Here’s guessing Eminem won’t be the only person who’s seen Brüno’s butt after this weekend.
That’s right, the wait is over, Brüno is finally in theaters. Sasha Baron Cohen’s character, who first appeared in sketches as early as ’98, makes his big screen debut today after several years in the making. Cohen made a huge splash with Borat, and after a bidding war between movie studios, Universal secured the rights to make Brüno back in ’06.
In other words, Cohen spent three years making Brüno, during which time three Harry Potter films were made. It’s scary to think of what the British actor-comedian came up with having that much time.
What’s really impressive, though, is Cohen’s continued use of viral Internet and guerilla marketing tactics to promote his works. The Brüno character famously fell onto Eminem’s face at the 2009 MTV Music Awards, and he used a fake ID last fall to enter the Ágatha Ruiz de la Prada fashion show in Milan where he bum rushed the runaway wearing a Velcro outfit. He even caused a stir at a charity bingo tournament where a bystander (who has since sued) freaked out when the “celebrity fashion reporter” started uttering profanities as he called the game. This type of publicity seems to do more to build hype for the movie than any multi-million dollar ad buy ever could.
Despite all his antics, Cohen — who actually did model for a time — does hope people see the serious messages and subtle commentaries that underlie his routines. For example, his anti-Semite character Borat makes outrageous comments that often reveal people’s subtle racism or their indifference to it. Cohen — the Jewish grandson of a Holocaust survivor — has strongly spoken out that the road to the Holocaust was actually paved with “indifference” and apathy as much as racism.
Assuming your church isn’t boycotting the film, try to watch Brüno with a few thoughts in mind. First, this film is going to dominate the box office thanks largely to (legal) guerilla marketing tactics that anyone can use to help promote their cause, whether it’s the environment or your unsigned band. Second, underneath all the laughs and cringes, don’t miss the subtle messages about racism, homosexuality and the other important issues of our generation.
