---
title: "Brüno"
year: 2009
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/bruno"
fi1m_id: "bruno"
imdb_id: "tt0889583"
tmdb_id: 18480
wikidata_id: "Q926309"
fi1m_score: 58
critics_score: 63
critics_reviews: 17
published: "2026-10-05T01:10:22.628401+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-05T01:10:23.109826+00:00"
region: "IL"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Brüno (2009)

Directed by Larry Charles · 1h 23m · Comedy

## Identity

Brüno

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/bruno
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** bruno
- **IMDb ID:** tt0889583
- **TMDB ID:** 18480
- **Wikidata ID:** Q926309
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0889583/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/18480, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q926309

**Fi1m score: 58** · Critics 63 from 17 reviews

*In a sentence:* Brüno asks America to look at him, and the people who do are the funniest thing in the film

> Sacha Baron Cohen’s second ambush comedy is louder, filthier and shorter than *Borat*, and roughly half as funny. The real people are still worth watching; the invented ones, Brüno included, wear thin well before the hour is out.

## Synopsis

Brüno (Sacha Baron Cohen) is an Austrian fashion presenter with his own television slot, a boyfriend called Diesel (Clifford Bañagale), and no doubt about his own importance. At a Milan runway show he arrives in a suit made entirely of velcro, collides with the scenery, and is sacked on the spot. Diesel leaves. Determined to become, in his own words, the biggest Austrian superstar since Hitler, Brüno moves to Los Angeles with Lutz (Gustaf Hammarsten), his assistant’s assistant. He wants fame and does not much mind what kind. The first act follows him through a celebrity interview conducted from furniture made of Mexican gardeners, a pilot for his own chat show, and an attempt to pass himself off as a serious actor.

## Review

Three years after *Borat*, Sacha Baron Cohen and the director Larry Charles take the same method, a fictional fool let loose among real Americans, and swap the Kazakh reporter for Brüno: a gay Austrian fashion presenter with a wardrobe of lederhosen and a need to be famous for anything at all. The tagline reads “Borat was so 2006”, which is a bold thing to print when the follow-up is this close a copy. *Brüno* has perhaps six good scenes in 83 minutes. That is not nothing. It is not enough either.

The method still works when the people across the table do not know what is happening to them. The best run in the film has Brüno, casting a photo shoot, asking parents what their toddlers will put up with. One mother agrees to liposuction. Another is asked about lit phosphorus and says yes after a pause. We were horrified, and we laughed, and we could not pull the two feelings apart; nobody scripted those answers, and the parents give them to a man dressed like a Tyrolean waiter without a flicker of doubt. The same goes for the Ron Paul interview, in which a congressman is lured into a hotel room and bolts when he realises why he is there.

Two cinematographers are credited, Wolfgang Held and Anthony Hardwick, and the film has two looks that never agree. The ambushes are shot the way a hidden camera shoots, from a distance, loosely framed, grey under hotel lighting. The story scenes, the Austrian television studio and the Los Angeles flat Brüno shares with Lutz, are lit and blocked like a studio comedy. Every time the film cuts between them you can see which parts were planned, and the suspicion that some of the ambushes were planned too never leaves. The charity single, for which Bono, Chris Martin and Elton John turn up as themselves, is funny and plainly arranged, and it arrives at about the halfway point.

Four editors are credited, Scott M. Davids, Eric Kissack, James Thomas and Jonathan Corn, and between them they have cut the film to 83 minutes. It still feels long, because the joins are so quick that nothing is allowed to build. *Borat*’s set pieces had slow fuses. Here the film is already running for the next one before the last has finished. Erran Baron Cohen’s score is Europop laid flat over everything, the right joke once and the same joke the fifteenth time. Jason Alper’s costumes do more work than anyone but the star. The velcro suit that gets Brüno thrown off a Milan runway in the opening minutes is the best visual gag in the film, and nothing later beats it.

The character is the trouble. Borat was an idiot you could pity; he was ignorant and eager, and the joke was on the people who agreed with him. Brüno is vain, cruel and bored by everyone, and when a stranger’s bigotry arrives it plays less as a discovery than as a reply to provocation. More than once we found ourselves on the wrong side, embarrassed for the hunters, the swingers and the pastor who had been handed a scene and were being punished for taking part. Gustaf Hammarsten’s Lutz, who adores Brüno and is treated like luggage, is the one person on screen with any warmth, and the film mislays him for whole stretches.

There is a late set piece in a cage in front of several thousand people that we will not describe. We can say that the crowd’s reaction is the one piece of evidence in the film nobody could have staged, and that for about a minute we stopped laughing and sat still. It is also the point where the film is most obviously in charge of what happens, which is a strange place for a hidden-camera comedy to be at its climax.

See it with company, a drink and low expectations, and treat the 18 certificate as a warning rather than a selling point: the sex gags are relentless and several of them would end a first date. If *Borat* made you laugh you will laugh here perhaps a dozen times. If it did not, nothing in this will change your mind, and Brüno would not notice either way.

