Bruno is raunchy, shocking, non-pc, and incredibly dirty. But is it funny? Well, I suppose that depends on your definition of funny. One of the biggest arguments amongst film goers is whether or not Bruno is exploiting his subjects. For the record, I think he's exposing them. True, Bruno's constant badgering of his unsuspecting victims evoke the same sort of blatant, negative responses that any one of us would probably utter under the same set of circumstances, but then I suppose that's the point.

In Bruno, committed funny man Sacha Baron Cohen plays the title character, a flamboyantly gay fashion guru whom, after losing popularity in his homeland, decides to take his show to America. After arriving in the U.S., Bruno is disheartened when he discovers that achieving celebrity status doesn't come as easy as he thought it would. Ultimately, the bigger than life Austrian goes to extreme and often outrageous lengths to achieve the notoriety he so desperately craves.

Directed by Borat helmer, Larry Charles, Bruno is a less successful carbon copy of the afformentioned Khasakstani embassador. Suffice it to say, lightening doesn't necessarily strike twice. The set up structure is virtually the same here; Bruno antagonizes Americans – whom ostensibly, are not in on the joke – into revealing their true colors.

There's been much discussion about this movie. Not just in terms of its controversial nature, but in regard to the numerous stunts Bruno pulls in this picture. Just how many of these stunts are real and how many were staged? I suppose the answer is irrelevant provided Bruno is delivering the laughs, and while this picture isn't nearly as funny as Borat, I'd be lying if I said I didn't laugh on several occasions.

Of Bruno's crazy antics, some are incredibly funny, if a tad uncomfortable. Watch as Bruno flirts with three red necks while on an overnight camping trip. Chuckle as Bruno asks a martial arts instructor to teach him how to defend himself against homosexuals. Marvel at Bruno's actions toward the end of an anti-gay inspired cage fighting match. Witness Bruno plucking an African American infant from a box atop an airport terminal baggage claim belt. As uncomfortable as this movie tends to make you feel, perhaps the most uneasy sequence in the picture revolves around an intimate hotel meeting between Bruno and former Presidential candidate Ron Paul. Some of this stuff is awkward, but I'll be damned if it wasn't funny.

Not all the stunts work however. There's an uninspired talk show sequence in which Bruno verbally dukes it out with a predominantly African American audience. I'm pretty sure I've seen similar activity on the Jerry Springer Show and it isn't funny there either. Also unfunny? A scene in which Paula Abdul uses a live Mexican as a chair while doing an interview with Bruno. Can you say, set up? I mean come on. No one is this stupid. Not even Paula Abdul.

Not surprisingly, Bruno is incredibly filthy. There are several moments in the picture when the film makers figure if they can't get laughs by being funny they'll get them by being audacious and shocking. Be it through Bruno's slapstick inspired sexscapades with his tiny Asian lover, or a shocking bit of seemingly out of place full frontal male nudity, or a downright pornographic sequence in which Bruno invades a Swinger's Ranch. Absolutely nothing is off limits here. And at the heart of it all, is a fearless Sacha Baron Cohen. A man who will do anything for a laugh. Compared to Cohen the boys from Jackass are tame. He's sort of a high wire fusion of John Waters and Michael Moore. His Borat was a far more entertaining character to follow, because he had an endearing, childlike innocence about him that tempered the gags and kept you no his side. Bruno by contrast is simply an asshole, but I still admire Cohen's courage. There were several moments in this picture when I actually feared for this man's life.

I suspect Bruno will have a strong opening weekend, but then it'll probably plummet. Controversy sells, but in the end, this is not a movie that will connect with the masses - middle America will drop it like SCUD missile. Borat had broader issues at heart and a far more pallatable protagonist. Bruno could scarsely be defined as a protagonist, with his antagonistic and narrow scope aimed directly at Americans and their homophobia. Bruno is practically a film without a target audience. Those with anti-gay sentiments will feel like they're being made fun of while homosexuals are likely to be offended by this unflattering stereotypical portrayal by someone who isn't even gay. Ultimately fans of Borat are the most liakely to enjoy the film. Personally, I just wanted the movie to make me laugh and I'd say it did that about half the time.