There’s no doubt about it: Sacha Baron Cohen knows how to stir it up. In 2006, Cohen both outraged and delighted our nation with his cultural free-for-all, Borat.

I saw the movie a year later, as I was a guest of the state by special request – at the behest of the Baton Rouge Police Department.

Upon my release, I wondered what movie would again inspire me to lift pen to paper and offer my humble opinion upon its merits. What I DID know was this: a) It had to be polarizing. b) It had to be thought-provoking. c) It had to be close to home. (I drive an ’84 Skylark and have dicey fuel fundage at best.)

After consulting with my gang of misfits, The Legion of Shrooms, it was by unanimous vote that Brüno was the clear choice.

To make my review fair, I decided that, while the Shroom boys would no doubt celebrate this outing as they do all others (hiiiiiiigh), I was going to use myself as the “control” in Cohen’s experiment of entertainment. I went sober as a judge – stiff as David Carradine. Any laughs Brüno got from me would be earned.

This proved to be a good tactic, as my best friend Colin giggled all the way through the Coke ad.

For those not in the know, Cohen is a master at self-promotion. Who else would float from the ceiling at the MTV Movie Awards and land balls-to-chin with Eminem?

It did not matter that it was clearly a setup. It did not matter that, when Eminem rose to angrily leave the room, you knew it was NOT the “real” Slim Shady who stormed out.

What mattered was Cohen’s audacity and daring, of which he has a never-ending supply. Love it or hate it, you would not forget it.

But Cohen also seems to be blessed with extra media attention by those he sets out to offend. GLAAD, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, decried Brüno and demanded that a pro-gay message be added to the film.

Universal Studios wisely refused to do so out of respect for Cohen’s vision. (Read: it will make more money if there is controversy.) Can you imagine how thrilled Cohen must have been?

For myself, Cohen has been hit-and-miss, but I confess that some of my problem with him is my inner critic, who refuses to be taken in by any “real” incident that is clearly staged. But, ya’ know, overthinking a movie will kill your joy and cause you to miss the simple “Wow, how f–king retarded was THAT?” hilarity that is intended.

Cohen knows that you know some scenes are not factual. He knows you don’t buy it all.

What Cohen is reaching for, I think, is simply making you laugh with pure absurdity and total commitment to his character. And in this regard, Cohen gets high marks, and that is why I loved this film.

Are there scenes that seem just a little too perfectly contrived for it to be real? Perhaps Cohen’s “accidental” fall onto the runway stage in Milan? The near miss of the car hitting Bruno and his adopted black baby on a motorcycle? Yes. GO SEE IT ANYWAY.

For every scene that is clearly scripted (no matter how loosely), there are moments that capture the discomfort straight society feels when confronted by not just a gay man, but an ASTONISHINGLY gay man.

No one holds a character better than Cohen. Witness the three hunters Brüno camps out with. How does a white trash, gun-toting Alpha Male deal when asked which Sex in the City character he is most like? It is the perfect example of what Cohen does best: make people very uncomfortable and place himself in a position that fairly screams with the possibility of violence upon his person.

I say now, with no apologies, that I laughed my ass off at this film, which I can only describe as “stupid/smart.” Even without chemicals, Brüno passed muster for me. I can only imagine how much more fun The Legion had.

Firing up the Skylark for the ride home, I looked forward not just to the self-medicating to come, but also to the possibility of writing more reviews during my newfound freedom. For that, Brüno, I thank you.