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#12 The Dictator 2012
The heroic story of a dictator who risks his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed.
Director
Larry Charles
Writer
Sacha Baron Cohen
Starring
Sacha Baron Cohen, Anna Faris, John C. Reilly
In Cohen's most recent starring role, he assumes the character of Aladeen, dictator of the fictional country Wadiya. When Aladeen visits New York to attend a UN meeting, things go wrong and Aladeen ends up being mistaken for an Aladeen imposter instead of the real thing.
Being a massive fan of Cohen's work, I was cautiously optimistic when watching The Dictator. Safe to say, it was the right call. While I laughed and enjoyed some scenes, I felt that there was something missing. I quickly realized that the main reason this movie didn't stick out to me was because everyone in it was acting. Unlike Cohen's previous characters of Ali G, Borat, and Brüno; Aladeen doesn't have the same sense of realism the others had.
At this stage of his career, Cohen himself has admitted that the undercover stuff is almost impossible to pull off. Due to this, he wasn't able to use Aladeen in real situations with unsuspecting people. Cohen's sense of humour is still present in the movie, but the thing that made him so unique and special was gone. It's hardly his fault; it just shows the massive success he has achieved so far in his career that he is so well known.
The supporting cast is pretty poor, which doesn't help matters. Also, it's surprisingly short runtime is also a weird choice. Cohen went on to do his press tours in character, but there was really no point. Everyone knew the act and what was to come. In The Dictator, Cohen tries to channel his previous work but unfortunately his circumstances prevented, and will continue to prevent, him from pulling off another character that I, along with many others, so desperately want.
If you enjoy Cohen's style of comedy, then you'll have a decent enough time watching this movie. If you're not a fan, I wouldn't expect you to think too highly of it.
The heroic story of a dictator who risks his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed.
Director
Larry Charles
Writer
Sacha Baron Cohen
Starring
Sacha Baron Cohen, Anna Faris, John C. Reilly
In Cohen's most recent starring role, he assumes the character of Aladeen, dictator of the fictional country Wadiya. When Aladeen visits New York to attend a UN meeting, things go wrong and Aladeen ends up being mistaken for an Aladeen imposter instead of the real thing.
Being a massive fan of Cohen's work, I was cautiously optimistic when watching The Dictator. Safe to say, it was the right call. While I laughed and enjoyed some scenes, I felt that there was something missing. I quickly realized that the main reason this movie didn't stick out to me was because everyone in it was acting. Unlike Cohen's previous characters of Ali G, Borat, and Brüno; Aladeen doesn't have the same sense of realism the others had.
At this stage of his career, Cohen himself has admitted that the undercover stuff is almost impossible to pull off. Due to this, he wasn't able to use Aladeen in real situations with unsuspecting people. Cohen's sense of humour is still present in the movie, but the thing that made him so unique and special was gone. It's hardly his fault; it just shows the massive success he has achieved so far in his career that he is so well known.
The supporting cast is pretty poor, which doesn't help matters. Also, it's surprisingly short runtime is also a weird choice. Cohen went on to do his press tours in character, but there was really no point. Everyone knew the act and what was to come. In The Dictator, Cohen tries to channel his previous work but unfortunately his circumstances prevented, and will continue to prevent, him from pulling off another character that I, along with many others, so desperately want.
If you enjoy Cohen's style of comedy, then you'll have a decent enough time watching this movie. If you're not a fan, I wouldn't expect you to think too highly of it.