--- title: "Brüno: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/bruno/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/bruno" critics_score: 63 critics_reviews: 17 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): what the critics said Critics' score 63 from 17 reviews: 8 positive, 6 mixed, 3 negative. 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. ## Evening Standard Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. 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 the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/first-review-bruno-is-gay-offensive-and-very-funny-7414984.html) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 10 July 2009. 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 the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/jul/10/film-review-bruno) ## Slant Magazine — Simon Abrams Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 11 July 2009. 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 the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/bruno-sacha-baron-cohen/) ## Los Angeles Times — Betsy Sharkey Fi1m's normalised score 68/100 (inferred from the text). 9 July 2009. 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 the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jul-09-et-bruno9-story.html) ## Screen Daily — John Hazelton Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 27 June 2009. 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 the review](https://www.screendaily.com/bruno/5002782.article) ## Time Out — Dave Calhoun Rating 3/5. 21 July 2009. 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 the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/bruno-snipped-1) ## Total Film — Andy Lowe Rating 3/5. 6 July 2009. 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 the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/bruno-review/) ## Variety — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 26 June 2009. 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 the review](https://variety.com/2009/film/markets-festivals/bruno-2-1200474940/) ## Empire — Damon Wise Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 29 October 2008. 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 the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/bruno-review/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Kirk Honeycutt Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 26 June 2009. 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 the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/bruno-film-review-93308/) ## /Film — Brendon Connelly Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 6 July 2009. 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 the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/504405/bruno-movie-review/) ## Digital Spy — Ben Rawson-Jones Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 5 July 2009. 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 the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a163214/brno/) ## Paste — Robert Davis Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 10 July 2009. 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 the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/sacha-baron-cohen/bruno) ## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 10 July 2009. 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 the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/bruno-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) ## HeyUGuys — David Sztypuljak Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 16 November 2009. 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 the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/itunes-review-bruno/) ## Den of Geek — Anthony Enticknap Rating 3 out of 5. 29 November 2009. 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 the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/bruno-ipod-download-review/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 10 July 2009. 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 the review](https://www.thewrap.com/bruno-puppetmaster-has-lost-his-innocence-4237/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/bruno.md