The Dictator

       I really wanted to like this movie.  Sacha Baron Cohen (the genius who brought us ‘Borat’), regardless of what you think of him, is an innovator and an impressive comedic performance artist.  I admire uniqueness and ingenuity and Sacha has that in spades.  I thought ‘Borat’ was one of the most unique and innovative comedies of the past decade.  So as much as I wanted to like this and as promising as the trailers appeared, I thought this was an incredibly weak movie.

I can’t quite put my finger on what I didn’t like as Cohen’s trademark ‘in-your-face’ sense of humor was present throughout, but overall there was something missing.  I even laughed often and sometimes hard, but the film just had an amateurish quality that, while it worked well in the ‘Borat’ documentary format, seemed to fall short in this film.  Maybe my hopes were too high, but several times I found myself looking at the time to see when this thing would end.

The premise was promising and timely;  Sacha plays Admiral General Aladeen of the oil rich North African nation of Wadiya.  The film opens with an amusing tribute; ‘In Loving Memory of Kim Jong Il’.  After that, it hilariously illustrates the extravagant lifestyle and upbringing of an out-of-touch North African dictator.  I was primed for a good movie.  While the jokes were offensive and over the top (just the way I like them), the film did not come together in a satisfying way.

Aladeen is summoned by the United Nations to talk about his nuclear program which Aladeen claims is only for peaceful purposes (Aladeen can never complete that sentence has he always bursts out laughing  before he finishes the claim).  His trusted uncle/advisor Tamir (played by a ‘slumming it’ Ben Kingsley) informs him that he must go address the United Nations or face the repercussions of the world militarily.  Aladeen goes to New York with plans to tell the world how it is. Little does he know that his secretly resentful uncle has made a deal with the oil companies and plans to replace Aladeen with a body double whom he will secretly control.

Aladeen escapes the kidnapping attempt, but not without losing his trademark beard.  He then wanders the streets of New York trying to convince everyone that he is the rightful ruler of Wadiya.  During a New York rally against his rule, he comes across a professional protester named Zoey (played spot on by Anna Faris).  Zoey hilariously exemplifies every stereotype of a left wing fanatic and some of the best scenes take place in her vegan grocery store that provides work and asylum for every political dissident she can find.  Aladeen reluctantly accepts her offer of employment until he can figure out a way to exact his revenge.

The jokes through out the film were insightful and spot on. No one is spared from Cohen’s observations and he skewers everything with his sharp insight.   The soliloquy at the end of the movie that ironically compares the United States system to a North African dictatorship was funny and accurate enough to make me uncomfortable, so artistic job well done.  Overall though, I didn’t feel the laughs were quality and it had the feel of a low rent night club act.  Sacha Baron Cohen is a gifted performance artist, but this one just missed the mark, even though the lampooning of the currently political environment was spot on.

It pains me, but I cannot recommend this film and give it * 1/2 stars  (the half star is for the intelligence and honesty of the lampoon).