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Sacha Baron Cohen, Anna Faris, Ben Kingsley, Sayed Badreya, Jason Mantzoukas ... see more see more... , Michele Berg , Liam Campora , Aasif Mandvi , Rizwan Manji , Rick Chambers , Adeel Akhtar , Horatio Sanz , Rocky Citron , Justo Usin , Joey Slotnick , Ian Roberts , Chris Parnell , Jessica St. Clair , David Wolos Fonteno , Anna Katarina , Michael G. Delaney , William Fowle , Bobby Lee , Olek Krupa , Alan Cox , Kevin Corrigan , Mitchell Green , Jenny L. Saldaņa , George Bartenieff , Chris Gethard , Fred Armisen , Elena Goode , Dawn Zimniak , Danielle Burgio , Dominique DiCaprio , Maria Victoria Beltran , Aja Frary , Naz Homa , Elsayed Mohamed , Fred Melamed , Sean T. Krishnan , Eliyas Qureshi , Chris Elliott , Jon Glaser , Daniel Burress , Pete Wiggins , Adam Le Fevre , Marceline Hugot , Anthony Mangano , Melissa Francis , Tim J. Ellis , Michael Hardart , Miriam Tolan , Zachary Mackiewicz , J.B. Smoove , Hollis Granville , Ann Dev'Unay , Sondra James , Tara Copeland , Sydney Berry , Kathryn Hahn , Seth Morris , Kate Pak , Regina Anne Rizzo , Tracey Ruggiero , Karl Jacob , Marcia Debonais , Nasim Pedrad , Mousa Kraish , Neimah Djourabchi , Sevan Greene , Nadav Malmud , Fred North , Fred Hanna , William Richards , Marc Wolff , Cordell King , Chris Elliot , Megan Fox , John C. Reilly

The heroic story of a North African dictator who risks his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed. -- (C) Paramount

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46% liked it

160,935 ratings

Critics

57% liked it

207 critics

R, 1 hr. 23 min.

Directed by: Larry Charles

Release Date: May 16, 2012

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DVD Release Date: August 21, 2012

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Flixster Reviews (6,962)

  • LWOODS04
    May 29, 2013
    LWOODS04
    I was quite bored with this movie. It wasn't funny or clever. It was just annoying and stupid. I didn't intend to watch it but thought I would see what the fuss was about since it was streaming on Netflix. Still don't understand the fuss. It's just not my type of humor I guess.
  • blkbomb
    May 21, 2013
    blkbomb
    General Aladeen: From the mountain tops of North Korea to the jungles of Zimbabwe, let every child labourer and sweat shop factory worker sing... Oppressed at last! Oppressed at last! Thank Aladeen, I am oppressed at last!

    The Dictator is a comedy that relies on the same tactics... read more as Sacha Baron Cohen's other movies. Mainly these tactics are create a completely ridiculous character, add a lot of gross out humor, and make it as politically incorrect as possible. As far as the movie goes, it works, but just barely. There's nothing here that would make me feel the need to see this again, but there was enough laughs to make a viewing worth it. It may be nothing more than just another average comedy, but Cohen makes average seem just a little better. 

    General Aladeen has been the dictator of his country of Widiya since the age of seven. He enjoys having people executed and also having sex with famous American stars. When he must give a speech at the UN or face military action, he makes his way to America, alongside his trusted advisor. His advisor has other plans though and soon Aladeen is replaced with a double so that democracy can be brought to the country and corporations with oil interests can take it over. 

    The Dictator is a slight step up from Bruno in my opinion, but just a slight step. The movie has hilarious moments that are somewhat forgotten in the mess of missed jokes, but they're there all the same. It's a movie that appeal to fans of Cohen's form of comedy, but also will repel a great number of people with what some would call a tasteless form of comedy.

