Are you Bruno'd out yet? Me too, and I haven't seen the movie. But reading our review yesterday reminded me of this excellent George Saunders piece from 2006; it captures everything that I find uncomfortable and distasteful about Baron Cohen's unscripted comedy so well that I recall the feeling of jealousy I had when I read it the first time. It's really good.
Friday, July 10, 2009
7
It's a joy buzzer without much joy or buzz; a whoopee cushion without any cushion or whoo. It's imitation vomit without imitation.
Leaving aside the issue of whether or not Baron Cohen's "Big Gay Al" schtick is offensive or detrimental to the gay community or whatever, I just don't find the whole Tom Green-style 'making punchlines out of bystanders' thing funny.
Anthony Lane's review of Bruno (http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/cinema/2009/07/20/090720crci_cinema_lane) is dead on. I would love for Sasha Baron Cohen to take up Lane's suggestion (which echoes one of Sanders's) to focus on celebrities like Sting instead of dumb schmoes.
Which is basically what Chris Morris (who SBC owes a lot to) used to do. Of course, Chris Morris is not currently a big hollywood star, so...
Exactly.
I can hardly believe I'm saying this, but: in its intent and execution, "Punk'd" is more subversive than most of what SBC has been up to lately.
Watching someone aim his spitballs down instead of up always makes me queasy.
Well I guess my brilliant comment yesterday wasn't an original idea. Damnit!