The Dictator introduces moviegoers to the latest outlandish character from Sacha Baron Cohen: Admiral General Aladeen, a despot from the fictional North African nation of Wadiya who takes refuge in New York City after an assassination attempt. (Watch a trailer below.) Following Borat and Bruno, this is Cohen's third attempt to wrings laughs from a foreign character's ignorance of Western culture and societal norms. Is The Dictator, which hits theaters Wednesday, as fresh and despicably delicious as those first two hits?
Cohen's shtick has gotten old: The Dictator settles it, says Rene Rodriguez at The Miami Herald. The fish-out-of-water formula Cohen "created with Borat and then started to milk dry with Bruno has finally run out of juice." In one sense, Cohen deviates from formula this time, creating a conventional narrative film instead of foisting Cohen's characters on unsuspecting real-life victims Candid Camera-style. What a mistake. The payoff falls short "when it's actors reading lines instead of real people revealing their own biases." Plus, the flimsy script is more mean-spirited than funny. "Time to move on, guys."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.