I don't understand why everyone is bashing this movie-- it was great! I had a smile on my face through the whole movie. Another great piece from Sacha. Everyone knows that the movie "Borat" is an absolute legend, and I'd be even willing to say that this reaches easily it's level. Watching this movie made my day so much better. Obviously some are going to find it offensive, but as for me, I have a very dark sort of humor. If you loved Borat, you're going to love this one. If you didn't love Borat, you'll still love this one.… Expand

i have not laughed like this for a long time, the movie was hilarious and definitely not for everyone, if you have a crude sense of humour and its very un pc

Brilliant , its as good as borat if not better , the trailer and reviews really don't do it justice. Brilliant progression of constant hilarity.All the best bits are offensive so aren't in the trailer.

I will start off by saying I do enjoy Sacha Baron Cohen and find him very funny even thought I thought Bruno was weak and Ali G was better as a show or short clips I had seen the reviews on this site about people leaving the cinema early and thought may be the same again. But this ended up being the funniest film I have seen this year the whole cinema was in fits of laughter as well. Some stuff I can see people being offended by but that's the risk you take with his movie's but all in all this is up there with Borat very funny movie a must see.… Expand

It is one of Sasha Baron Cohen's film and his first scripted. Funny, but cliche. Decent comedy and worth the price of admission. Even the Anchorman 2 teaser was worth the admission...

One of the funnier movies I've seen in a while. It really picks up steam around the halfway mark. You will probably be offended if you identify with crunchy hipster puss1es who live in park slope and williamsburg but that's what made it funny for me. Definitely not pc and definitely worth seeing.

One of the best comedies in years! Absolute brilliance, funny from start to end. Cohen is a genius. Looking forward to watching it a 2nd time.

I loved the movie, it had its laugh out loud moments. The script is great, lots of fun, a little bit of politics, and great jokes by SBC. I highy recommend it!

Haha, all people beneath me are hating the movie... I liked it very much tough, just laughing, not the best plot ever, but i can live with that!! not every movie can be the green mile or something. and of course its stupid sometimes, but Sacha Baron Cohen's face makes a lot good.

This is the funniest movie I have seen since "South Park: Bigger, Longer and uncut. It is the funniest live action movie I have seen since "Duck Soup" by the Marx Brothers. One thing though you have to make up your mind early on to just go with and you will laugh more than you have laughed at a movie in a long time.

Awsome movie, laughed like 1/3 of the movie. Loved it, i guess that many people find it offensive but cmon, its only jokes. Jews stop dislikeing it!!!!!!!!!

Excellent movie! Sacha Baron Cohen is back with one of the best comedy movie ever! Simply perfect. I love Aladeen! Excellent movie! Sacha Baron Cohen is back with one of the best comedy movie ever! Simply perfect. I love Aladeen! Excellent movie! Sacha Baron Cohen is back with one of the best comedy movie ever! Simply perfect. I love Aladeen! Excellent movie! Sacha Baron Cohen is back with one of the best comedy movie ever! Simply perfect. I love Aladeen!… Expand

Excellent film. Film of the year for me so far, Many laughs were had, Thanks SBC for another great film. Actor of the decade. Very creative and original, could watch it again and again.

The last movie where I laughed so much was The Hangover. Different kind of movie, but very funny. A few parts were a little over the top and gross, but overall it very good. To me, Sasha's style is similar to that of the creators of Southpark, but somewhat more refined.

The movie is very good, has all this black humor that I love and when you go to the movies, you know what you're gonna see. Shacha Baron Cohen is a hilarious actor.

Waaaaay funnier than the other garbage that's out there currently passing for comedy cinema. Don't listen to the humorless nay-sayers. This film is well worth a look.

I wasn't expecting much from this movie but it blew me away. It was really funny and worth the money to see it. I didnt like Borat or Bruno but really loved this.

Angels: Sacha Baron Cohen-funny, original, gross, satirical, brilliant...what can I say. Actually, I wanted to stop here Angels, but the site would not let me.

Play you harps beautifully Angels.

