the dictator movie review
Last Updated : GMT 09:40:38
Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle
Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle
Last Updated : GMT 09:40:38
Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle

The Dictator movie review

Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle

Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicleThe Dictator movie review

London - Arabstoday

One of the cleverest moments in Sacha Baron Cohen\'s The Dictator comes during the first five seconds: a memorial dedication to Kim Jong Il. It\'s all downhill from there. To be fair, the movie\'s relentlessly un-PC humor results in some hilarious sequences, but they occur unevenly and are buffered by a storyline that could have been lifted from an Adam Sandler film. In fact, that\'s largely what The Dictator feels like: something Sandler might make if he was interested in fashioning a satire of global politics. The material in The Dictator is of the sort that lends itself to a trailer and various publicity stunts. As a short or a Saturday Night Live extract, it could have been gleefully absurd and incisive. But, laden with a painfully underwritten narrative, it quickly becomes obvious that the concept cannot support a feature length film (or at least not this feature length film). The opening is promising. We are introduced to Admiral General Aladeen (Cohen), the dictator of the (fictional) oil rich nation of Wadiya (which neighbors Somalia and Ethiopia in North Africa). Aladeen is perhaps the most narcissistic man on the planet. He has slept with just about every major celebrity (an early scene shows Megan Fox getting out of his bed and refusing to cuddle with him), holds his own version of the Olympics (where he wins every event), and is pursuing an active nuclear program. While in New York preparing to make a speech before the U.N., Aladeen is betrayed by his right-hand man, Tamir (Ben Kingsley), who seeks to replace the Supreme Leader with his body double. Aladeen escapes from his kidnappers but is unable to convince anyone of his true identity. He finds shelter with Zoey (Anna Faris), the proprietor of a vegan health store. He is helped in his bid to regain his rightful position by Nadal (Jason Mantoukas), the exiled former head of Aladeen\'s nuclear program. The Dictator exhausts the majority of its cleverness and creativity in its first fifteen minutes. After that, it churns through obligatory plot points on its way to a disappointingly vanilla ending. There are worthwhile comedic vignettes along the way - the helicopter scene with Nadal and Aladeen referencing Osama Bin Laden and his Porsche 911 while fellow passengers squirm is laugh-aloud funny, but the humor is more often than not disappointing. The best thing that can be said of Cohen\'s brand of jokes is that he holds nothing sacred. It\'s hard to imagine anything being off-bounds for him; the word \"taboo\" does not apply. But those familiar with his previous projects are aware of that. Borat, the film that rocketed Cohen from his small niche of cable TV fame to big screen notoriety and stardom, may have become a millstone around the actor\'s neck. His follow-up, Bruno, emerged as a pale imitation of Borat, an attempt to re-capture lightning in a bottle. The Dictator, although not employing one of Cohen\'s The Ali G. Show personalities, often seems to be mining similar veins of comedy. Director Larry Charles, who helmed Borat and Bruno, brings a similar sensibility to this film, but the sly, vicious wit is undercut by the lifeless script, which destroys much of what could be compelling about The Dictator by forcing structure upon it. The plot-by-numbers story isn\'t merely clumsy; it\'s insulting and damaging. Had The Dictator followed the blueprint of its first fifteen minutes, the experience would have been entirely different. The movie collapses once it throws Aladeen onto the streets of New York City where it can\'t even manage a good fish-out-of-water tale. The in-your-face, way-too-obvious political message at the climax is presented with all the subtlety of a Michael Moore documentary. Even those who agree with it are likely to find it sloppily shoehorned in. One has to admire Cohen\'s willingness to do just about anything for a joke, including reveal what\'s under his robes (although that could have been a prosthetic or CGI). As comedians go, he\'s among the most daring, but more than chutzpah is needed to transform a good idea into a good movie. Cohen\'s love interest is played by Anna Faris, who dyed her hair dark and cut it short in order for her to closely resemble the \"boy\" Aladeen initially believes her to be. Faris is either miscast or underused or, more probably, both. She and Cohen evidence no chemistry, although the ”love story\" aspect is so badly conceived and developed that it\'s worth wondering whether any actress could have pulled it off. Maybe Meryl Streep. Speaking of Oscar winners, Streep may not be on hand but Ben Kingsley is, proving once again that Kingsley is among the least picky Sirs when it comes to accepting roles. At times, The Dictator plays out like a war between two movies: a savvy, barbed satire and a flaccid, generic potty-mouthed comedy. Unfortunately, when the balance sheet is tallied by the end of the final credits, the latter has won the battle.

themuslimchronicle
themuslimchronicle

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

the dictator movie review the dictator movie review

 



Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle
Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle
Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle

GMT 21:49 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Trump to tell Erdogan of concern over Syria offensive

GMT 08:26 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Five things to know about Davos

GMT 16:13 2018 Sunday ,14 January

Netanyahu urges Macron to 'fix' Iran nuclear deal

GMT 10:17 2016 Thursday ,21 January

WHO confirms second new Ebola case in Sierra Leone

GMT 13:33 2011 Wednesday ,06 July

Russia bids to expand Arctic border to seek gas

GMT 09:06 2011 Wednesday ,21 September

Powerful typhoon hits Japan

GMT 11:15 2011 Wednesday ,03 August

2 glaciers in Nepal to disappear

GMT 19:01 2017 Saturday ,19 August

Finland suspect an asylum seeker, targeted women

GMT 02:45 2017 Wednesday ,08 February

Coup defeat a matter of time, says Yemeni VP

GMT 17:38 2017 Friday ,14 July

Saad Lamjarred denied issuance of new song

GMT 16:02 2011 Thursday ,21 April

Chelsea squad not good enough

GMT 11:29 2011 Tuesday ,19 July

Etihad Towers on track for delivery

GMT 02:05 2017 Wednesday ,22 February

UAE takes keen interest in supporting higher education

GMT 07:17 2017 Saturday ,01 July

Key US inflation measure declines in May
Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle
Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle
 
 Themuslimchronicle Facebook,themuslimchronicle facebook  Themuslimchronicle Twitter,themuslimchronicle twitter Themuslimchronicle Rss,themuslimchronicle rss  Themuslimchronicle Youtube,themuslimchronicle youtube  Themuslimchronicle Youtube,themuslimchronicle youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2023 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2023 ©

muslimchronicle muslimchronicle muslimchronicle muslimchronicle
themuslimchronicle themuslimchronicle themuslimchronicle
themuslimchronicle
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle