His Own Band

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Bruno's Sacha Baron Cohen "has been accused of indulging in gay minstrelsy," writes Dennis Lim in a recently-up pro-Bruno Slate piece. "Oh, It's true that he does not 'play gay' in the respectably stoic, square-jawed manner of Tom Hanks and Heath Ledger. But Bruno is less a character than a button-pushing social experiment in locating the tipping point of tolerance: How much can he get away with? What does it take to unleash the inner bigot?

"For his merciless ambushes to work, Bruno needs to be this flamboyant -- and this moronic.

"The most discomfiting -- and incongruous -- aspect of Bruno's pinkface masquerade is the character's over-the-top sexual voracity. An early outre-sex montage that features a dildo rigged to an exercise bike establishes that we're not in Kansas anymore. Bruno is a far cry from the prim and prissy old-school sissies, who were all innuendo and no libido. We have long been conditioned to regard effeminacy as a neutered, negative stereotype, but there are moments when Baron Cohen's extravagant prancing -- playing out amid what Bruno's trailer calls 'real people, real situations' -- seems not grotesque but defiant, forcing his foils (redneck hunters, straight suburban swingers) to recognize the screaming presence of Otherness.

"In that sense, Bruno could be considered an homage to the proto-gay-lib classic The Naked Civil Servant, a 1975 film based on the memoirs of Quentin Crisp, the author and actor who called himself the 'stately homo of England.' An exhibitionist flamer in oppressive early 20th-century Britain, Crisp (played by John Hurt) is a magnet for persecution, but he holds his hennaed head up high. "The world is full of Aborigines who don't even realize that homosexuality exists,' he declares. 'I shall go about the routine of daily living making this particular fact abundantly clear.'"

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on July 9, 2009 at 2:54 PM

comment #1

KC says ...

I like him and all but I certainly wouldn't jump down anyone's throat for thinking it's not a straight guy's place to pull this

Posted by KC at July 9, 2009 3:16 PM

comment #2

Monument says ...

I'm curious, is it still "minstrelsy" for an actually gay person to be as flamboyant as Bruno? Isn't it just the same silly affectation displayed by many in the gay community? Is there a minority group that has less of a sense of humor about itself than the gay community?

Posted by Monument at July 9, 2009 3:20 PM

comment #3

KC says ...

Are you actually retarded

Posted by KC at July 9, 2009 3:26 PM

comment #4

George Prager says ...

"Turning!"

Posted by George Prager at July 9, 2009 3:32 PM

comment #5

Monument says ...

It's developmentally disabled, try to be a little more PC.

Posted by Monument at July 9, 2009 3:33 PM

comment #6

televisiontears says ...

Monument, I think you've got it backwards. I would say that LGBT's probably have the biggest sense of humor when it comes to their quirks then any other minority group. They just don't appreciate when someone whose obviously unfriendly to the community indulge in the rib poking. You don't have to be gay to make gay jokes, but you damn well better be on board.

Posted by televisiontears at July 9, 2009 3:35 PM

comment #7

televisiontears says ...

For the record, I wasn't referring to Cohen as "unfriendly". And while I'm at it, let be correct that "whose" to "who's".

Posted by televisiontears at July 9, 2009 3:37 PM

comment #8

Joshua Mooney says ...

Good clip, Jeff. Well chosen, as usual.

Posted by Joshua Mooney at July 9, 2009 4:39 PM

comment #9

DeeZee says ...

Thanks, Jeff. Now I know where Paul Thomas Anderson came up with the wardrobe for Boogie Nights.

Posted by DeeZee at July 9, 2009 4:48 PM

comment #10

mccool says ...

Jesus christ, social experiment? Do people believe this shit?? It's like the fucking nuts who see the blessed mother in a piece of toast. What a joke. Cohen is no Jonathan Swift; please stop this nonsense.

Posted by mccool at July 9, 2009 7:05 PM

comment #11

buster keaton says ...

Wow, Boys in the Band. I remember my parents taking me to see this film when I was around 10 years old and thinking "What the fuck is going on here!" I loved Cliff Gorman's queeny character, who reminded me of Paul Lynde and all the other swishy folks I saw on TV. But all those guys going through psychodrama was a bit much for my 10-year-old mind to comprehend. My parents also took me to see "David & Lisa" around the same time, and I remember having nightmares for weeks about those two wacky kids.

Posted by buster keaton at July 9, 2009 10:48 PM

comment #12

BurmaShave says ...

Why do so many people have trouble with the play to movie conversion that Freidkin does effortlessly? And no Sascha Baron Cohen is not Jonathan Swift, but he may very well be Peter Sellers.

Posted by BurmaShave at July 9, 2009 11:42 PM

comment #13

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