Though he isn’t exactly a
consistent presence at theaters, no one can deny the thoroughly unorthodox
comedic talent of Sacha Baron Cohen, who skyrocketed to mainstream popularity
with 2006’s Borat. Ideally, Cohen would have been able to ride
the wave of Borat’s popularity all
the way to significant success for his newest entry, The Dictator, but unfortunately, another project severely weakened
the talented actor’s credibility with mass audiences. In 2009’s Brüno,
Cohen seemed to overplay his brand of humor, going for gross-out shock value
rather than clever satire, so when promotions for The Dictator started to surface, it looked like the actor was simply
beating a dead horse. If there was one
element that added some credibility to The
Dictator, it was that this film would not be following Cohen’s usual
mockumentary format, meaning that he would not be interacting with unsuspecting
people, but rather playing-off of other comedic actors, so hopefully that
choice would translate into some higher-quality humor. Based on the trailers alone, it looked like The Dictator would be tackling some controversial
subject matter in the most offensive way possible, and as someone who has grown
tired of people tiptoeing around “political correctness,” I was ready to throw
caution to the wind.
Quite possibly the most offensive
movie ever made, The Dictator is
rude, twisted, shocking, and utterly hysterical, reaffirming that Sacha Baron
Cohen is not only a comedic force to be reckoned with, but also one to be both
respected and feared. As I walked out of
the theater, I brainstormed and tried to identify any group, race, or religion
that wasn’t targeted or torn apart by this film, but for the life of me, I
could not identify one…putting it simply, no one is safe. As long as you are not easily offended (and
believe me, with The Dictator, that
is a HUGE qualifier), you will find yourself laughing uncontrollably at the
utterly insane scenarios that unfold.
Granted, this comedy isn’t perfect, and there are a number of jokes that
fall completely flat, but for every one of those misfires, there are at least
three shocking segments that help explain why the film has been banned in
certain countries. If you are in any way
a fan of Cohen or find the occasional off-color joke hysterical, you owe it to
yourself to see The Dictator.
Overall Recommendation: High