*Fi1m score 58, published 5 October 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics agree that Brüno is funny, frequently very much so, and that Sacha Baron Cohen’s total commitment to the character is the main reason to watch. The praise clusters around the ambush encounters with real people: the Ron Paul interview, the Paula Abdul sequence and the cage fight, which several reviewers single out for exposing how readily an audience will cheer violence while recoiling from two men kissing. A smaller group goes further and reads the film as a sharp attack on celebrity culture and homophobia.

The reservations cluster around Borat. Most critics find this a lesser film: patchier, more staged, longer than its material supports, and less sure of what its satire is for. Variety finds the misanthropy sours the laughs, and The Wrap calls the character forced and the cruelty unearned. The spread is wide, from strong recommendations to outright dismissals, and Paste dissents in the other direction, finding Brüno sharper and more focused than its predecessor.

## Straight answers

**Is Brüno worth watching?**

*Brüno* is worth watching only for those who laughed at *Borat* and will settle for about half as many laughs, and we scored it 58. The real people caught on camera, parents, a congressman, a stadium crowd, are still worth the 83 minutes; the invented character is vain, cruel and tiring before the hour is out.

**How long is Brüno, and what is it rated?**

*Brüno* runs 1h 23m. It is a comedy film.

**Where can I watch Brüno in Israel?**

*Brüno* is not on any streaming or rental service in Israel at the moment. It is available in 23 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How violent or frightening is Brüno, and is it suitable for children?**

*Brüno* carries an 18 certificate in the UK and is not suitable for children or younger teenagers. There is little violence or fear in it; the certificate is earned by relentless, explicit sex gags and a steady stream of crude material, which the squeamish and anyone watching with relatives should take as a warning rather than a selling point.

**How does Brüno compare to Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan?**

*Brüno* is a close copy of *Borat* that is louder, filthier, shorter and roughly half as funny, and *Borat* is the better film by some distance. Borat was an ignorant fool you could pity, so the joke landed on the people who agreed with him; Brüno provokes his targets and then punishes them for taking part, and the set pieces are cut too quickly to build.

**What should I watch after Brüno?**

After *Brüno*, try [*Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan*](https://film.one/film/borat-cultural-learnings-of-america-for-make-benefit-glorious-nation-of-kazakhstan) (2006, Fi1m 81): The same trick with a kinder fool, and the targets hang themselves more slowly. Then [*Man Bites Dog*](https://film.one/film/man-bites-dog) (1992, Fi1m 78): Belgian mockumentary where the film crew becomes complicit; the discomfort is the point; and [*Zoolander*](https://film.one/film/zoolander) (2001, Fi1m 74): Fashion-world vanity played as pure farce, with no strangers harmed in the making.