    Overall, this is nothing too great, but it's a somewhat fun time and the short runtime makes it easier to get through. It's a movie that you can just turn on when there's nothing better to do. It's stupid, it's raunchy, it's gross, and in ways it is tasteless. Good thing I'm not one of those people who really care about any of that stuff.
  • fb100002359227440
    April 10, 2013
    fb100002359227440
    Crude to some members of the audience with a silly slapstick, The Dictator become a terrific black comedy, with together the political satire and critic. The final speech of Aladeen could even remember the Chaplin's ending in the classic The Great Dictator. Surprising comedy pict... read moreure, one of the best of 2012.
  • SirPant
    January 31, 2013
    SirPant
    Dictators and Despots are fair game when it comes to making fun of them, they deserve everything they get. Charlie Chaplin had the same idea back in 1940 and sent up Hitler brilliantly in what is regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. The big difference between both f... read moreilms is that Charlie Chaplin's film was clever and funny. Sacha Baron Cohen is cleverer than this, in fact the only good thing in this film is towards the end where his character points out the similarities between the American government and a dictatorship. If they had concentrated on that idea throughout the film it would have been good but as it is it is just puerile crap and not in the least bit funny. I'm stunned by the good reviews it has got on flixster, for me it is one of the worst films in the last 10 years. It is a hugely wasted opportunity and for me highlights the decline in quality in today's film industry. All that time and effort spent on the films production obviously didn't go to waste but it certainly lead way for the biggest anti-climax I've known in recent years, if only they could have spent as much time on the film itself. Sacha Baron Cohen should stick to what he is good at but I guess he's too big now, so maybe it's time to call it a day. For me he was at his best on the The 11 O'Clock Show, 15 years ago. I'm guessing most people here are too young to remember it. He was never that good a writer either, he only real talent is that he can keep a straight face. All he is good for is cartoon voices, I dread to think what this Freddie Mercury Biopic is going to look like, yikes. Oh, and he was crap in Hugo as well, what's wrong with you people? PS. This isn't satire, anyone who thinks it is obviously doesn't understand what satire is.
  • imrealgod
    November 25, 2012
    imrealgod
    A passable comedy with not-so-great performances.
  • cosmo313
    November 2, 2012
    cosmo313
    Well boys and girls, Sacha Baron Cohen is at it again, this time with a new character, and in non-mockumentary fashion. Frequent collaborator Larry Charles is at the helm once more for this shocking, depraved, and utterly hilarious satire about a ruthless dictator of an impoveris... read morehed African nation.

    Admiral General Aladeen rules over the fictional nation of Wadiya with a rather iron fist. He's basically a more goofy and ignorant though no less rtuthless version of dictators like Saddam, Amin, or Kim Jong-Il. After being threatened by global forces, Aladeen travels to the U.S. to address the world at the U.N. While in town, he is betrayed, left for dead, and forced to roam the land as an unrecognizable ordinary citizen.

    His eventual quest for revenge sees him forming a highly improbable partnership and relationship with his polar opposite: a textbook hipster activist Zooey who runs an uber liberal activist co-op grocery store.

    Along the way, there's of course character change, growth, and development, but that's not what people want. They want the humor that is wildly gross, offensive, shocking, and funny as hell. This is a sharp movie. I didn't like it as much as Borat, but it's better than Bruno. The political jokes, ethnic humor, and all of that are dead on in their satirical greatness and subversiveness. This isn't Cohen's most inspired work (overall), but it is proof that he is one of the best and most important comic actors out there.

    While a lot of the jokes are great, including some stuff I never thought I'd ever see, not all are gold. A number of them fall flat, or just go on for way too long. And, while there are some surprises, there's also a lot of stuff I was expecting to be included as well.

    Still though, you really have to give props to Cohen and company for having the guts to continually push the limits of taste while furthering the realm of comedy. Also, special praise should be given for the fact that the film can be simultaneously witty satire with a sharp edge, and totally ridiculously goofy and dumb.

