While this film will probably never make any kind of Naturist film compilation list, it gave this Naturist a few hours of laughter sprinkled heavily with Nudity. This Nudity was pretty overtly sexualized and was used for comedic effect. But still.. how can you not like this movie?!! I can see how some people definitely would NOT like it... but at the same time.. what is not to like? The film attempts to shove all the things that people don't want to look at publicly right in their faces. Cheap immigrant labor, anal sex, blatant sexuality, swingers, religious fanatics, rednecks and anti-gay sentiment. I guess Bruno is just a way to sort of laugh at it all.. neither disregarding real efforts for positive change, nor encouraging movement in the negative "hate" direction.
This film surely relies heavily on juxtaposition.. For example, two guys handcuffed naked together running down the street just happening to run into an anti-gay march?? What an interesting use of that comedic kind of suspension of disbelief, squeezed into an otherwise "reality-tv" styled movie... This would be like having a group of World Naked Bike Riders just happening through some sort of Amish Sunday luncheon out in the farming country! THAT is a movie I would like to see!
There certainly were an endless number of comical moments in this movie.. One of my favorites has to be the Karate training session... I mean come on! This situation is so ridiculous! A homophobic Karate instructor teaches a supposedly straight guy to defend himself against the onslaught of dueling dildos?? The best quality of this movie is perhaps Sacha Baron Cohen' incredible ability not to burst out laughing. I think this is quite an incredible feat.. Really, could you keep a straight face saying "What if I came at you with two dildos?"? I certainly could not!
Then again, what would BRUNO be without the other actors in there keeping the sense of reality together? Like the Karate instructor dispatching the dildo attacker in a very straightforward no nonsense everyday sort of way. His face is so straight and his manner so calm, it's as if he is attacked everyday on the way to work by a dildo wielding gay man, who he simply kicks out of his way and steps over at the entrance to his office!! Overall, this movie should be given five stars (out of five), just for it's utter ridiculousness if nothing else!
If there is any kind of "victory" for Nudism at all out of this film, it is that there are no apologies of any kind for Nakedness. Nudity "just is". It is regarded as nothing out of the ordinary.. in this same way it is a victory for sex positive lifestyles as well.. GO BRUNO!!! On the other hand, it is just this kind of film that ends up being pure canon fodder. Nothing else. I'm sure the anit-gay and anti-nudity folks of the world out there are declaring this film a "victory" as well. It would be perfect to demonstrate the "utter tastelessness" of anything they don't like.. and use this to highlight the unprobed fears in the hearts of many I'm sure.. Sigh... oh well.. Back to the task of educating others!!
