Bruno/Borat

[JustKate]

It's a way of exposing their inner bigotry and therefore of making fun of bigots.

So he makes people appear to be bigots by confronting them by being an overt stereotype of the thing they're bigoted about.

I guess I don't "get it."

There are bigots out there, I think we all know and accept that. I'm not sure what pretending to be a gay reporter hitting on a man who's not gay proves. I'm open-minded about gay people but if *I* were in that interview I'd probably end it early too if all the "interviewer" was doing was constantly hitting on me, making lewd comments, in spite of my rejects and protests.

I guess I just don't know what those skits/these moves are supposed to be exposing. Especially sense I'm guessing most laughing at the stereotype he is playing and not at the bigoted resposnes he's getting.

I mean, what use could there be in going to a KC hotel and having a chamber-maid catch you and a partner in S&M gear? What is that prooving or showing other than getting people to laugh at a extreme and absurd stereotype?

Yeah, you don't have to be homophobic to not enjoy being the target of a crude come-on. And you don't have to be homophobic to be a little uncomfortable around someone who, flagrantly and extravagantly, fulfills every stereotype you've ever heard of, either.

But subtlety...playing the part of a realistic gay man, even a realistic fashionista gay man...that wouldn't be funny. And the reason it wouldn't be funny is that you wouldn't provoke nearly as many exaggerated responses, and that's all he's interested in really.

(I mean, think of how many people, even not exactly liberal people, found Carson from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy funny and disarming, sometimes entirely against their will. I work with some pretty darn conservative men, and they kind of liked Carson, even though they were slightly nervous about admitting it.)

No matter what Cohen says, he's not trying to change the world. He just wants to make funny movies - whether he succeeds or not is, of course, entirely opinion. That's his schtick. Which is fine, but I do wish people wouldn't make it out to be more noble than it actually is.

 

[Amaris]

Borat was hilarious.
I have yet to see Bruno.


J.

 

[Hermiod]

This is unusual.

The BBFC have taken the unusual step of allowing two versions of Bruno to be shown in cinemas across the UK. After many cinemas reported turning away teenagers who wanted to see the 18-rated film, Universal have cut out 1 minute and 50 seconds of the film to get it down to a 15-certificate.

I don't think I like this idea. Seems like the only thing the BBFC put an 18 certificate on anymore is video games.

 

[species5618]

Borat was hilarious.
I have yet to see Bruno.


J.

Bruno is structured basically the same as Borat (similar run times as well), but it's just as hilariously offensive IMO.

There's some social commentary in there as well, particularly when Bruno is interviewing some parents desperate to get their kids into show business--the lengths some of these parents will go to (assuming the interviews are real and not staged) in order to get their kids in front of a camera is truly frightening.