Much like my high school homecoming dances, last night’s Bruno premiere after-party (at the rooftop of Hollywood and Highland) had awkward dancing, girls in pretty dresses, a posse of cool kids, wallflowers and the out-of-my-league guy crush usually admired from afar in English class (or on Saturday Night Live).
Celeb Factor: High. The crowd was comprised of a healthy percentage of the funniest people in entertainment and included class clown David Arquette, his hot wife Courteney Cox, the intimidating cool guys — Aziz Ansari, Jonah Hill (an associate producer on Bruno), Andy Samberg, South Park creator Matt Stone, McLovin’ Christopher Mintz-Plasse, the chaperones — Slash, Garry Shandling, Borat’s Ken Davitian, Ed Helms and of course, the homecoming king of the shindig, Sacha Baron Cohen and his pocket-sized queen/fiance Isla Fisher.
Food: Delicious and largely unfussy. There were petite little sushi things in tiny cups, but screw that. I beelined for the hot dog bar and was hugely satisfied by my brat-on-pretzel-bun selection. The mustard options were plentiful, and the huge bowl of sauerkraut was a vital component of the overall dining experience. Followed up the sausage, (yeah, sausages at the Bruno premiere, it’s a joke, people), with several tiny chocolate mousse pies, and my dress was loose enough so none of it mattered. Perfection.
Drinks: No need to spike the punch. Like any good post-party, the cocktails and beer were free and plentiful.
Fashion: Plenty of suits and cocktail dresses were sported, but as homecoming is to the more stylistically demanding prom, and Bruno is to, say, Public Enemies, the party was largely a dress down affair. Andy Samberg wore hipster flannel, Sacha Baron Cohen sported a blazer and baseball hat, Matt Stone was in a T-shirt and jeans, and Ed Helms looked liked the cute math teacher you kinda had a crush on in his argyle sweater.
Music:
Appropriately, the night’s soundtrack was largely Michael Jackson. The DJ spun “PYT,” “I Want You Back,” but it was “Wanna Be Starting Something” that finally inspired the crowd to hit the dancefloor. A lack of slow jams required no slow dancing and necessitated no reason to pretend to go to the bathroom.
Most Embarrassing Moment:
The 15-year-old dork in me spent most of the night working up the courage to tell Andy Samberg how much I love Lonely Island and the nautical themed pashmina afghan he was wearing, (truth: that is in no way true). When I got a chance to approach, he, with the detached cool of James Spader in Pretty in Pink, blew by with a “hey” and a mildly cordial, 100 percent disinterested head nod. Brutal.
Oh, Yeah, the Movie: Bruno was as sociologically fascinating as it was pee-your-pants funny, and the star power of the party population affirmed Sacha Baron Cohen’s status as one of the smartest, bravest, most respected men in comedy. The Cambridge-educated Cohen is a shoo-in for valedictorian … of Hollywood.
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