Review of The Dictator (2012) by Marcbackman — 04 Jun 2012

I got dragged along to this movie with my girlfriend and her family - I wasn't going to see it otherwise as I feel Sacha Baren Cohen has been on a steady downward spiral since the Ali G days (which seem so long ago now) when he was actually smart, funny, and enjoyable to watch without cringing.

The Dictator is a slapstick gross out film. Nothing more, nothing less. It was one of those films that you feel pressured to laugh at, specially in a movie theater filled with people (many who weren't too impressed with the film, as I heard very few laughs). I feel the move to a scripted comedy was a terrible idea, as EVERYTHING feels forced and pre-conceived. All the jokes rely on being politically incorrect and shocking to get laughs, but considering the fact that none of them are done 'well' at all makes this the films main failure. I love a bit of 'non PC' humour, and it can be done really well to great effect. But in 'The Dictator', EVERY joke is based on racism/sexism/misogynist attitudes that grow stale before they are even said.

Gone are the days of Ali G, where SBC would use his characters as a vessel and tool to show truths from other people, in result showing their ignorance and stupidity. Now all that's left is a Z-grade comedy film that is best suited for 13 year old boys who aren't well accustomed with good humour, and get a good laugh from the political incorrectness. The only redeeming scene in the film is where, after ripping up a new constitution for democracy for his home country Wadiya, SBC goes on a rant saying that 'America should be run by a dictatorship', going on to mention all the 'perks' of a dictatorship, ultimately describing all the ways America has cheated and gone against its democratic constitution. This is a great scene, and if the film was based more on smart tongue in cheek humour like this then the film could have been a success. Unfortunately, it isn't, and it is not a good film in any form as a result.