Bruno Slapped with NC-17 Rating
Sacha Baron Cohen as Bruno
There's apparently too much sexy time for audiences to handle in Bruno, at least in the Motion Picture Association of America's eyes. Sacha Baron Cohen's newest mockumentary has been hit with an NC-17 rating upon initial submission, The Wrap reports.
"On its first submission the film did not receive an R but it is far too early to say that there is any struggle to get there as the process is only at its inception," a Universal spokesperson said.
Chief among the MPAA's complaints are scenes where Bruno, a flamboyant Austrian fashionista, appears to have anal sex with a man and one in which he sneaks, naked, into a tent occupied by an unsuspecting male.
Baron Cohen, whose previous outing Borat received an NC-17 the first go-around, is appealing the decision while still "experimenting" with the film in post-production. Since Universal will not release an NC-17 film, the offensive scenes will need to be trimmed — but will make it onto the DVD.
As for re-editing the boundary-pushing Bruno, Universal does not anticipate any issues as there's enough funny and risqué to go around. "With the quantity of material available, I cannot foresee a problem," said the spokesman. "It's not even April and the film comes out July 10 so it's nonsense to say there's a struggle of any kind."