The Dictator

Reviews from the Dark Side presents
The Dictator
Released 5/16/12, now in theaters

Madman, funnyman.  Two ways to describe comedian, Sacha Baron Cohen.  His latest romp, The Dictator, is his third collaboration with director, Larry Charles.  Will The Dictator live up to Cohen's magnum opus, Borat, or will it fizzle like the much maligned, Bruno? 

Cohen is dictator, Admiral General Hafez Aladeen, the leader of the fictional North African country of Wadiya.  Aladeen is extremely childish, lecherous, and anti-Western.  He's also not very bright and has happily oppressed his people for decades.  When the U.N. threatens military action against Wadiya for refusing to allow inspectors to search for weapons of mass destruction on their soil, Aladeen is advised by his traitorous advisor/ uncle, Tamir (Ben Kingsley) to address the U.N. Security Council in New York.  Aladeen is kidnapped in New York by his U.S. security advisor (John C. Reilly) hired by his uncle.  His uncle's play?  Replace Aladeen with a double (also Cohen) he can manipulate into democratizing Wadiya.  When Aladeen escapes his kidnapper, he is unrecognizable without his distinctive beard that was shaved while he was in custody.  Failing to convince authorities he is the hated dictator he meets freedom activist, Zoey (Anna Faris), who offers him a job at her alternative lifestyle co-op.  Can the "great" dictator regain his former seat of power or will he soften and stay in New York when he finds true love for the first time with the "girl built like a boy", Zoey?

Unlike Borat and Bruno, The Dictator is not shot documentary style.  The movie is made up mostly with fictional characters, although Megan Fox and Edward Norton make cameos as themselves.

The Dictator is a good movie if you are a fan of Cohen's brand of humor.  It will probably and, in my opinion, unfairly be compared to Borat.  The success of that movie is a blessing and a curse for Cohen.  When you make something as good and original as Borat, it is almost impossible to duplicate that success.  Subsequent offerings are going to be compared to former greatness and fall short, but, that doesn't necessarily mean the new material isn't good.  I seem to be one of the few people in the U.S. that liked Bruno.  Was it as funny as Borat?  No, but it was still pretty hilarious.  The same can be said of The Dictator.  I can go on and on about the Farrelly brothers, Christopher Nolan's upcoming Batman sequel, and Joss Whedon's follow up to The Avengers, but you get the point. 

The Dictator is rude and highly inappropriate at all times.  You know, like a normal Cohen movie.  I laughed often and sometimes very hard.  And isn't that all you want from a comedy?

The Dark Lord of the Sith says:

***1/4 stars

Ratings Legend
Zero *= Don't waste your time. Pure dreck! Dreck is too good for this! Blind me please!
1 *= Fuggedaboutit!
2 *= Average, Mediocre, Nothing Special
3 *= Good viewing. Much better than a poke in the eye.
4 *= Great. Could possibly foot the price of a non-Matinee.
5 *= Pure eye candy. Hall of Fame material here.