The Dictator is everything you would expect from a Sacha Baron Cohen movie. It's wildly inappropriate, bizarre, gross, and hilarious. Depending on who you are, that either sounds appealing or awful.
The movie follows Admiral General Aladeen, the maniacal dictator of the fake African country of Wadiya. Sacha Baron Cohen is having a grand time playing this utterly clueless despot, who enjoys executing people for nonsensical reasons (e.g. making a nuclear missile with a rounded head instead of a pointy one), is guarded by a group of virgin female soldiers, and awards himself Olympic gold medals and Golden Globes for being the best actor in Wadiya. His uncle, Tamir (played by Ben Kingsley, who is clearly enjoying himself), was the rightful heir to the throne and has been plotting to assassinate Aladeen and replace him with a body double. Tamir gets the chance to put this plan into action when they head to New York to deliver a speech at the United Nations. Unfortunately, Aladeen escapes from his would-be assassin and finds himself in the care of Zoey (the charming Anna Faris), an activist who runs a feminist co-op in Brooklyn. Needless to say, they're a bit of an odd couple.
The story proceeds in expected madcap fashion. Aladeen must try and find a way to overthrow his double and regain the throne before Wadiya is turned into a democracy. This entails working for Zoey in the feminist co-op, which is not a role that comes easily to a brutal dictator who is prone to racist, sexist, and generally moronic remarks. He discovers a section of the city called "Little Wadiya," which serves as a haven for Wadiyan political refugees. It turns out that all of the people he ordered to be executed were sent here instead because the Wadiyan executioner was a member of the Resistance. Aladeen finds a scientist who was formerly a member of his nucelar weapons program and the two of them concoct a plan to get him back in power. Naturally, complications arise when Aladeen finds himself falling for Zoey, although love still can't triumph over the ambitions of a power-mad dictator.
Unfortunately, the movie is always seesawing between witty satire and gross-out humor. It has a very Saturday Night Live feel, as though we're watching a series of comic sketches linked by a common story. Some of these sketches are comic masterpieces starring some very funny comedians and others are just inane ramblings that go on for way too long. But overall, the good just manages to outweigh the bad, and I rather enjoyed the movie.
At its best, The Dictator is a sharp political satire and includes a rousing speech on the benefits of a dictatorship over a democracy that makes one wonder if there really is any difference. The actors are all delivering hilarious performances and the soundtrack by Erran Baron Cohen is particularly amusing as it takes well-known English songs and gives them a Middle Eastern twist. So if you can bear the standard Sacha Baron Cohen barrage of shock and ridiculousness, The Dictator is well worth one viewing. But I can't force you to watch it. After all, it's a free country.
The story proceeds in expected madcap fashion. Aladeen must try and find a way to overthrow his double and regain the throne before Wadiya is turned into a democracy. This entails working for Zoey in the feminist co-op, which is not a role that comes easily to a brutal dictator who is prone to racist, sexist, and generally moronic remarks. He discovers a section of the city called "Little Wadiya," which serves as a haven for Wadiyan political refugees. It turns out that all of the people he ordered to be executed were sent here instead because the Wadiyan executioner was a member of the Resistance. Aladeen finds a scientist who was formerly a member of his nucelar weapons program and the two of them concoct a plan to get him back in power. Naturally, complications arise when Aladeen finds himself falling for Zoey, although love still can't triumph over the ambitions of a power-mad dictator.
Unfortunately, the movie is always seesawing between witty satire and gross-out humor. It has a very Saturday Night Live feel, as though we're watching a series of comic sketches linked by a common story. Some of these sketches are comic masterpieces starring some very funny comedians and others are just inane ramblings that go on for way too long. But overall, the good just manages to outweigh the bad, and I rather enjoyed the movie.
At its best, The Dictator is a sharp political satire and includes a rousing speech on the benefits of a dictatorship over a democracy that makes one wonder if there really is any difference. The actors are all delivering hilarious performances and the soundtrack by Erran Baron Cohen is particularly amusing as it takes well-known English songs and gives them a Middle Eastern twist. So if you can bear the standard Sacha Baron Cohen barrage of shock and ridiculousness, The Dictator is well worth one viewing. But I can't force you to watch it. After all, it's a free country.
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