It’s perhaps wise that Sacha Baron Cohen has ditched the mock-documentary format of his previous satirical efforts Borat and Bruno for something resembling conventional narrative with The Dictator. Whereas the sly trick he pulled off in Borat to needle his unsuspecting subjects into revealing their prejudices seemed fresh and funny the first time round, the novelty had already grown stale with Bruno. More
However, his latest socio-political farce, combining Coming to America-like fish-out-of-water comedy with the tasteless anarchy of Team America: World Police, doesn’t quite signal a marked change in quality with the format shift: it’s an expectedly scattershot and sketchy film.
From the opening cheeky dedication to late North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, the primary mission here is to stir as much popcorn-choking outrage as possible via Cohen’s Saddam surrogate Admiral General Aladeen, a cheerful North African tyrant who finds himself in New York trying to thwart an imposter from transforming his nation into a democracy. Some of it works: the idea that Aladeen’s former nuclear physicist is now a Mac drone, the bluntly drawn parallels between the US administration and Aladeen’s dictatorship, and okay, the odd masturbation/toilet gag got me.
But Cohen’s everything-under-the-sun approach also yields some naff stuff, particularly when it goes beyond the pale with queasily protracted child-rape jokes that hang around like a bad stink. And for all its attempts at transgressive humour, the film settles into woefully routine rom-com groove with the unlikely subplot where Aladeen falls for feminist tree-hugger Anna Faris. Hide
"This is Cohen's first non-mockumentary movie". His ALi G movie was not a mockumentary!
this looks aweful
freaken hilarious
Sasha Baron 'OMG What a Genius' Cohen - hells yes!
worst-movie-of-the-year award nominee
looks mint
Tripping over and kneeing myself in the face would be better than watching this movie. Looks terrible
freaakkinngggggg awesomee boooyahh!
Based on a true story!
crackup - laughing already
Bob if you think it looks awful you need 2 get the stick out your ass and get a sense of humour
@hullo - touche! You've shamed us. Details amended.
I wish i was over 18
i would love to see it - its for people with a sense of humour
Can't wait to see it ;-)
poor execution
good idea I think it could be good.
Yes, yes, yes!
Racist.
better than borat
@Kahlid, get a grip. It's funny.
LOLOLOLOL
Woooooohoooooo!
Ok, that trailer makes me wanna check it out...
that looks hilarious! will def be checkin it out.
bahahaha so freken funnyxx
hard
I cant stop laughing after watched the trailer. i'm properly gonna laugh for week after seen the whole movie.
racist
sluty
looks like a great movie
looks alright
lollololololololol
i am gonna totaly watch it
Infidel! This is not art, it is not humour, it is middle eastern pornography! I am already queuing up in my pajamas!
mean as movie
keen to watch it :)
looks kinda funny, a bit racist, but still finny. wtfs up with the afro on his face though?? it scares me...
The West taking the piss out of the middle east - is somehow not as compelling as the Middle East taking the piss out of the West.
See it for your self, the screening i was in yesterday everybody was laughing so crying..it is brilliant..go to it forget the criticts
Love it when told you should visit the Empire State Building before you lot or your cousins blow it up! Hee hee
911...2012 crying with laughter already....SBC is hillarious!!
asome
This movie is racist...
F@&ken racist c@nt.. but hes funny as!
i agree! racist but so funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!