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So-so

Avg. Critic Score: 54 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore^® based on all critic reviews

Information for Parents:

not for kids

Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

91

Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman
The movie is a toxic dart aimed at the spangly new heart of American hypocrisy: our fake-tolerant, fake-charitable, fake-liberated-yet-still madly-closeted fame culture. Read full review
88

Rolling Stone | Peter Travers
You'll hoot and holler as it strips down its targets and sticks it to them, hardcore. Baron Cohen is the pure, untamed id of movie comedy. Read full review
88

Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert
A no-holds-barred comedy permitting several holds I had not dreamed of. The needle on my internal Laugh Meter went haywire, bouncing among hilarity, appreciation, shock, admiration, disgust, disbelief and appalled incredulity. Read full review
75

USA Today | Claudia Puig
Brno offers more shock value for your moviegoing dollar than any other movie this year. Read full review
70

Variety | Todd McCarthy
Undeniably funny, outrageous and boundary-pushing, this further documentation of Sacha Baron Cohen's sheer nerve will draw an abundant share of "Borat" fans. Read full review
70

Los Angeles Times |
Like a wayward love child of Lenny Bruce and the Three Stooges, Brno is an idiot savant of penetration -- breaking through borders, boundaries and anything that resembles good taste on his way to whipping up as much cultural anarchy as he can. I would guess Brno is holding on to an R rating for this sublimely spicy souffl by the skin of his, well, let's just not say. Read full review
40

The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt
Bruno is only intermittently funny and all too often the "ambushes" of celebrities and civilians look staged. The movie is even a tad -- dare we say it? -- tedious. Read full review
40

The New York Times | A.O. Scott
In spite of Mr. Baron Cohen and Mr. Charles's high-level skills and keen low-comic instincts, Brno is a lazy piece of work that panders more than it provokes. Read full review
30

Washington Post | Ann Hornaday
Seems fatally out of tune, with every staged encounter falling as flat as the protagonist's hot-ironed bob. Read full review
25

San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle
The bad outweighs the good and the cringes outnumber the laughs in Brno, a disappointment from Sacha Baron Cohen, whose "Borat" was one of the funniest movies of the decade. Read full review

Metacritic link View more reviews for Bruno on Metacritic

Information for Parents

Common Sense Media says not for kids Intentionally shocking comedy even edgier than Borat.

What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this mockumentary from comedian Sacha Baron Cohen is even edgier and more sexually explicit than his previous outing, Borat. It's full of intentionally shocking material, including a startling amount of nudity (both male and female full-frontal), as well as actual sex acts (black bars block out genital areas) and lots of discussion about both sex and sexuality. And then there's the strong language (from "f--k" to "p---y"), violence (including a bloody Ultimate Fighting event), drinking, and drug references. Bottom line? Cohen's point is to expose intolerance with his extreme antics, but he does it not by just pushing the envelope, but rather setting it on fire.

Families can talk about the heterosexual Cohen's portrayal of the flamboyantly homosexual Bruno -- is it a broad, silly character or an offensive stereotype? Does a character like Bruno -- created to confront -- encourage people to talk about controversial issues or confirm prejudices?
Families can also talk about whether filming interview subjects who don't know they're part of a comedy is funny or cruel. Does Bruno's mockery of ignorance help the people he targets understand his point, or are they clueless "victims" of his humor?
And families can talk about the film's satire of celebrity culture -- are there people who will do anything to be famous? If so, what do they get from that sacrifice?

The good stuff

Positive messages: For all of its hot-button content, the movie could theoretically be seen as conveying a message about tolerance, acceptance, and the triumph of love. But it's wrapped in so much controversy and shock-value comedy that it's hard to perceive the signal in the noise.
Positive role models: Bruno -- the character -- is a fairly self-absorbed fool, possessed of a minimal understanding of the world outside his head. He's also portrayed in a very broadly stereotypical style. Many of the people he interacts with are portrayed as clueless and intolerant -- with Bruno, of course, pushing all their buttons to make them appear even more so.

What to watch for

Violence: An Ultimate Fighting event staged for the film features bloody, brutal blows. There's also scuffling and scrapping, and a naked woman whips a man with her belt. Bruno often runs from angry mobs.
Sex: Constant explicit discussion and depiction of sexual acts. Nude buttocks and full-frontal nudity of both genders -- though the male scenes in particular are shown in close-up and at great length. On-screen sexual acts, including depictions of penetrative sexual activity blacked out by on-screen black boxes. Discussions of homosexuality and heterosexuality. One sequence depicts a "swingers' party," including on-screen sex acts with multiple partners. Discussions of venereal diseases.
Language: Constant, strong, and inventive crude language, including "f--k," "balls," "s--t," "dick," "vagina," "p---y," "c--k," "ass," "anus," "a--hole," "anal," "piss," "goddamn," "oh my God," and much much more. Also frequent use of epithets including "white trash," "retarded," "faggot," queer," "homo," and more.
Consumerism: Apple Computer products are mentioned. Celebrities are frequently named and featured on screen.
Drinking, drugs and smoking: Depictions of drinking, sometimes to excess. Smoking. Discussion of drug use, primarily Ecstasy.

Common Sense Media An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.