The Dictator
Metascore
58 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 41 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 41
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 41
  3. Negative: 4 out of 41
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  1. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: J.R. Jones
    May 15, 2012
    30
    Cohen probably thinks he's Charlie Chaplin lampooning Hitler, but of course Hitler was still on top of the world when "The Great Dictator" came out in 1940; Cohen is actually Chaplin's antithesis, a first-world bully content to target the Other.
  2. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Rene Rodriguez
    May 14, 2012
    38
    The latest collaboration between Cohen and director Larry Charles proves the formula they created with "Borat" and then started to milk dry with "Brüno" has finally run out of juice. Time to move on, guys.
  3. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Ann Hornaday
    May 14, 2012
    25
    Even amid the hit-and-miss broadsides and laugh-free longueurs that comprise most of The Dictator, Cohen's acute hypocrisy-detector keeps on ticking, if barely.
  4. Slant Magazine
    Reviewed by: R. Kurt Osenlund
    May 12, 2012
    38
    Its dolly- and crane-operated polish points toward an acquiescence to Tinseltown mores, which until now Baron Cohen hovered cheekily above.

User Reviews

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User Score
6.1 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 345 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 57 out of 106
  2. Mixed: 25 out of 106
  3. Negative: 24 out of 106
  1. ZenRobot
    3
    I saw this in the theater today, well the 30 opening minutes at least. they were bad enough for me to walk out. and i never walk out of movies. Loved Borat and thought Bruno was okay. But this is no good. The jokes were all either very simple or very stupid. Before this review gets too scathing i'm just gonna end here by saying: don't see it, or see it on video later.… Full Review »
  2. tkobird
    3
    A real missed opportunity... surprisingly jokeless. The best moment is his speech on the U.S. one day being a dictatorship and doing all the things they are already doing... but that was the one joke the audience didn't seem to get. Sad.… Full Review »
  3. Mattyice
    7
    Very funny and a good job by SBC/Aladeen. There were no truly dull parts of the movie. Always funny, no dull parts, an unpredictable ending. The movie was a little too short though. Much better than Bruno, but worse than Borat. If you like a good comedy, see this movie.… Full Review »
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