Bruno: Hazardous to Your (Mental) Health?

Joy Behar likes him. Barbara Walters, not so much. The Ukraine has banned him. And GLAAD thinks he’s downright mean.

I’m talking of course about Bruno (in all his glory below), the Austrian gay stereotype gone stark raving mad, concocted by the very talented Sacha Baron Cohen (of Borat fame). Bruno hit theaters with a splash on July 10, raking in $14 million Friday before business actually started dropping off over the weekend (some are blaming bad buzz on Twitter). Since then, the film has been dropping off fast, which is no surprise considering some of the reviews.

In a statement, GLAAD says parts of the film “reinforce some damaging, hurtful stereotypes” and  “decreases the public's comfort with gay people."

Newsweek called it “the most depressing movie of the year” before concluding, “A generation of straight teen guys will hit the summer multiplex to hoot at Brüno, and they'll probably think of the lecherous sexual predator the next time they meet a gay person.”

Walters said this on The View: “I think if you're not homophobic, it could make you. I don't need to know how you are doing anal intercourse."

Behar countered: "I was howling ... It's so audacious and so funny.”

Admittedly, I was hoping Bruno would successfully make homophobes look as foolish as Borat did his unwitting cast of racists, but after reading all this I opted for a more benign option, The Proposal, instead (embarrassing, I know). I WILL go see it soon, and will chime back in then.

In the meantime, what do you think? Is Bruno taking gay rights a giant giant step backwards, or should everyone lighten the hell up and just laugh? Click on the 'comments' tab below to chime in...

-- Mitch Rustad

Comments

[Tim]

Bruno was a disgrace, really, i hated the movie...

[mike]

It's just in REAL BAD TASTE.The public is being scamed again.

[Al DeVigny]

Of course it's in bad taste, just like Pulp Fiction, Waiting, Sin City, etc, etc. Not all gays are aggressive, lecherous, self-centered, sex-obsessed, vapid sissies. Neither are we all self-righteous, prim and proper, pretentious achievers, who want to live socially acceptable cookie-cutter lives. The rainbow is a family of many colors.

[Buy Viagra]

I read this post...

“A generation of straight teen guys will hit the summer multiplex to hoot at Brüno, and they'll probably think of the lecherous sexual predator the next time they meet a gay person.”...

And I think is very interesting, I totally agree with that!

[Jeff]

No I don't think straight people will hate gay people any more or any less because of the movie... I mean I am straight and no movie can make me hate anyone more be it gay people, black people or whoever...I mean if your sane you sure aren't going to let a movie effect your opinion..I mean I haven't watched the movie yet..but I feel that haters will always find a reason to hate and the people that embrace everyone no matter what will always do that..to me it's simple as that..just my opinion..but I'm only human so I might be wrong...

[Sanjna]

No. The scenario prsneeted in the question states if you have reason to believe that you are infected with HIV. The logical response is that yes, you get tested for HIV. There's no discussion about sexual activity, only suspected HIV status.It's a hypothetical situation. You're reading too much into it.

[Gianpaolo]

No, I really do not beelive any driver will ever measure up to Senna, he was the best, he is the BEST F1 driver ever to grace the track and to have lost him so young in his career is sad and a lost to us all!! Bruno is Bruno and he will make his own name and his own way. But no one can ever be another Ayrton Senna, just like there will never be another Dale Earnhardt, not even his son Dale Jr, (and hes the best to me) will measure up to his father, these type of people are set in time, they are only one. Let Bruno be great in his own right. He looks an awful lot like Ayrton did, but even so they are two very different human beings ..Heres to Ayrton Senna, the best of the best ..ever to be

[Joycinha]

I think he will be more like Nelsinho Piquet. He hasn't exactly set the world on fire.Having said that, the great Ayrton hilesmf once said If you think I can drive fast, you should see my nephew If Bruno is going to be great, he would be talked about more by now.

[Jho]

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