At the Movies: capsule reviews of ‘Bruno’ and other films this week

Capsule reviews: ‘Bruno’ and other films

Capsule reviews of films opening this week:

“Bruno” — The problem with “Bruno” is Bruno himself. Compared to Borat there simply isn’t enough to the character to build an entire feature-length film around him. Both spring from the brash and creative mind of British comic Sacha Baron Cohen, who unleashed them upon the world through his sketch comedy program “Da Ali G Show.” Borat, the bumbling journalist at the center of the 2006 smash “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” provided a prism through which to explore people’s prejudices, hypocrisies and foibles. Sure, Baron Cohen frequently shot fish in a barrel, but as Borat traveled across the United States trying to understand what makes us tick, the uncomfortable discoveries he made seemed endless. More importantly, for a comedy, they were usually funny. Bruno is a one-joke character in a one-joke movie, and it’s a joke Baron Cohen beats into the ground. He’s a flamboyantly gay Austrian fashion correspondent who repeatedly shocks people with his flamboyant gayness. The end. In small doses — on the TV show and at the film’s high-energy start — he can be a hoot. Here, big laughs come intermittently, and the longer “Bruno” drags on, the more apparent it becomes that there’s nothing to him. He’s as vapid as the celebrity culture he’s stridently spoofing — which makes it hard to care about him. R for pervasive strong and crude sexual content, graphic nudity and language. 88 min. One and a half stars out of four.

— Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic

“I Love You, Beth Cooper” — Somewhere in here, there lies a high-school comedy in the same vein as the great John Hughes movies of the 1980s. Under the staggeringly mediocre direction of Chris Columbus (”Home Alone,” the first two “Harry Potter” movies), it never springs to life. All the pieces are in place: the nerdy guy, the popular girl, the quirky friends, the all-night adventures and the obligatory house-trashing bash. But the pacing feels stagnant and the antics simply aren’t inventive enough. There seemed to be potential from the start, too, in the script from Larry Doyle, based on his novel. Instead of spouting generic platitudes about chasing your dreams, geeky valedictorian Denis Cooverman (Paul Rust) uses his graduation speech as an opportunity to tell head cheerleader Beth Cooper (Hayden Panettiere) that he’s secretly been in love with her since the seventh grade. He also gets some sly revenge on the kids who’ve tormented him his whole life by calling them out for their cruelties and insecurities. The fact that this actually happens — that it’s not just a dream sequence — signals the possibility for bold and surreal humor. And Rust has an endearing underdog goofiness about him without being too hyper or ingratiating. But the rest of the movie plays out rather flatly and predictably, as Denis and Beth and their respective friends find themselves bonding over one wild night. PG-13 for crude and sexual content, language, some teen drinking and drug references, and brief violence. 101 min. Two stars out of four.

— Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic