Bruno: Prepare to Cringe, Laugh

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 10, 2009 8:24 AM CDT

Critics generally give solid marks to Sasha Baron Cohen's cringe-inducing Bruno. It may not outrank Borat, but Cohen remains the master of crude, cruel laughs and uncomfortable insights.

  • Nathan Rabin, Onion AV Club: "Cohen no longer has freshness and novelty on his side, but he’s retained the power to shock, offend, provoke, unsettle, and most importantly, entertain a jaded, desensitized public."

  • Natasha Vargas-Cooper, E! Online: Cohen "uses his guerrilla tactics to 'expose' the vanity and vacuity of Hollywood and the American South. His high-wire humor can be very funny, but here the groans often drown out the giggles."
  • Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: The "provoc-umentary" is "a crude, cringe-worthy, and intermittently funny affair that triggers the gag reflex. I sincerely can't tell you whether I was choking with laughter or keeping from choking."

(More Bruno stories.)

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