GOOD IDEA/BAD IDEA - Sacha Baron Cohen is Black Jesus
Regarding Sacha Baron Cohen's next film, titled, 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... according to the UK Sun and SlashFilm:
Universal Pictures has begun to hold test screenings for Bruno, Sacha Baron Cohen’s follow-up to Borat. Early audiences say that Cohen’s new movie will shock and “wind certain sections of society up”.
One of Cohen’s key characters in the film is a black model called Jesus, complete with a loincloth and a crown of thorns. That’s sure to upset religious groups.
And apparently one of the film’s major story points takes aim at Madonna. Bruno and his boyfriend “Diesel” adopt an African orphan named David, and proceed to parade the child around “the chic fashion capitals of the world.“
Apparently, if you thought Borat was risque, Bruno will likely give you a heart-attack!
I'm still not so sure what I think of Sacha Baron Cohen and his antics. I saw Borat, and left the theatre feeling more annoyed than shocked. I'll admit there was some humor in it, but I found much of it juvenile and silly.
I do love jarring people out of their complacency, and making them feel uncomfortable, as long as the motivation for doing so is genuine and meant to challenge, especially ignorant, long-held beliefs. I'm not so sure if that's his intent, or if he's simply a shock-jock, padding his wallets at the expense of others.
The film is scheduled for a May 15th, 2009 release, and will likely make a shitload of money, just like Borat did.
Sacha Baron Cohen's ideas make for good TV. His 'Da Ali G Show' was hilarious. The titular host, Ali G, was SBC as a gormlesss, blinged-up, black yoof (youth). Not sure if it aired in the US but I'm sure you could find clips on youtube.
However, I haven't seen Borat as I'm not sure I want to watch 90 minutes of his antics in one sitting, entertaining and humorous as they might be. TV, good. Film...? I think he may have played out that trick. Now that people know who he is, will this one do as well?
But hey, I'm ready to be proved wrong.
I think Cohen is a bit of a genius. Incidentally, his thesis at Cambridge was on Jewish involvement in the American Civil Rights with a focus on the slaying of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner in Mississippi.
He's a smart guy, and his comedy has yielded some amazing moments of people revealing the ugly truth about themselves, willingly and without shame (until the movie gets released). One of my favorite Moliere quotes is about comedy's purpose being to reveal the vice's of men, and he does that to a stunning degree with his three characters.
Sacha Baron Cohen is very subversive and I think very political. He uses slaptstick to get in big audiences. But his message is always consistent - prejudice and ignorance is wrong! Also he deals with racism, antisemitism and homophobia very well.
He's obviously a smart guy, and, yes, even subversive, we could say... I just don't know how well his messages are getting across (if at all), given how he chooses to package them. I'll have to watch Borat again to reconsider my initial reaction... but I do recall scenes that felt more like "shock & awe" moments than anything meant to expose truths or inspire change. And, as a viewer, those moments negate whatever subversive credibility he may have earned prior.
He seems maybe more like Howard Stern, than Charlie Chaplin, for example.
I probably won't rush out to go see "Bruno" when it's released; but, I might see it eventually.