Brüno

This was the most vile, vülgar and disgusting movie I have ever seen. Some parts were hilarious. For much of the movie, I had to cover my eyes with my hands to avoid having full frontal male nudity super-sized on the movie screen. Note to MPAA: If this is rated R, how does a movie get an NC-17* rating for sexuality? I'm thinking of Lust/Caution, a movie that came out in 2008 or 2007. My guess is that the answer is related to the company releasing the film. Sony/Universal released Brüno. Sony/Universal is one of the seven Big Studios in Hollywood, along with Fox, Paramount, MGM/UA, Warner Brothers, Columbia and Walt Disney. These studios control the MPAA and generally receive the film ratings they want. Perhaps an independent studio without any clout released Lust/Caution and received the NC-17 rating as a result. (I did not see the film and cannot comment on its content.) An NC-17 rating means many theatres won't screen it, many newspapers won't print ads for it and Wal-Mart and Blockbuster refuse to carry it on DVD. So NC-17 puts a big hurt on a film's chances for profitability.

I have a high tolerance for bad taste and sexual content in movies; this one really pushed the limit. Recommended only for mature audiences who are not easily offended. I can't imagine an "unrated" DVD version of this film since just about everything one could imagine being cut from the theatrical version was actually in the film. If you think the R-rated trailer is crude....


*NC-17 No children under 17 admitted regardless of parental escort.