If the protest slogan "God Hates Fags" is true, sexually ambiguous Sacha Baron Cohen may have bartered his soul to the devil for an iPod.

In the hormone-fueled, no-positions-barred Bruno, we follow the trendy homosexual Austrian title-character as he desperately travels across the globe searching for fame after being fired from a European fashion show. Determined to make a name for himself, Bruno vies to follow suit of modern era celebrities in order to achieve the status he so desires, all the while drawing comedically angry criticism from those he encounters along the way. With its fair share of jabs at topics ranging from modeling to religion to southern US culture, the film does carry somewhat of a message as subtle as it may be. With his signature in-your-face, over-the-top and flamboyant nature, it is obvious Cohen's goal was to bring the issue of intolerance to the forefront by forcing graphic and sometimes uncomfortable depictions of homosexuality. Donning risqué attire with his loving sidekick Lutz at his side, Bruno attempts to push the envelope in every way possible. Be it a good thirty seconds of a flaccid penis dancing long enough to get John Travolta off (and a landing strip extensive enough to park any one of his private aircrafts) or the penetrating romance that can only occur between two adventurous gentlemen, Cohen reaches new heights in drawing awkwardness among movie theater patrons of all walks of life.

For me, however, Bruno's novelty dies about twenty minutes in. In the same spirit of the Borat film, Cohen attempts to mesh reality with fiction and unfortunately fails to succeed several times throughout. There were some instances in which the scenes are so painfully fake that the comedic value is simply overshadowed - and it happens far too many times to warrant a pass. For example, there is one scene in which Bruno appears on a talk show false enough to rival any Jerry Springer episode. Personally, I'd be far more appreciative of a Maury Povich "chicken tetrazinni" quip. Please tell me at least someone actually gets that joke.

Anyway, being a fan of the Borat movie, it is far too difficult to get away from comparing the two given their almost carbon-copy similarities. To that extent, Bruno largely disappoints. I'm all for shock laughs and am absolutely no stranger to dick jokes, but much of the creativity that was so prevalent in Borat or even the Da Ali Show is just absent. The movie often feels tired and has a "what else can we get away with" undertone to it. In fact, the black censor boxes - which were undoubtedly demanded by the MPAA - waters down the comedy to a great extent, especially in the opening scenes.

While the movie is indeed filled with shock-a-plenty, it didn't have much of an effect on me. Indeed, it had its laugh-out-loud moments, but ultimately, the film was mostly just plain stupid. And, sadly, not in a good way. Perhaps the most impressive part of the movie are the number of cameos it offers - specifically in its closing. And while Cohen's dedication to character is surely admirable, Bruno's focus relies too much on style and often comes up short on substance.

For the record, all puns intended.