The Dictator

A dictatorial charge of incorrectness, terrorism against good taste. This is goes beyond Borat and Bruno. It's a carnival of unrestrained villainy, trampled taboos and desecrated models. In a messed up world, The Dictator reminds me of an island of common sense, where democracy = the opportunity to laugh freely at everyone and everything (from phobias through the genre clichés of romantic comedy to the absurdity of the time). It has weaknesses, but I let them go. To the question of whether it was more aladeen or aladeen, I answer clearly: it was absolutely ALADEEN. The craziest mainstream satire in recent years, which makes Zohan just another shaved activist... (btw, finally someone adequately expressed the romance of samohana) (2012-05-11)

The Dictator isn't half as funny, apt, or above all controversial as I expected based on the reviews. In fact, it's a little Aladeen in all respects. Cohen's need to cram triple-digit jokes into every scene with a fluctuating tendency is not the most fortuitous choice, because if you want to laugh for two seconds and then feel awkward for two seconds in a repetitive rhythm, all you'll come out with is a permanent cough. Nobody sat on that humor for very long either, as can be seen in the scene in the helicopter, where the main characters talk completely gibberish in Arabic just to make the English excerpts sound like a terrorist attack. Luckily the scene is so long that I decided to take it as a creative intention, and then it really was funny. Oh, and in general, the jokes are long. The movie can bathe in one potentially funny situation for two minutes, which detracts from the effect. The Dictator is just the kind of "American controversy" that comes out of the post-Communism camel-baiting that the US is a specialist in, but a cynical European like me, for example, doesn't understand what's going on at all, because I find the aspects of terrorist paranoia far funnier than its parodies. And yes, there are fecal jokes again, but ironically I found the falling poo joke to be one of the funniest. And, of course, the interactive Munich 1972, which I've already got cracked at home and I'm up to level five. If you want a really incorrect and genuinely funny comedy, get Four Lions. (2012-05-22)

Finally, Cohen again shows himself in the best possible light. His dictator is no different in content from the yokel reporter Borat, but it’s clear that Sacha is again one step ahead, knows what he wants and purposely goes after it. Plus, with his massive beard and unlimited power, he's even more fitting than he is with a Kazakh flag or a mankini, the humour is no longer twisted solely around raunchy or downright controversial themes, and the presence of several stars in the cast suggests that Aladeen will be far more accessible and thoughtful than all of Cohen's previous characters combined. The film has its weak spots and some of the jokes are a bit dodgy, but on the whole it’s a precisely measured, brisk and imaginative satire, the basis of which is better not to think about at all and instead just let yourself ride the wave of Cohen's specific humour, which you will enjoy to the fullest. I didn't expect much after the tragic Bruno, but The Dictator managed to entertain and relax me all the more... (2012-09-26)

The transition to full fiction doesn’t fit Cohen at all. Where Borat and Bruno were sharply satirical thanks to their documentary format, which allowed average Americans to make complete fools of themselves, The Dictator is only eager and a little vapid. Cohen barks and bites in every direction again, but this time it feels as if instead of proper fangs, he had fake teeth. Some of the scenes are incredibly funny (birth! head! onanism!), but I was struck by a great deal of slag (so-so jokes) and many scenes that spend minutes lazily bordering the cringe, only to fizzle out without producing anything very funny (the scene on the helicopter that looked good in the trailer is ruined in the film). There are some good moments, but I expected (and wanted) something much sharper. 6+ (2012-05-25)

I don't often reach for crazy stuff like this, but I'm glad I made an exception this time. I had a good time watching an American comedy for the first time in a while. Of course, we all have different senses of humor, which is why our opinions on comedy are often very contradictory. I have only one yardstick – the amount of quality and sincere laughter. And Aladdin made me giggle several times. The ideal running time spared us unnecessary dead spots that have no place in a comedy. Even though I'm not at all a fan of S.B. Cohen, he was quite tolerable here. 4 stars. (2012-10-04)