### Reviews we read (17)

- **Evening Standard** (85/100, inferred): The critic finds Brüno hilariously bold and transgressive, though its satire is not especially sophisticated. They single out Sacha Baron Cohen’s fully committed performance and the film’s abundance of taboo-breaking jokes. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/first-review-bruno-is-gay-offensive-and-very-funny-7414984.html)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (85/100, inferred): Bradshaw finds the film howlingly funny and brilliantly confrontational, despite worries about fakery and a disappointing ending. He singles out the real Ron Paul interview as a sublime display of Baron Cohen’s nerve. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/jul/10/film-review-bruno)
- **Slant Magazine**, Simon Abrams (70/100, inferred): Abrams finds the film’s provocative, confrontational comedy effective and more accomplished than Cohen’s earlier stunt work. He especially praises how the threat of violence makes viewers complicit in laughing at Brüno’s targets. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/bruno-sacha-baron-cohen/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Betsy Sharkey (68/100, inferred): Sharkey finds the film often less insightful than its predecessor, but ultimately praises its knack for provoking audiences. She singles out Baron Cohen’s fearless boundary-pushing, while questioning whether some stunts reveal more about the film crew than their targets. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jul-09-et-bruno9-story.html)
- **Screen Daily**, John Hazelton (64/100, inferred): The page identifies this as a review, but the text is hidden behind a registration prompt. The available material gives no critical verdict or specific praise or complaint. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/bruno/5002782.article)
- **Time Out**, Dave Calhoun (3/5): The 3/5 rating suggests a mixed verdict. The available description singles out the studio’s apparent commitment to civil rights, but is cut off. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/bruno-snipped-1)
- **Total Film**, Andy Lowe (3/5): Lowe finds the film funny and capable of sharp satire, but says it feels overexposed and overstays its welcome. He praises Baron Cohen’s audacious commitment while criticizing the clunky pranks and filler subplot. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/bruno-review/)
- **Variety**, Todd McCarthy (45/100, inferred): McCarthy finds the film undeniably funny and boundary-pushing, but says its nastiness and misanthropy sour the laughs. He praises its jaw-dropping provocations while faulting the staged-feeling, scripted approach and Bruno’s self-absorbed character. [Read](https://variety.com/2009/film/markets-festivals/bruno-2-1200474940/)
- **Empire**, Damon Wise (35/100, inferred): Wise finds the comedy patchy and less effective than Borat, with its satire lacking a clear purpose. He praises several outrageous set pieces and singles out Lutz for bringing welcome innocence. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/bruno-review/)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Kirk Honeycutt (30/100, inferred): The critic finds the film only intermittently funny and often tedious, especially compared with Borat. He praises the Middle East sequences for producing some genuinely funny moments. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/bruno-film-review-93308/)
- **/Film**, Brendon Connelly (90/100, inferred): Connelly strongly recommends the film as both a comedy and a revealing portrait of society. He praises how its fictional character provokes real people to expose hypocrisy, stupidity and bigotry. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/504405/bruno-movie-review/)
- **Digital Spy**, Ben Rawson-Jones (85/100, inferred): The critic finds Brüno crude but frequently hilarious, with Sacha Baron Cohen in inspired form. Cohen’s immersive performance and the film’s shocking encounters are singled out for praise, though the opening is patchy and the finale slightly contrived. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a163214/brno/)
- **Paste**, Robert Davis (80/100, inferred): Davis finds Brüno sharper, funnier, and more focused than Borat, though some stunts feel pointless or uncomfortable. He particularly praises Baron Cohen’s varied wordplay and the film’s biting satire of celebrity image-making. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/sacha-baron-cohen/bruno)
- **Eye for Film**, Jennie Kermode (75/100, inferred): Kermode finds the film a strong, funny critique of celebrity culture and homophobia, though some queer-subculture jokes may be obscure to straight viewers. She particularly praises the cage-fight sequence for exposing the contrast between audiences’ tolerance of violence and discomfort with two men kissing. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/bruno-film-review-by-jennie-kermode)
- **HeyUGuys**, David Sztypuljak (70/100, inferred): The critic recommends the film to fans of Sacha Baron Cohen, though its humor does not stay consistently engaging. He singles out the Paula Abdul interview and the talk-show audience’s reactions as especially funny. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/itunes-review-bruno/)
- **Den of Geek**, Anthony Enticknap (3 out of 5): The critic finds Brüno funny at times but concludes it fails to recapture Borat’s success and feels like an overlong TV program. They praise Cohen’s commitment and comic ability, while criticizing some provocations as disrespectful. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/bruno-ipod-download-review/)
- **The Wrap** (25/100, inferred): The critic argues that Brüno is a disappointing, crueler follow-up to Borat. They fault Cohen’s character as forced and counterfeit, and say the film loses the innocence that made its predecessor’s gross-out comedy work. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/bruno-puppetmaster-has-lost-his-innocence-4237/)

## Details

- **Director:** Larry Charles
- **Director:** Larry Charles
- **Screenplay:** Dan Mazer, Anthony Hines, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jeff Schaffer
- **Story:** Dan Mazer, Sacha Baron Cohen, Peter Baynham, Anthony Hines
- **Cinematography:** Wolfgang Held, Anthony Hardwick
- **Editor:** Eric Kissack, James Thomas, Scott M. Davids, Jonathan Corn
- **Music:** Erran Baron Cohen
- **Production design:** David Maturana, Denise Hudson, Dan Butts
- **Costume design:** Jason Alper
- **Producer:** Monica Levinson, Jay Roach, Dan Mazer
- **Cast:** Sacha Baron Cohen as Brüno; Gustaf Hammarsten as Lutz; Clifford Bañagale as Diesel; Josh Meyers as Kookus; Toby Holguin as Mexican Gardener #1; Robert Huerta as Mexican Gardener #2; Gilbert Rosales as Mexican Gardener #3; Thomas Rosales Jr. as Mexican Gardener #4
- **Runtime:** 1h 23m
- **First release (Australia):** 8 July 2009
- **Genres:** Comedy
- **Budget:** $42 million
- **Box office:** $139 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxyJ_ZQVhTI

## Where to watch in Israel

Not streaming, renting or buying in Israel at the last check.

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, DE, ES, FR, GB, GR, IE, IT, MX, NL, NZ, PA, PT, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan* (2006), Fi1m 81: The same trick with a kinder fool, and the targets hang themselves more slowly — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/borat-cultural-learnings-of-america-for-make-benefit-glorious-nation-of-kazakhstan.md)
- *Man Bites Dog* (1992), Fi1m 78: Belgian mockumentary where the film crew becomes complicit; the discomfort is the point — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/man-bites-dog.md)
- *Zoolander* (2001), Fi1m 74: Fashion-world vanity played as pure farce, with no strangers harmed in the making — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/zoolander.md)
- *The King of Comedy* (1982), Fi1m 88: A nobody who wants fame at any price, played without a single wink — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-king-of-comedy.md)
- *Nathan for You* (2013), Fi1m 87: Ambush comedy with real people that keeps its curiosity and mostly its decency — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/nathan-for-you.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/bruno