Out in Austin, Texas, the 2009 South by Southwest Film Festival is underway, and so far the biggest highlight has been a 20-minute preview of footage from Sacha Baron Cohen’s Borat follow-up, Bruno (or Bruno: 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).
The three scenes screened were all introduced by Cohen via video, and the audience were said to be "lost in loud, helpless paroxysms of laughter," according to Eric D. Snider over at Cinematical. He adds, "What's most impressive about the footage is how far Baron Cohen is willing to go for the sake of a joke. Remember the naked hotel wrestling scene in Borat? (Of course you do. The images will haunt your sleep for years to come.) Well, that was a Jane Austen novel compared to what happens in Bruno."
Bruno, like Borat, is based on another popular character from Baron Cohen’s Da Ali G Show, and is probably best described as a gay Austrian fashion reporter who’s obnoxious and way over the top. But would you expect anything less from the risky comedian? Bruno is currently set to hit theaters on July 10, which means we should be treated to a trailer sometime soon.
Are you fan of Sacha Baron Cohen’s shtick, or do you think he takes things a little too far?
