'The Dictator' - Cohen needs to be overthrown.
Ok - I will admit that 'Borat' was funny, it was outlandish, creative and crude in a very funny way. 'Bruno' was considerably less funny, but it had moments and I allowed the opportunity for creator Sacha Baron Cohen to have a misfire. After all, the creator of the very funny 'Da Ali G Show' can't possibly always have a hit - right? With 'The Dictator', Cohen has possibly filmed the very worst comedy in quite some time.
Lame, tedious, boring and amazingly insulting to the intelligence of the audience, Cohen has possibly made the worst film of the year. Then again, maybe that's the joke - he actually made a film that is so un-watchable I was staring at the exit door and finding the humor in that. He made the worst film ever and I assume, one that will make millions. The joke is on us. While it only runs a very LONG 83 minutes, I was hoping for the end within the first 5! The theater was fairly full and I think I heard one person laughing. Presumably, a plant.
Cohen is Admiral General Aladeen, the supreme ruler of a fictional Wadiya, a country in North Africa who is hoping to build an arsenal of nuclear weapons. Pointy ones, but an arsenal none the less. This raises the concerns of the world and Aladeen is forced to make a speech in front of the UN to explain his actions. As it turns out, Wadiya is rich with oil and a plot to replace Aladeen is launched.
Sounds like it could be funny. It could, but isn't. It took 4 writers including Cohen to put together this script, you would think at least one of them would have found something humorous to say. Nearly all of the jokes fall flat or are simply not funny; even the post 9/11 shtick, which could have been funny, ended up just being plain stupid. A running gag of famous stars and their alleged homosexuality was equally insulting and unfunny.
The once great Sir Ben Kingsley plays opposite of Cohen, this si the same actor that once play Gandhi, stuck in this drivel. I am sure he has fired his agent, if he hasn't, he should. Even a bit from the point of view from inside a womb fell flat on it's face.
This is the type of movie I would have expected from Adam Sandler, simply put out because he knows his legion of fans will pay anything to see anything he is in; I expected more from Cohen whose humor is generally laced with social relevance and pointed satire. He is a better comedian than what is in 'The Dictator', a better writer than this 0 star effort. If you want to listen to crickets - sit outside, don't bother going to the theater for this one.