culture” then that might be a problem.
Those people aren’t laughing at a the homophobia of those bruno comes into contact with they are laughing because on some level they believe the stereotype to be representative of gays.
Certainly stereotypes can contain elements of truth however when you use them at the expense of those you are trying to “help” it becomes a bit sour.
On the surface level bruno is very funny, lots of ridiculous situations, plenty of stupid people.
but i don’t really believe the 300 or so teenagers sitting in the cinema with me really got SBC’s meta-humour.
I think they were laughing at the big gay inappropriate poofter dude making people uncomfortable, the abrasive fag foreigner taking truly unbelievable social risks …
Thing is there are also plenty of other comedians out there who expose racism, bigotry, homophobia etc but do it without perpetuating stereotypes…
i mean…..what would the world think if he did a stupid black face uncle tom character movie, or a lazy mexican movie…… somehow i dont think he would get away with it……..
imo doing movies about albanians, gays and wiggas from staines is choosing “soft targets”
hell i found this movie pretty offensive and i’m straight and married….
July 15th, 2009 at 8:13 pm
I think that Sacha is smart by exposing people for how stupid they really are while entertaining and pushing boundaries, it’s a skill and smart on many levels. It’s satire, you couldn’t have gotten away with this kind of film a few years back as political correctness was mad (and still is), he pushes the character so much to the people who are stupid enough to actively hate gays and people of different races, and if they are already haters and offended by other peoples sexuality or color then i guess this a good way to punish them, and entertaining to watch.
And i know that gay people don’t swap their ipods for babies, or have their babies photographs taken with swarms of bees round them, but you shouldn’t be silly as to think that this would create a perception as to how gay people are, if anything the film is funny, that creates positivity to the gay and straight community.
Well Done Sacha!