'Brüno' Gets Sanitized in the UK

Because there couldn't be one more potentially objectionable moment in Brüno saving it from an NC-17 rating, the British ratings board is preparing a tamer version of the comedy that will run in theaters in addition to the current version. The Sacha Baron Cohen comedy topped the U.S. box office and nailed down the biggest opening ever in the UK for a movie with the 18 certificate, roughly the same thing as an R rating across the poind. It made £5 million in the UK and Ireland and topped $55 million worldwide. Why the edits? Among other things, the movie features a talking penis and Brüno's lengthy and remarkably detailed oral gratification of the ghost of Rob Pilatus from Milli Vanilli. The decision makes sense to me, because Universal can broaden its audience in the UK while still allowing the original version (which has already been cut down from an NC-17 designation in the U.S.). The bigger question in my mind is just how much has to be removed to guarantee the 15 certificate? I would think quite a bit, but since the movie's about ten minutes too long anyway, maybe that's for the best. Unlike Borat, where one of the most important scenes featured tons of male nudity, Brüno's best scenes can live without going quite that far.