Friday, July 24, 2009

6957: Bruno = Borat = Bigot = Boring.


Don’t expect MultiCultClassics to catch the latest Sacha Baron Cohen movie, Bruno, anytime soon.

Nothing personal, really. The film will undoubtedly draw its fans, as well as many who will find it hilarious. Whatever.

MultiCultClassics opts to avoid the movie for a few reasons.

1. Wasn’t overly impressed by Borat. And Bruno appears to be the same premise in a different freak costume. Should the public look for the next Sacha Baron Cohen extravaganza to star a Special Olympian…?

2. Can’t believe anything in the flick will be as funny as the statements by Universal Pictures. The studio insists that Bruno is a satire that “uses provocative comedy to powerfully shed light on the absurdity of many kinds of intolerance and ignorance, including homophobia.”

“While any work that dares to address relevant cultural sensitivities might be misinterpreted by some or offend others, we believe the overwhelming majority of the audience will understand and appreciate the film’s inarguably positive intentions, which we’ve seen demonstrated whenever we have shown it.”

Right. Bruno is inspiring endless thought-provoking dialogues on intolerance among moviegoers. And the belief that “the audience will understand and appreciate the film’s inarguably positive intentions” was probably “demonstrated” by box office receipts. This Hollywood hype reads as if PR hacks lifted excerpts originally written for last year’s critically-acclaimed Milk. Somebody needs to shed light on the absurdity of ignorance at Universal Pictures.

3. Just ain’t buying the notion that Sacha Baron Cohen is a comic genius with keen cultural insights and sensitivity. The man’s career is not based on highlighting cultures, but rather, hijacking cultures.

4. Would prefer to waste $10 on G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.

1 comment:

RFB said...

I've been guilty of finding SBC's work funny - particularly Ali G - but this is a wise take on the new flick, which I will wait for (HBO, DVD).

Have you noticed how so much comedy is now of the cringe variety? Almost every joke on The Office is uncomfortable, but in an odd way, funny. It takes a lot to make us laugh anymore.