The Dictator
Review by Sean Lynch
Prepare to be offended little old ladies, because Borat and Ali G creator Sacha Baron Cohen is holding nothing back for his first major scripted comedy. There is no subject deemed too taboo in The Dictator,
the heroic story of a North African dictator who risks his life to
ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly
oppressed, as Baron Cohen covers the comedic gamut of everything from
child rape to poo gags.
In the hands of anyone else, The Dictator
could easily be written off as disgusting, vile and downright racist.
Yet, under the guise of "irony", the English comedian not only comes
off looking hilarious - but incredibly likable.
The story itself isn't exactly new, it follows much the same path as
any rom-com, albeit with some quirkier tweaks than normal, but it
really acts as little more as a flimsy framework for what audiences
have paid good money for - outrageous gags and plenty of them.
While occasionally quite patchy, it's not until several days later that you notice how quotable the film is. Sure Borat
had catchphrases, but how often do you recall yourself remembering
entire slabs of dialogue pertaining to the amount of potassium
contained in bananas these days? Well, The Dictator delivers on that!
The cast, too, is superb. It's a who's who of comedy including the majority of the current Saturday Night Live cast, The League's "Rafi", Cohen's Talladega Nights co-star John C. Reilly and even "Leon" from Curb Your Enthusiasm. Believe
me, if you are a comedy nerd - you'll get just as much enjoyment out of
comedian spotting as you will laughing at the actual jokes.
An ending which aims to turn attention back to the hypocrytic
country that America has become is well worded, but hardly as subtle a
commentary on society as we've seen in Sacha Baron Cohen's previous
works. That said, subtlety was never what The Dictator was aiming for.
Genuinely laugh out loud funny, uncomfortable and confronting, The Dictator is the crossing-the-boundary-of-good-taste comedy we've been waiting for the South Park guys to deliver for almost a decade now, and in their absence Sacha Baron Cohen has done a damn fine job.
The
easily offended should stay at home, especially if you don't think
"finding love inside a pregnant woman's vagina" is romantic, however
those with a sense of humour and thirst for good ol' fashioned
silliness should grab some mates and enjoy one of the most consistent
"Friday Night At The Movies" comedies in a long time. 4 out
of 5
The
Dictator
Australian release: 16th May,
2012
Official
Site: The Dictator
Cast: Sacha Baron Cohen, Sir Ben Kingsley, Anna Faris, John C. Reilly, Megan Fox, B.J. Novak, Kevin Corrigan
Director: Larry Charles
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