14 DAY TRIAL // The first trailer for “Bruno,” the second long feature mockumentary (not including Ali G) from British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen has just hit the net, and it’s already creating quite a controversy. This in itself is not so much of a surprise, since it is a red-band trailer for a movie that has been initially rated an NC-17 by the MPAA – however, it is Cohen’s choice of celebrities to pick on that’s causing waves. In the video, the comedian openly mocks Madonna for adopting Malawian David Banda in 2006, as the Daily Mail informs.
The trailer, although not destined to all audiences, is hilarious, several movie-oriented publications have already said, pointing that the film would clearly be a smashing hit at the box-office, granted Cohen and the producers can come up with a way to dodge the dreaded rating by cutting out some scenes. Nevertheless, several other media outlets, as well as fans, are not happy with Cohen picking on Madonna for her adoption.
At one moment in the clip, the comedian is seen at the airport, apparently waiting for his luggage to come on the baggage carousel. A cardboard box labeled “Fragile” comes up and Cohen jumps towards it, rips it open, and takes out an African baby boy from it. In what has been deemed a direct jab at celebrities who have jumped on the adoption of children from other countries, and particularly Madonna, whose case caused quite a frenzy a while back, Cohen says, “Angelina’s got one, Madonna’s got one, now Bruno’s got one.”
It’s not so much that those who find offense with the joke don’t have a sense of humor, it has been said, as Madonna is actually the one responsible for Cohen’s big break in the US. Although a big star in his home country, the UK, Cohen was first noticed when he starred in one of Madonna’s videos, as his alter-ego Ali G, which has prompted many to say that he shouldn’t be using her to reach audiences again – at least, not in this way. Ironically enough, the trailer hit the net yesterday, just hours before Madonna was denied the petition for the adoption of another Malawian child, the three-year-old girl Mercy, the Mail points out.
Be that as it may, fans of Cohen and this genre of movie that he literally elevated to the state of art, are literally dying for “Bruno” to hit theaters, as they have made it clear on dedicated forums. The only problem that still needs to be solved now is that Cohen reportedly promised Universal a movie that could be released theatrically nationwide. Since an NC-17 rating virtually makes that impossible, he must go back in the studio to cut out scenes and perhaps change others.