No actual gay guy would ever have made this film.The likelihood of a decent lesbian or gay film ever playing at the multiplexes in the Berkshires is a million to one. But let a bad gay exploitation movie be offered and every screen within a hundred mies will show it. Go figure.
Supposedly those of us who are made uncomfortable by Brüno’s extravagant incarnation of a silly, retrograde stereotype of gayness are supposed to be relieved and amused to see the panic and confusion he causes in others.
But my question is this: does the movie send up stereotypes or perpetuate them?
Seeing this film in the midst of a straight audience - with all its over the top posing, camping and flouncing - might bring back memories or bum you out, possibly both. If you go, please share your take on the film, and the reaction of those around you in the theatre. This could be instructive.
2 comments:
At first, I thought the movie was incredibly offensive. However, after watching the entire file, I thought it was hilarious. I don't think it was meant to stereotype, but rather, just to entertain. If you think of Sacha Baron Cohen's other notable film, Borat, you could look at it as being stereotypical and just plain rude. I think that is just his acting style and his sense of humor. I think it comes down to the audience and what they grab from it. If a homophobic person sees it, then yeah, that will probably just fuel their fire towards the LGBTQ community. If a gay person watches it, I think they would find it funny, possibly because they might even be able to relate to some aspects. But again, leaving that kind of reaction to the audience could be what kills the work that the gay rights movement has done to advance us this far.
As a mature gay man, I can recall what it was like to live in the closet in my younger days. This movie sets back tolerance for gays by at least a decade in my opinion. In all of my 25 (adult) years of gay experience, I've never come across anything remotely like the life depicted in this movie--and I have had a colorful and satisfying life experience. Neither of the three central 'gay' characters in this movie has any redeeming qualities and their sex lives are depicted as demeaning and degrading with an absence of love or romance. Why should we allow people who don't understand us to depict us in the media in such a degrading way? Unfortunately the media is very influential to young minds and content like this is just not funny or helpful. This movie supports homophobia, rather than mocking it.
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