[Note: This review contains spoilers, not so much of plot points, as there aren’t many, but of specific jokes in the film.]

All of the Brüno reviews I’ve read — whether positive or negative — have focused on how the film works as satire. Some praise Sacha Baron Cohen and director Larry Charles for dissecting the American obsession with fame and exploring homophobia while others suggest the film’s targets are far too simple for its message to be complex.

What I haven’t seen is any reviewer tackle the central question I believe this film asks of its audience: Is this funny? While I appreciate that Brüno and Borat make some points about society, they are first and foremost comedies. And I hate to lose sight of that in the quest for some deeper message. Because while Brüno might fail to change the world, it definitely won’t fail to make you laugh.

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