The Dictator Review

                          If you asked me on a day to day basis what my all time favorite comedies are, I would have to say Office Space, High Strung, Monty Python and The Holy Grail..and of course, Borat. Sacha Baron Cohen is one of my favorite comedic actors of all time. He has proved time and time again how funny he is. Whether it be in his own movies (Bruno, Borat, ETC) or in other people's movies (Hugo, Talladega Nights, ETC)..the guy makes it work every time. His newest film, The Dictator reunites him with director Larry Charles. Charles directed Cohen in by far his funniest film....Borat.

                          As you may be able to tell by the tone of my voice and my word choice...The Dictator, for me is some of Cohen's best work. Unlike most comedies nowadays (even the very funny ones) in which there are at least one or two dry spells in which I do not laugh for a good ten to fifteen minutes...The Dictator had me laughing consistently. Not even the cop comedy 21 Jump Street from earlier this year had me laughing as much as this film.

                         In it, Cohen plays an unruly dictator who gets replaced with a body double after losing his proof of power. The film is extremely funny before and after this happens, and although it is not for the easily offended..it proves to be some of Cohen's best work. In lesser hands this film would have never worked. However, director Charles, star Cohen, and screenwriters Cohen and Alec Berg (who has written 33 very strong Seinfeld episodes) manage to pack the film with clever jokes about politics, the economy, and plain ignorance of people.

                         The film also offers a wonderful supporting cast including the always reliable Anna Faris, the fantastic Ben Kingsley, and a brief but hilarious appearance by John C Reilly. As with classic satire such as Airplane and The Naked Gun..the jokes fly fast and furious and you have to pay attention to the visuals on screen in order to get many of the jokes. The best part about The Dictator, however is how it never runs out of steam. Unlike Will Ferrell's Spanish film Casa Di Me Padre which flopped earlier this year...The Dictator uses its short run time to an advantage. It's the perfect run time for a film like this, and there are some consistent gags that cracked me up every time but could have been tedious in a longer film.

                          Cohen has been promoting this film on an endless amount of talk shows and other television programs. For this reason, you may feel as if you have already seen The Dictator, but you have not. It is a rollicking farce that is made for those who don't mind tons of filth and crudeness in their humor.
(4 and 1/2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for strong crude and sexual content, brief male nudity, language, and some violent images)
Footnote: Although I said this film was funnier than 21 Jump Street, I gave it the same rating due to the fact that The Dictator is not for everyone.