So “Bruno” made $30.4 million over the weekend, ensuring that Sacha Baron Cohen will return to punk Americans once again — though you have to wonder what he does for this encore.
Maybe something where he investigates the West’s long-buried heightist tendencies by disappearing into the role of a five-foot-six person? That presents a suitable challenge.
Pretty depressing because, underneath it all, the guy has talent. He needs to cede control of himself to a more disciplined (and honest) crew.
Agreed. And it’s intriguing to revisit his performance as Jean Girard in “Talladega Nights” in the context of the “Bruno” movie — the gay-panic conceit is the same, but because the character is a comic foil, and given a purpose within each scene, Baron Cohen gets to develop ideas and interact with the actors rather than just dive headlong into a situation and flop around, demanding to be acknowledged.
I really liked Jean Girard.
He was one of the few things I liked about Talladega Nights. (I really like Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, but Ferrell suffers from the same problem Cohen does. He’s best completely in someone else’s hands, just as an actor.)
I think Cohen can rebound. But I think the only way (and the best one) is by doing five or six films of someone else’s design.
Maybe a summer of Guitar Craft courses with Robert Fripp would help both of them out.