Sacha Baron Cohen pulled a Howard Stern over the weekend.
Easier said than done.
The man who gave us “Borat” flew down from the rafters as his Bruno character during the MTV Movie Award Show and landed, buttocks first, on a dazed and confused Eminem. The rapper quickly left in disgust along with his posse.
Staged? Most likely. There’s precious little reality in television today despite the proliferation of reality showcases.
But the bigger question concerns “Bruno,” Cohen’s upcoming follow-up to “Borat.” Just how real is the reality on display in the movie?
Check out the trailer - it’s clear segments of the movie are staged. How could Richard Bey, a longtime talk show host, not know he was being punk’d by Cohen? And the audience appears like they’re mimicking the worst of the worst “Jerry Springer” crowds.
If these bits are staged, then something special is lost in the translation. It doesn’t take great skill to write a scene like that. But when Cohen coaxes real reactions from people it adds an extra layer of tension – and humor – to the sequence.
Remember the outrageous sequence in “Borat” when Cohen tramples just about every societal norm during a Southern dinner gathering? The scene doesn’t work nearly as well if it’s all a fraud.
Something is missing when we know moments like that flow from a screenwriter’s imagination, not the clash beteween polite society and a rabble rouser like Cohen.
Update: Yup, it’s a fake – the MTV appearance, that is.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Cohen’s schtick is a fragile and repetitive one. He’s worn it out by being mean spirited and political.
As for reality shows, Ayn Rand’s book “The Fountainhead” was almost named “Secondhand Lives”, because it was about people living through what other people thought, felt and did instead of living their own lives. A perfect description of reality television.
I think “reality” tv is like that Hypnotist Show I saw in Las Vegas a few weekends ago. No one can tell me that the audience participation was not staged. They had to have been prepped beforehand. It was an Adults Only show and what some of those folks did onstage…give me a break. We all know that there is some before-the-show-starts interaction to give participants a direction. But making sure everyone is basically on script but “not” is insulting.
Insulting is a good word …
I dont’ watch much reality TV because it seems so contrived … if I wanna watch good drama the best TV shows are far superior … why suffer through grandstanding and bad acting on a reality show debacle?
I too think Cohen routine is getting old, but I have to say, I have to say “Borat” was one of the funniest movies of all time.
It’s weird to think he’s married to such a pretty, normal girl (what’s her name again?).
Isla Fisher … who’s quite a good actress in her own right.
I think Cohen is very talented … but the very specific shtick he does – Candid Camera style – may have a very short shelf life.
I, too, loved Borat.