Cohen plays Aladeen, the dictator of Wadiya. He's the proverbial emperor whose ruthlessly stupid but far too powerful for anyone to clue him in to this fact. So, he does his thing, which includes everything from high-end hookers of all persuasions to creating a weapon of mass destruction. The United Nations frowns upon the former, but really despises the latter, so the not-so-good admiral general is asked to appear in front of the U.N. Unfortunately for him, his brother (Ben Kingsley) has other ideas. Snubbed from the throne, big bro orchestrates a kidnap attempt, replacing Aladeen with a more (if you can imagine) stupid model. This leaves Aladeen to survive on his own in NYC. He meets Zoey (Anna Faris), an eco-friendly shop owner. She takes in Alison Burger--yeah...that's Aladeen. You can't expect him to use his own name!?! Yadayadayada...Aladeen plots to win back his thrown and cling to his position as dictator.
Eh...The Dictator has its moments, but this 83 minutes posts 3.0 Stars at best. It's basically Borat with a bonafide storyline and a lot less humor. One thing is certain. You can expect to be insulted...that seemingly is the point Cohen repeatedly tries to make. After all, this Dick Tater hit the scene with a pretty funny splash with Borat, where disrespect was the normative point. Don't expect anything less with this flick. It does have more of a story to it, which simply means that it is trying to make a point to the main character. The point floats out there, although we're not really sure whether Aladeen ever really gets it.
Considering Cohen's goal with this, only a perverted imagination is the limit. Remember, irreverent shock is the goal, so whether it's a romantic scene with two lovebirds holding hands inside the orifice of a pregnant lady or the all powerful dictator learning to masturbate, mission accomplished. With that said, it has it's moments. Keep in mind, these 'moments' are those that draw a guilt-ridden type of laugh--the kind that says, "I really shouldn't be laughing at this, but it is kinda funny." That's an interesting response, right? Cutting to the quick of human nature and lifting the politically correct masks we wear. That's one view. However, this is probably better categorized as the same laughing that occurs when you see a booger dangle from the nose of a priest during a funeral service--you know you're in no position to laugh, but can't help but to at least chuckle.
Bottom line: it's not anything to rush out and see--obviously, I waited several weeks. So, don't go BIG on this one, unless you're just in the mood for that certain brand of stupid funny. Then, rent it when stupid strikes the funny bone.
True...OUT!
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