Bruno

RATING: ***

In borat,he was a Kazakh journalist who set out to discover the “cultural leanings” of America and stopped dead at Pamela Anderson. In Bruno — which is the name of a character from the same British TV show as Borat,Da Ali G — Sacha Baron Cohen is a “19-year-old”,“gay” Austrian fashionista who sets out to be a celebrity in America. After trying his hand at everything from interviewing people sitting on people to adopting African babies,he discovers that all he needs to do to capture everyone’s imagination is kiss another man on the lips in a wrestling ring in front of adrenaline-pumped rednecks.

Thrown out of his TV show back home,Cohen flies to Los Angeles in a shiny,skintight pantsuit and scarf,declaring the fashion industry “vacuous”. His goal is to be famous,his first career move is to be an actor,and his first stop Pink Cheeks — an anal bleaching parlour. When that doesn’t work out,he decides to interview “celebs”.

Bruno then comes up with other ideas for a TV show — like getting C-list celebrities to watch other C-list celebs’ ultrasound,and judge the baby’s vital statistics. Next,he decides to try and solve the Middle East crisis (after a session with a pair of “PR Charity Consultant” twins) or to even get himself kidnapped there. His interview with Al Aqsa outfit’s head,in an attempt at the latter,is among the funniest portions of the film.

Bruno finally decides that what’s coming in his way is that he is a homosexual,and so goes to a pastor “gay converter”,who in all seriousness advises him to surround himself with overtly heterosexual activities and think of Jesus.

While Bruno uses both wit and slapstick well,where it fails is that nothing really seems new or tells us anything about the subjects he is poking fun at,including himself. The fact that most of them don’t know what’s coming their way also gives Cohen a bit of unfair advantage.

We know where the jokes are coming,where they will go,and except the celeb ultrasound sequence,Bruno really doesn’t have a punchline. That one scene though — where Bruno peers at the ultrasound,discusses the oversized head and tiny,curled hands of the foetus,looks at the celeb guest and asks “So,should she keep the baby?” — is priceless.

shalini.langer@expressindia.com