Today on Binge Safari, we’re slipping into mesh, smuggling a baby through customs, and charging full-speed into one of the most gloriously offensive comedies ever made—Brüno.
Released in 2009, written by and starring Sacha Baron Cohen and directed by Larry Charles, this fashion-world fever dream skewers celebrity culture, homophobia, and the sheer ridiculousness of fame with the kind of fearless, shocking flair that would give a censor a nosebleed. Currently streaming on Peacock and rentable on most platforms.
And who better to review this glam-shock gem than Ricky the Reel Raccoon and Fifi the Film Frenchie? Warning: rhinestones will be thrown.
Ricky’s Review – A Raccoon in a Rhinestone Minefield
Listen up—I’ve seen a lot of chaos in my time. Dumpster fires. Reality TV. That time a pelican ran for mayor. But Brüno? This movie is chaos in couture.
Sacha Baron Cohen doesn’t just blur the line between character and carnage—he dropkicks it in a thong. As Brüno, the gay Austrian fashion reporter turned fame monster, Cohen infiltrates real-world settings with hidden cameras and zero fear, forcing everyone to reveal just how gross, dumb, or hilariously uncomfortable they truly are.
There’s a scene where he tries to trade his African baby for a flat-screen TV on live television. There’s another where he stages a gay cage-fighting event in the South and makes out in the ring until the crowd turns into a riot. I have never laughed so hard while simultaneously preparing to run from a torch-wielding mob.
But the one that melted my raccoon brain? Brüno literally attempts to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by hosting a peace summit between Israeli and Hamas leaders—then immediately derails it by flirting with both and accidentally insulting their cultures within 30 seconds. It’s jaw-dropping. It’s absurd. It’s political satire dragged through glitter and gasoline.
And oh, the commitment. The wax job. The Velcro suit. The “Dildo-Suitcase Incident.” If there was an Oscar for sheer reckless bravery, Baron Cohen deserves five.
🗑️ Ricky’s Rating: 5 Trash Cans
This movie is offensive, fearless, and freaking fabulous. If you’re not laughing, you’re probably in it.
Fifi’s Review – The Snarky Cinephile Vogue-Walks Through the Mayhem
Darlings… Brüno is not a movie. It’s performance art in a jockstrap. It’s couture chaos. It’s the moment when satire looked at decency, blew it a kiss, and mooned it in public.
Sacha Baron Cohen doesn’t act—he detonates. He’s not just skewering the fashion industry; he’s exposing the grotesque heart of celebrity worship and cultural stupidity with every fake tan and awkward silence.
What makes Brüno work is that it’s deeply calculated beneath the glitter. Every “shocking” moment is engineered to drag truth out of people who think they’re safe. You’re laughing, sure—but also cringing, squirming, and occasionally screaming “Oh my God, no!” into your popcorn.
My personal favorite scene? Brüno hosts a celebrity interview with Paula Abdul, who arrives expecting a luxury press junket and instead finds herself dining while sitting on immigrant workers used as human furniture. She plays along until she realizes what’s happening—and the horror is chef’s kiss. It’s comedy that slaps you across the face with your own oblivious privilege.
Then there’s Brüno’s attempts to get famous by getting kidnapped by terrorists, curing homosexuality, and faking a charity. He fails at all of it, brilliantly.
The film’s pacing is relentless, the editing is wickedly smart, and the bravery is undeniable. You don’t watch Brüno so much as survive it—and come out the other side weirdly enlightened.
🐾 Fifi’s Rating: 5 Paw Prints
Brilliantly vulgar, aggressively chic, and a savage satire dressed as a sex scandal. I adored every second.
Final Thoughts – Brüno Is a Glorious Disasterpiece
Love it or run screaming, Brüno is essential viewing for anyone who loves satire that hits like a rhinestone wrecking ball. Ricky and Fifi agree: this film is hilarious, hideous, and holy hell, it still holds up.
📢 Stream Brüno now on Peacock, or rent it wherever you get your digital mayhem. Just maybe don’t watch it with your parents.
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