The Dictator

When the UN threatens the nuclear program of the Republic of Wadiya, the dictator Hafez Aladeen (Sacha Baron Cohen) decides to go to New York to make a speech in the assembly. However, his minister Tamir (Ben Kingsley) is plotting a scheme to topple Aladeen and sign multimillionaire contracts with foreign oil companies to make him a tycoon.

Tamir hires the torturer Clayton (John C. Reilly) to kill Aladeen, but he fails and the dictator flees without his long beard. Aladeen unsuccessfully tries to reach the Lancaster Hotel and he meets the owner of the store of natural products Zoey (Anna Faris), who is protesting against the presence of Aladeen in UN. She believes that he is Allison Burgers, a refugee from Wadiya and brings Aladeen to her store to help him to cater the hotel. He stays with her while he tries to find a means to break in the hotel with his comrade Nadal (Jason Mantzoukas).

The politically incorrect "The Dictator" is one of the funniest and most intelligent criticisms I have ever seen in many years. Sacha Baron Cohen is hilarious in the role of a dictator and only his speech in the United Nation explaining what a dictatorship is to people used to "democracy" makes the movie worth. But there are several other jokes that made me laugh most of the time. Further the cameos are also a great attraction, especially Megan Fox in the role of herself. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "O Ditador" ("The Dictator")

I saw a preview screening of this in London.

As expected from Sacha's previous outings and trailers, this film is in extremely bad taste with plenty of filth, blatant offence (disguised as naivety) of every race, gender, age, animal, disability, sexual orientations, terrorism and politics. Sacha gets away with it because no one is left out. No one, including white folks and straight men. Actually, I lie. I don't know how the hell he gets away with it. The important question is, though, is it funny? Yeah...mostly.

There are enough roll in the isle moments to make this worth the ticket but there are also plenty of misfired jokes too, some of which really makes you groan but that's to be expected for a relentless joke firing machine which incidentally has (perhaps mercifully) a short run time of 84mins.

Another burning question I ask myself, while watching this is do I feel guilty laughing at some of the offencive jokes? Yes I do, my guilty conscience raises its ugly head but then I realise (or perhaps I'm just making excuses) that I am laughing at the Dictator's naivety and hilarious sense of misplaced morality while others around him frown at his demeanours.

This is a departure from the Borat, Ali G, and Bruno stable. With those previous films, real people are sought after and ridiculed by scrutinising their reactions and moral bases. This film, however is purely fictitious, Naked Gun style comedy very much similar to Eddie Murphy's Coming to America with obviously a lot lot less subtlety. However, Sacha's Dictator has pretty much the same political correctness that Borat has but with more hilarious Dictatorship cravings such as executing anyone that annoys him.

A good supporting cast thankfully gives this zany film a little bit more variety, particularly Anna Francis, comically playing off the Dictator's character who frankly dominates almost every frame (as I guess a dictator would). John C Reilly also gives a short but hilarious turn. And then there are a few special cameo celebrity guest appearances (or victims, rather) sprinkled around.

There are a couple of moments political satire that stands out in hilarity and I wish there was more of it. Alas, it seems vulgarity is more favoured.

So if you have no guilty conscience, welcome vulgarity and all things "un-pc" with open arms, do not despise Sacha Cohen Baron and are willing to kiss his armpits (last one is optional), then I reckon you will enjoy this film. For me, filthy films are not my normal cup of tea, nevertheless I did enjoy this but I need a long shower after watching it.

Most of the movie is pretty witty. The satire is crude and unfiltered, but most of it is pretty spot on. A bit like South Park stories but with bigger children.

The gross out humor however could have been way shorter. Some low hanging fruit lowest common denominator jokes were drawn out unnecessarily. I had to skip several 10 minute parts, but I missed none of the story anyway.

The love story part was forced. The suspension of disbelief was stretched so far it was almost painful.

Overall it was a reasonable story and I did laugh several times.

It could have used some extra editing and other extra care, then it would be a really good movie.

I'm a little perplexed having read a couple of user reviews - one of them said this was movie was unbelievable and unconvincing due to the fact that it had a love theme going on? huh? I suppose the film 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' is unbelievable too? In fact, how many movies are believable? 'The Dictator' is a comedy, nothing less and nothing more than that, and that was the intention. Whether it's believable or not is irrelevant. The movie had plenty of laugh out loud moments.

I'm glad this movie headed in a different direction from his previous efforts. Had the film continued in the same fashion as the reality TV way, then I don't think it would have stood any chance of working, not with this new character anyway. So to those who are expecting and hoping for something similar to Bruno and Borat you may be left a little disappointed, but for those who wouldn't mind seeing something slightly different, and can take a movie for what it is, then you should enjoy this, as I did.

The non-stop jokes, off-color humor, slapstick and under 90 minute running time of "The Dictator" hearkens back to early Woody Allen gems like "What's Up Tiger Lily," "Take The Money and Run," "Bananas," and "Love and Death. And, in the world of comedy, that's quite a compliment.

Like Cohen, Allen's first films were often misunderstood. Some folks just did not get the joke. Many still don't get it today. The object of comedy has always been to take down the high and mighty by whatever means necessary. And, if you happen to be a Middle Eastern despot, you will find much to be offended by here. But, as Allen often did as well, Cohen uses racial and gender stereotypes to shine a light on people's attitudes, and that's likely to put off others as well. That's fine. Some comedy just isn't for everyone.

While his writing style owes much to Allen, his acting chops are also influenced heavily by one of Britain's greatest comics, Peter Sellers. You can see it in his outrageous accents and in his ridiculous pratfalls. Like Sellers, Cohen is fearless in his characterizations and, again, like Sellers, there will be those who will take offense in this. Again, not for everyone. But, if you laughed your butt off at Sellers' simpleton Indian character destroying a Hollywood party, you will be laughing here too.

And that's what we're talking about; laughs. Not every joke works. Many fall flat. But the film starts off fast and furious with a rapid succession of gags, most of which work hilariously, settles down for a bit and then takes off again, literally. His verbal sparring with co-star Jason Mantzoukas is one of the highlights as are many of the fun cameo appearances and a running joke about his name that I will not reveal here. There are many great sight gags that are easily missed and the appearance of his Efawadh character at the U.N. channels a scene right out of Allen's "Sleeper." There's a few scatological and sex jokes also (one about excrement, one about urination, one about masturbation, several about body parts), and these, if you ask me, are the low point of the film (except a child birth scene that's as funny as it is outrageous). But, the bodily fluid gags, so rampant in comedy films today, are actually few and far between. And there's a bit of a message, too.

We're not dealing with "Citizen Kane" here. But, then, this film made me laugh much more.