The Dictator (2012)

When it comes to comedy it seems that there is no subject you can’t make jokes about and Sacha Baron Cohen has shown with his various movies that he is excellent at shocking audiences (and making them laugh in the process). Ali G, Borat and Brüno were all characters that played with stereotypes while commenting on specific things and showing people’s reactions to them. In The Dictator Cohen slips into the role of dictator Aladeen and with this movie he immediately sets the tone by starting it with a dedication to (in loving memory of) Kim Jong Il.

Aladeen is seen as a big threat across the world and they force him to come to the UN to answer question. When he is there something happens resulting him to lose his beard and since he’s not used to interact with other people (rather having them killed if they disagree) it results in an extremely funny fish out of water story. I will admit that there are jokes in there which are very inappropriate (for example about rape or molestation), but each of Cohen’s movies have some jokes that are meant to shock, so they are no surprise. Cohen knows what’s funny, so it won’t be long before something comes along which will make you laugh. Some scenes provide clever social commentary, others are playing with stereotypes so there’s something in it for everybody.

Is it a movie for everybody though? I don’t think it is. If you didn’t enjoy any of Cohen’s earlier work then chances are that you will not like this. Personally though I laughed from beginning to end and I’m looking forward to see with which character Sacha Baron Cohen will come up next.

Score: 8