Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures

June 9, 2012

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Remember when you first saw Borat and you were utterly appalled and amused at the same time?  That is exactly how The Dictator is, except that you know it's OK because it's scripted. And everything horrible and appalling that comes out of Sasha Baron Cohen's mouth as Aladeen is just that, a character.

We start off by seeing just how horrible Aladeen treats his African nation of Wadiya. He often executes anyone who gets in his way or disobeys him. He also runs a nuclear program, which is why the UN has invited him to the U.S. to address their concerns about the program. However, as he arrives, he is kidnapped and assumed dead, by his trusted right-hand man Tahir (Ben Kingsley). As Aladeen tries to get back into the UN after his kidnapping, he realizes Tahir has turned on him when he sees his 'double' being led by Tahir into the UN.

Aladeen meets Zoey (Ana Faris), an environmentalist, equal-rights, activist, at a protest at the UN and she takes him under her wing and offers him a job at her shop. He proceeds by insulting most of the staff and eventually her, so he is on his own again. He stumbles into a restaurant where everyone hates Aladeen. The staff and patrons are onto him, when his former chief nuclear scientist, who he thought he had killed, comes to his rescue. The pair hatch a plan to get him back into the UN meeting and take back his rightful place as dictator. Aladeen realizes he needs Zoey's help, as her shop is catering the UN meeting at the Waldorf, so he heads back to her shop and takes the job to give him access to the meeting.

Of course, he falls for her along the way and eventually makes his way into the meeting on his own. While his initial intention is to tell the UN that he has no plans to end his nuclear program, he sees Zoey in the back of the room and eventually says that Wadiya will become a democratic nation.

Cohen is hysterical as Aladee, between the antics with Faris and his former scientist and just the complete political incorrectness of the character, he is brillant. And the scene when he learns to touch himself is just fantastic.

This is definitely a must-see comedy for the summer. I just hope that it stays in the theaters for a while. And remember, if you do see the film, it's just a character and it's OK to laugh, as most of the theater, I feel, was afraid to laugh at the inappropriate dialogue.

3 stars.