Brüno is a 2009 mockumentary comedy film directed by Larry Charles and written by Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Dan Mazer, and Jeff Schaffer, the former three of whom co-wrote the story with Peter Baynham. Baron Cohen stars as the Austrian fashion journalist Brüno Gehard, who travels to Los Angeles in the hopes of launching a celebrity interview show, pushing the boundaries of decorum to its limit in the process. Gustaf Hammarsten also stars. It is the third film based on one of Baron Cohen's characters from Da Ali G Show (2000–04), following Ali G Indahouse (2002) and Borat! Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006).
Brüno was released on July 10, 2009, in the United States and United Kingdom by Universal Pictures. It received mixed reviews from critics and was a commercial success, grossing $139 million worldwide on a $42 million budget.
Title An alternative title for the film is Brüno: 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. It was initially a mock title proposed by Hollywood news and gossip blog Defamer and mistakenly reported as genuine by a number of sources of film information, including MovieTome, where it was still being used in the search results as late as 2011, The Irish Times, The Boston Globe, and the IMDb.
Plot
Gay Austrian fashion reporter Brüno Gehard is fired from his own television show, Funkyzeit mit Brüno, after disrupting a Milan Fashion Week catwalk, and his lover Diesel leaves him for another man. Accompanied by his assistant's assistant, Lutz Schulz, he travels to the United States to become a famous Hollywood celebrity.
Brüno unsuccessfully attempts an acting career as an extra on Medium. He then interviews Paula Abdul, until he scares her off when he serves her sushi on the body of a totally naked Mexican man, even though she had no problem sitting on a fully clothed Mexican man beforehand. He then produces a celebrity interview pilot, showing him dancing erotically, criticizing Jamie Lynn Spears' fetus with reality TV star Brittny Gastineau, unsuccessfully attempting to interview actor Harrison Ford, (who angrily tells Brüno to “Fuck Off” while walking from a parallel-parked car into a building) and closing with a close-up of his penis being swung around by pelvic gyrations followed by the urethera closing and opening appearing to say Brüno. A focus group reviewing the pilot hated it. Brüno then attempts and fails to make a sex tape by seducing politician Ron Paul, claiming to have mistaken him for drag queen RuPaul. Paul angrily storms from the hotel room, muttering about Brüno's homosexuality, after Brüno had dropped his pants and danced around the room.
Brüno consults a spiritualist to contact the deceased Rob Pilatus of Milli Vanilli (a former lover) for advice, miming various sex acts on the "invisible" Pilatus. He consults charity consultants to select a world problem to maximize his fame, choosing the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. He flies to Jerusalem to interview former Mossad agent Yossi Alpher and Palestinian politician Ghassan Khatib and confuses hummus and Hamas. He sings his own song, "Dove of Peace", while cajoling the two to caress each other's hands. He also meets with Ayman Abu Aita, a Christian Palestinian aid worker misrepresented as a militant group leader of al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, where he hopes to be kidnapped. Brüno insults him and he is ordered to leave.
Brüno interviews parents of child models, asking if their toddlers would undergo liposuction and perform dangerous stunts. On a talk show hosted by Richard Bey, he initially draws sympathy from the African American audience by describing his "difficulties" in raising a child as a single parent, but then disapproval when he reveals he's looking for "Mr. Right". Brüno shows off the baby he named O.J., whom he acquired in Africa by trading him for a U2 Product Red iPod. He shows photographs of the boy in dangerous and provocative situations, and the audience is appalled. Social services take O.J. from Brüno, driving him to depression. He goes to a diner to gorge on high-carb junk food. Lutz carries him back to a hotel room. After a night of sex, they awake to find themselves trapped in a bondage mechanism, unable to find the key. They call a hotel engineer for help and are asked to leave. After accosting a group of anti-gay protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church while still in bondage gear and boarding a bus, Brüno and Lutz remove their equipment in Huntsville, Alabama. After being arrested, Lutz says he loves Brüno, but Brüno does not reciprocate, stating he was influenced by "carb goggles". Lutz leaves Brüno.
After realizing the biggest names in Hollywood are heterosexual, Brüno consults two gay converters to help him become heterosexual. He attempts other "masculine" activities, such as learning karate, joining the National Guard, going hunting, and attending a swingers' party (during which he is whipped by a dominatrix).
Eight months later, Brüno, under the alias "Straight Dave", hosts a cage fight in Arkansas, "Straight Dave's Man Slammin' Maxout". Lutz appears at the event and insults Brüno, prompting them to fight in the cage. During the confrontation, they begin to kiss and strip in front of shocked spectators who throw objects into the cage. The moment gets international press, and the now-famous Brüno attempts to marry Lutz, getting O.J. back in exchange for a MacBook Pro. At Abbey Road Studios, Brüno records "Dove of Peace" alongside Bono, Elton John, Chris Martin, Snoop Dogg, Sting, and Slash.
Cast
Sacha Baron Cohen as Brüno Gehard Gustaf Hammarsten as Lutz "Garry" Schulz Clifford Bañagale as Diesel Ramirez Chibundu & Chigozie Orukwowu as O.J. Gehard Josh Meyers as Kookus Mansfield Gary Williams as the spiritualist Michelle McLaren as the dominatrix Vic Henley as the ring announcer Cameos as themselves
Paula Abdul Ayman Abu Aita Yossi Alpher Richard Bey Bono Harrison Ford Brittny Gastineau Elton John Ghassan Khatib Chris Martin Paul McCartney Ron Paul Miguel Sandoval Avraham Sela Slash Snoop Dogg Sting
Production Baron Cohen was cognizant of his increased fame following the success of Borat, which led him to retire the character for a number of years, and realized it would be much harder to conduct his interviews as Brüno without being recognized. As a solution, Baron Cohen wore a wig that made his forehead appear smaller (easily recognizable in the Borat character), which, to his amazement, succeeded in hiding his identity for most of his interviews. Nevertheless, the flimsy nature of the disguise made Baron Cohen fear he would be recognized to the point that he chose to live in his trailer for almost the entire six-month shoot.
During Baron Cohen's Middle East interview of Alpher and Khatib, he repeatedly conflated Hamas and hummus and feigned belief that the conflict was between Jews and Hindus. The two interviewees (who had received a fee to appear on camera), convinced by the elaborate production, were confused by the questions but generally went along, even when Baron Cohen asked them to hold hands.Alpher, Yossi (11 July 2008), What Kind of Interviewer Confuses Hamas and Hummus? , The Forward
On June 6, 2008, a riot ensued during a stunt orchestrated by Baron Cohen and the film's producers, who staged a "Blue Collar Brawlin'" in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Patrons were lured to an event billed as cage fighting, held at a convention center, by print and Craigslist advertisements that promoted "hot girls", $1 beer, and $5 admission. Approximately 1,500 people attended the event and were greeted by signs informing them they were being filmed. No mobile phones, video, or cameras were allowed inside. The acts taking place became homosexual in nature, with Brüno inviting a man up to fight him, who turned out to be Lutz. Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" started to play as both men began kissing and stripping. The audience reacted violently, throwing chairs and beer at the performers. The performers were Brüno (Baron Cohen) under the ironic gimmick, "Straight Dave", and Gustaf Hammarsten portraying his opponent, Lutz.
In July 2008, Tyler, Texas television station KETK-TV was approached by a "documentary filmmaker" who was allowed to bring a crew to interview a few staff members, including news director Neal Barton and sports director Danny Elzner. They signed releases and expected to be talking about small-town news in the United States. Instead, the interviews conducted by the flamboyant Brüno character drifted towards the topic of homosexuality.(11 July 2008), NewsBluesBrüno Dupes KETK (Subscription Required)
In September 2008, video and photographs were released showing Baron Cohen (as Brüno) storming the catwalk with objects on his velcro outfit during an Ágatha Ruiz de la Prada fashion show in Milan (at which Paul McCartney also was present). Baron Cohen managed to walk down the runway for a few moments before the lights were dimmed and security guards escorted him away. This occurred after Baron Cohen and his crew were allegedly stopped by security while attempting to enter backstage at two other shows during Milan's fashion week.
On November 2, 2008, Baron Cohen, dressed as Brüno, and his film crew were spotted at a Los Angeles rally that was in support of California's Proposition 8.
On November 7, 2008, while appearing as an extra in a scene for the NBC TV series Medium, Baron Cohen interrupted a scene in character and was removed from the set. Production on the episode was temporarily shut down,Ausiello, Michael (November 7, 2008). "Exclusive: Bruno (a.k.a.) Sacha Baron Cohen Disrupts 'Medium' ", Entertainment Weekly, Retrieved on November 19, 2008. though actor Miguel Sandoval, who was told that a cousin of NBC executive Ben Silverman would appear as an extra in the jury, has stated that he recognized Baron Cohen and played along, commenting, "It's one thing for Borat to go into an antique store in Georgia or Alabama. For Brüno to go on a TV show, he's among insiders. Most people knew who he was."
The production team also deceived presidential candidate Ron Paul into being interviewed by Brüno, posing as an Austrian television reporter seeking to question the congressman about economic issues. As soon as Brüno drops his trousers, the congressman storms out of the room. A spokeswoman for Paul commented on the incident. She said Baron Cohen's people were very deceptive in their tactics. At the time, he thought they were "legitimate", but later confessed to some concern. "I'm familiar with his work, so you can imagine how I feel about it," he said. Jesse Benton, senior vice-president of Ron Paul's Campaign for Liberty organization and former campaign spokesman for Paul, said Paul was not familiar with Baron Cohen's programme, Da Ali G Show. "If it's not on hard-core financial news, he doesn't follow it," Benton said. But, he added, "It sounds like it's going to be pretty funny."
The scene filmed during a taping of The Richard Bey Show, however, was staged, and Bey was in on the joke, as his daytime show went off the air in 1996. The audience, however, was not made aware of the true nature of the production. Paula Abdul was similarly unaware when, during her interview scene in the film, she sat atop a Mexican landscaper and was presented with food adorned upon a man lying down on a cart wearing nothing but a "sock" over his penis. Abdul told a radio interviewer that she was "scarred" by the incident.