Christian Movie Site: Ban Bruno

Under the headline Stop ‘Brüno' From Molesting Children and Teens, Christian movie review site Movieguide says they are asking the government to suspend today's release of Bruno.

Movieguide® has sent a letter asking local government officials throughout the U.S. to consider stopping the screening of the controversial movie "Brüno" starring comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, Movieguide® Publisher Dr. Ted Baehr announced today. In the letter, Movieguide® asks officials to get an injunction against screening the movie on Friday until officials can look at the movie and determine whether it should be banned because it does not fit the "community standards" in their area, as defined by U.S. Supreme Court rulings on obscenity and pornography. "This movie has been cut to get an R rating," Dr. Baehr said, "but it still contains much pornographic, offensive content." Among the "pornographic" content in the movie, according to Movieguide® and Dr. Baehr, are "extremely graphic" sex scenes, including depicted intercourse, depicted homosexual sodomy, a depicted orgy, and depicted oral sex (including anal licking); explicit shots, including extensive close-ups, of full male and female nudity; and, "obscene" language about sex acts. "The movie also contains scenes mocking Jews, African Americans and Christian evangelicals," Dr. Baehr said.

Baehr's claims may actually help the movie as the reviews have been mixed at best. From David Rakoff's Slate piece, Why Bruno Is Bad For The Gays:

The film is cringily thin broth, even as many will view Baron Cohen's gay-face portrayal as a testament to his versatility as a performer. Such a performance by an out gay actor would have the opposite effect: It would be the final nail, confirming his essential uncastability. But no actual gay guy would ever have made this film. "Brüno" preaches a false emancipation. It's Jerry Lewis playing Steve Biko. A shot of Snoop Dogg, mere seconds long, rapping in the film's closing number -- which includes Bono and Elton John -- "He's gay. He's gay ..." He shrugs. "OK," does more to advance the cause than the previous, interminable 80 minutes.

If there is any comfort to take away from this it is that Baron Cohen exhibits a similar disconnect and misunderstanding about attitudes toward gay men as the government, since most polls show that Washington lags behind popular opinion when it comes to tolerance.

There will be those who will tell me to lighten up, and it's not like I don't want to. I really, really do. Brüno gets his anus bleached in the movie, whereas I don't know if there is Clorox enough in the world to make me clean again.