MOVIE OF THE WEEK #1 (5/16/12): THE DICTATOR
"This is STILL easier than finding a parking space if you drive through New York City!" Admiral General Aladeen (Sacha Baron Cohen) shows he knows how to make an entrance in a scene from THE DICTATOR. Credit: Melinda Sue Goron © 2012 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Sacha Baron Cohen, Anna Faris, Ben Kingsley and Jason Mantzoukas
WRITER(S): Sacha Baron Cohen, Alec Berg, David Mandel and Jeff Schaffer (screenplay)
DIRECTOR: Larry Charles
WEB SITE: http://www.republicofwadiya.com/
THE PLOT: Sacha Baron Cohen's first non-documentary style character-based film, The Dictator stars the former Ali G/Borat/Brüno as Admiral General Aladeen, the supreme leader of the fictional northeastern nation of Wadiya.
Ruthless as he is well, not smart, Aladeen gets summoned to New York City to appear before the United Nations to speak about the nuclear weapons of mass destruction he has refused to let them investigate. But once he's in the Big Apple, Aladeen discovers the reason his trusted second in command, Tamir (Ben Kingsley), really wanted him to go to New York: To assassinate him, replace him with a completely controllable imbecile of a double (also played by Cohen) and sign a new constitution declaring Wadiya a democracy ... And as it just so happens, that democracy will allow Tamir to open petroleum-rich Wadiya up to "Big Oil" for a nice 30 percent finder's fee.
As it so happens, though, Aladeen escapes but finds himself wandering the streets of New York City and inadvertently wanders into a crowd ... That just so happens to be protesting all of the atrocities he holds so dear. That's also where he first meets Zoey, a "love all, peace for all" Earth-loving Whole Foods-style business owning complete with the unshaven physique to match. And as you might expect, her presence and opinions (like the fact she has any) are quite a shock to the system for our dear dictator.
Luckily for Aladeen, a former employee of his – Nadal (Jason Mantzoukas) – just so happens to be in New York, too. So can he and Aladeen formulate a plan to save his dictatorship and his beloved homeland before they both fall victim to Tamir's scheming? You know where I'm going with this ...
THE TAKE: Up to this point in his career – save for his turn as a French Formula One turned NASCAR driver in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and animated work in the Madagascar films – Cohen's TV/film career has consisted of the same thing: Playing an outrageous character who, using his improvisational talents, brings out humor by punking unsuspecting, unaware victims. Be it Ali G. embarrassing politicians, Borat embarrassing unsuspecting Americans and Brüno embarrassing well, just about everyone who crosses his path, Cohen's character assault has rarely been about laughing at himself.
The Dictator, however, proves that while it may not be just as funny as watching him use his talents to make others uncomfortable, Cohen is still humorous when most of the jokes are on him.
Now, fear not, longstanding Cohen fans. You'll still get your occasional hits of political satire throughout The Dictator, they just won't be as frequent. The same can be said for jokes pertaining to sex, cultural fears and out and out general silliness. Unlike most of Cohen's previous works, however, The Dictator spreads the spotlight around a little bit as Mantzoukas does a great job in his role as Smithers to Aladeen's Montgomery Burns-esque out of touch leader. (If you don't watch The Simpsons, I realize that reference is lost on you, but it's really a great comparison.)
Likewise, Farris is great at filling a Zooey Deschanel-like need as the free-spirited Zoey, managing to play the willing straight (wo)man to Aladeen as he makes his way from man child to ... A man child that is a little less juvenile. Of course, some effective cameos (there are a bunch) help keep the comedy-per-minute ratio high and the awkward-on-purpose chemistry between Faris and Cohen's characters works very efficiently.
While nowhere as outlandish as Borat was, the film is also not as "in your face" story-wise or politically as Brüno. One would hate to reduce conversation of The Dictator as the debut of a kinder, gentler Cohen (don't worry – it's not); instead, it might be best to think of it a nice bridge between those who love outrageous, in your face Cohen and watching him stick to a script where the whole experience isn't about making others uncomfortable. Without question, however, it's definitely a different change of pace, but one that may ultimately serve Cohen well since he's a bit too recognizable now to go around making fun of the average American citizen (despite how much he loves it).
The Dictator, however, proves that while it may not be just as funny as watching him use his talents to make others uncomfortable, Cohen is still humorous when most of the jokes are on him.
Now, fear not, longstanding Cohen fans. You'll still get your occasional hits of political satire throughout The Dictator, they just won't be as frequent. The same can be said for jokes pertaining to sex, cultural fears and out and out general silliness. Unlike most of Cohen's previous works, however, The Dictator spreads the spotlight around a little bit as Mantzoukas does a great job in his role as Smithers to Aladeen's Montgomery Burns-esque out of touch leader. (If you don't watch The Simpsons, I realize that reference is lost on you, but it's really a great comparison.)
Likewise, Farris is great at filling a Zooey Deschanel-like need as the free-spirited Zoey, managing to play the willing straight (wo)man to Aladeen as he makes his way from man child to ... A man child that is a little less juvenile. Of course, some effective cameos (there are a bunch) help keep the comedy-per-minute ratio high and the awkward-on-purpose chemistry between Faris and Cohen's characters works very efficiently.
While nowhere as outlandish as Borat was, the film is also not as "in your face" story-wise or politically as Brüno. One would hate to reduce conversation of The Dictator as the debut of a kinder, gentler Cohen (don't worry – it's not); instead, it might be best to think of it a nice bridge between those who love outrageous, in your face Cohen and watching him stick to a script where the whole experience isn't about making others uncomfortable. Without question, however, it's definitely a different change of pace, but one that may ultimately serve Cohen well since he's a bit too recognizable now to go around making fun of the average American citizen (despite how much he loves it).
PARTING SHOT: A film that finds Baron Cohen toned down but far from muted in terms of outrageous comedy, The Dictator should appeal to most of the American comedy public, regardless of political affiliation.
RATING (OUT OF FOUR BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
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