    Obviously this isn't for the easily offended, but if you're in the mood for a funny movie with a great vision, and don't mind cringe-inducing moments galore, then see this movie.
  • ScoopOnline
    October 3, 2012
    ScoopOnline
    "Hotel Manager: Admiral General, welcome to New York City. And while you're here, I highly recommend a visit to the Empire State Building, before you or one of your cousins takes it down."

    Waiter/Minister: That's a made up name. What is your real name?
    General Aladeen: Ladis.    ... read more
    Waiter/Minister: Ladis what?
    General Aladeen: Ladis WUSH HARAM.
    Waiter/Minister: So your name is like the sign, Ladies' Washroom.




    I m not really Sasha Baron Cohen fan, many of his Movies are really not my piece of cake though this one took me with surprise. I enjoyed every bit of it. I ll wait with my final review till my Friends have watched it.

    THOUGH I CAN ONLY RECOMMEND IT if you know the real meaning of "Dark Humor" Although I guess everytime watching Sasha Movies, "dark humor" have to be defined every time new. "sick sense of humor?" :))

    There is this Tagline from a A David Zucker Movie::Laugh like your Country depends on it. Have suited more to this movie. Is it me or the Movie was a sort of answer to the movie "Big Fat Important Movie."?
  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    September 1, 2012
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    "You go to the bathroom after Osama, you will realize the true meaning of terrorism."

    The heroic story of a dictator who risks his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed.

    <
    ... read moreu>REVIEW
    The Dictator follows the fortunes of General Aladeen (from the Gaddafi/Saddam school of murderous Arab dictators) as he travels to New York to address the UN, is stripped of his beard and replaced by a stand in, and his to find a way of surviving in a city which does not believe he is a powerful wealthy dictator (and wouldn't have a lot of sympathy for him if it did). Sacha Baron Cohen's follow up to Brüno is his most coherent, structured movie so far. There is a proper story, other characters beyond the the titular mainstay, and humour which arrives by way of proper jokes, crafted situations and so on, rather than simply exploiting the attitudes and ignorance of the unwary general public.

    Which is not to say that this is tasteful (it isn't) or gentle (it most certainly is not). There are some savage, but effective jokes (for me the best of these was when Aladeen and an associate are on a helicopter tour of New York and start talking, in Arabic, about the sights they want to see - Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty - and their enthusiasm for the Porsche 911, to the increasing alarm of the other passengers). A speech near the end rather overstates its satirical purpose, but much of the satire is pleasingly subversive notwithstanding the fact that Middle Eastern dictators are a pretty soft target. Cohen is a clever and brave writer and performer who pitches his comedy right at the edge of the precipice over which humour tumbles into unacceptability, and this movie has to be judged successful for there are many very funny moments. Anna Faris, as always, is prepared to make herself look silly in pursuit of that laugh out loud moment, and does so in this case with a portrayal which also has charm.
  • kiriyamakazou
    August 25, 2012
    kiriyamakazou
    Sacha Baron Cohen drops the documentary format, which is for the best after the awful Bruno. This time he brings as the character if General Aladeen, a dictator of a made-up country. On a trip to the US he is kidnapped, robbed of his beard and replaced by a lookalike. The film ha... read mores some funny moments, but most of the time it just falls flat. The plot itself is quite refreshing, as the protagonist is an evil dictator that is trying to stop democracy in his country. Luckily Cohen enthuses his performance with enough charm and tongue in cheek moments that he is likable, even though he references rape and abusing little boys. Obviously Cohen isn't trying to give us a realistic performance. Some of the lines are funny, especially a speech that tells America how great a dictatorship is. A couple of A list cameos in self-deprecating roles are also much appreciated. The film just doesn't manage to shock as much as it should, nor does it have enough clever laughs. You can predict a lot of the jokes and Aladeen offends so many people it loses all effect after the first 30 minutes. Enjoyable enough in some parts, I wish I had seen the shorter theatrical version.
  • YodaMasterJedi
    August 25, 2012
    YodaMasterJedi
    Funny Shit HAHAHA!!!

