by: Matthew Rose
I remember when I was a kid and I used to get so excited to see a movie I couldn't control my emotions. I remember drumming around the house, singing the Addams Family song until my mom ended up taking me to see Addams Family Values in the theater. After seeing the trailer for The Dictator, I had about the same enthusiasm as I did back then. But unlike Addams Family Values, The Dictator didn't leave me wanting more. Sasha Baron Cohen, known for his previous shock value movies Borat and Bruno, has become the M.I.A. of the movie industry. Like M.I.A., Cohen peaked a long time ago and the projects he makes now just seem like a bland, overzealous attempt to grab some shock value in the entertainment industry.
Back in his prime he had "The Ali G" show on HBO and from that spawned three movies based on his uncontrollably funny characters, Ali G, Bruno, and Borat. Now comes General Aladeen, a racist, wealthy dictator from a made up country called Wadiya. Basically, if I told you any more about the film I would ruin the plot, which is about on par with a Johnny English movie. However, to say the movie isn't funny would be a mean thing to say. I did laugh a lot at the whole film, but preying on the dumbfounded, God-fearing, Midwestern American stereotypes is becoming a little too easy. I really hoped Cohen would have taken things a bit farther then he did, relied less on a script, and more on his main character's ad libs, mannerisms, and quirks. I could tell you about some really funny scenes in the movie but then I would ruin the few truly hysterical scenes that weren't shown in the trailer.
Everyone will remember Borat and Bruno, but General Aladeen won't be making his mark on cinematic history the way those characters did. In the end, I would say it's worth at least one viewing, but I wouldn't be excited to own it on DVD. I give the movie an overall B-.