View All The Dictator Reviews

Critic Reviews

David Denby
May 22, 2012
David Denby, New Yorker

The film has a vicious edge that the Marx Brothers didn't have, and it's too low-minded to achieve their enchanting blend of anarchy and surrealism. Full Review

Joe Morgenstern
May 17, 2012
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

Now [Cohen is] turning material both fresh and rancid into tepid gruel. Full Review

Peter Rainer
May 17, 2012
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

On the laughmeter The Dictator is closer to Borat than to the misfired Bruno, which is to say it's funny for about half of its brisk 83 minutes. Full Review

Dana Stevens
May 16, 2012
Dana Stevens, Slate

Most of The Dictator had me neither laughing nor shocked, but just staring at the screen in anxious is-that-all-there-is? silence. Full Review

Christopher Orr
May 16, 2012
Christopher Orr, The Atlantic

A bit scattershot and schticky, the film never quite settles into a consistent comic rhythm. Yet for fans of Baron Cohen's work there are plenty of moments of crass hilarity. Full Review

Randy Cordova
May 16, 2012
Randy Cordova, Arizona Republic

For the most part, the movie's rhythms feel slightly off -- there are long stretches without a laugh -- and there is a mean-spirited air to the whole thing. Full Review

Peter Travers
May 16, 2012
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

The Dictator starts at outrageous and rockets on from there. Screw the occasional sputter. Full Review

David Edelstein
May 16, 2012
David Edelstein, NPR

The Dictator is loose and slap-happy and full of sharp political barbs and has funny actors moving in and out - and at a lickety-split 83 minutes, it doesn't wear out its welcome. Full Review

Colin Covert
May 16, 2012
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Sacha Baron Cohen's third starring feature, and the first to be fully scripted, is sharp as a scimitar in one scene and wobbly in the next, but it's unfailingly audacious. Full Review

Stephen Whitty
May 16, 2012
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

For once, Baron Cohen has a real script and a supporting cast as skilled at improv as he is. And those complementary elements make a difference. Full Review

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Facts

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    • General Aladeen: I accept your job offer as general manager.
    • Zoey: Well you can't be the manager because I'm the manager.
    • General Aladeen: Well I can if I killed you.
    • General Aladeen: Good morning Nadal! Wake up, Good Morning Nadal!
    • Nadal: Waaaaaaaaaa!
    • General Aladeen: Hello Nadal!
    • Nadal: Oh that is weird!
    • General Aladeen: Do you sell any assault rifles?
    • General Aladeen: You promise not to steal again?
    • Store Customer: I won't. I won't!
    • General Aladeen: Give him one more for fun, Viktor.
    • General Aladeen: Don't worry. I am Wadiya's number one actor. You don't twin four Wadiyan Golden Globes for nothing.
    • Nadal: Yes, you do, because you gave them to yourself!
    • General Aladeen: My performance in Aladeen Jones and the Temple of Doom was outstanding.
    • Nadal: I give it thumbs down.
    • General Aladeen: Have you seen You've Got Mail Bomb?
    • Nadal: Yes, I've seen them all! They're all terrible movies!
    • General Aladeen: I'm attracted to you in a really fucked up way.
Submit a Fact | View All

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The Dictator Trivia

  • Adolf Hitler banned this Charlie Chaplin film in Germany and all countries occupied by the nazis. However, Hitler did view the movie twice. Upon hearing this, Chaplin said, "I'd give anything to know what he thought of it." Which movie was it?  Answer »
  • Who played the dictator "father" in the sci-fi action flick 'Equilibrium'?  Answer »
  • What was the first dialogue film for Charlie Chaplin?  Answer »
  • In The Last King of Scotland, the dictator Idi Amin (played by Forest Whitaker), was accused of doing what to their enemies?  Answer »
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