Either you get Sascha Baron Cohen, or you don't! This is him at his best! Or worst! Depending on which camp you reside. There are those fence post riding nanby panbies, who just loved Borat, but just don't get the other films? Wankers! Borat was not just some happy little accident made by an over the top wannabe! It was a piece of a large puzzle, given to you by the worlds next Charlie Chaplin. Like it! Don't like it, Baron Cohen led you to the choice. But ultimately it's up to your brain to understand. As with all his work, I thought it very mind openingly funny!… Expand

Easily one of the best comedies I have seen in a long time. I have no idea why so many people hate on this movie. I have not laughed so hard since the first time I saw Ace Ventura. Another easy pick for my movie collection.

In my opinion, this was just as funny as Borat. Maybe even better. I loved 'The Dictator'. As well as hilariously crude humour, the plot was a great one with great actors, great lines and great...greatness. I was quite sad at the fact it was only 83 minutes as some scenes felt a bit uncompleted and lacking in some more dialogue which could have helped to boost the rating up even more.
However, this is definitely the funniest film I have seen all year, in my opinion. Bravo to Sasha Baron Cohen and his character of General Aladeen for giving me an incredibly fun and hilarious 83 minutes.… Expand

I did not expect this movie to be good. I expected this movie to be mediocre at best, as many of these slap-stick comedies are just too stupid and immature. I was, however, very pleasantly surprised to find that the movie was pretty hysterical, IF you don't take it seriously. The jokes are not sophisticated and the humor is simple... but IT WORKS. This movie doesn't take itself seriously and neither should you. The movie gets off to a slow start but gets funnier farther along. I found myself chuckling through the majority of the movie, and laughing out loud (loudly) several times. Most negative reviewers are comparing this movie to Borat, claiming Borat to be the far superior movie. However, this movie IS NOT Borat. This movie is simply a very well done "leave your brain at the door" comedy (which are hard to come by these days) and contains plenty of laughs, as long as you do not go in expecting to be blown away. Definitely worth 10 dollars.… Expand

Put away your insecurities about stereotypes and politically incorrect insensitivity, slap on a sense of humor and go laugh freely and unrestrained for once in your life. With slapstick hilarity and an almost adorable quantity of ignorant prejudice, this film is on par with Talladega Nights in terms of sitcom and satire. For those overcompensating, insecure and in-denial closet cases that preferred Bruno and Borat (for certain parts found offensive to everyone else) more than his roles as Ali-G, or Julien from Madagascar, this films won't offer you much in the way of "certain" scenes, but for the rest of us The Dictator is both intelligent and political in its' dialogue and scenario. The level of maturity and complexity is well below average, which is pure genius since in this way it can be spoon-fed to the majority and still make an impact. Unfortunately, due to previous titles and their depictions it seems as though many movie goers are shying away from Sacha Baron Cohen's films and the ones left and still willing to pay the price of admission appear to be part of the "shockingly below average" category. If you are a normal, well-adjusted person that enjoys mainstream comedy, then The Dictator will not disappoint.… Expand

Even while very grim, bizarre and out of this world, The Dictator had me laughing throughout. To enjoy the film you had to be someone who can relax and not take everything so seriously, which some critics and reviewers simply cannot do. Not the best comedy film I have ever seen, but i'd say its definitely in my top 5.

Very funny! I cant understand the hate this kept me soo entertained while watching
No sad parts, No Bad guy parts, just plain funny and I couldent stop laughing

I have just watched this film and I thought it was very funny, with all the racist and sexist comments although may want to consider watching this if sensitive to sexist or racist comments. One of the best films I have watched in 2012/13

I'm still a big fan of Sacha Baron Cohan, I think that The Dictator was a solid but good movie. Although Borat and Bruno were 2 of my favorite comedies from him, The Dictator wasn't quite match to his credit. But I saw the trailer during the Super Bowl. My favorite part is when they made fun of the Olympic Games, General Aladeen started to use a pistol and shoots every athlete in a track & field event, that takes balls. Whether you love Cohen or not, sometimes he may be controversial thanks to the Donald, but slapstick comedies are made to be really funny like the Jackass movies. Probably I'll see it next week or wait for a rental. The Dictator wasn't a disappointment, but trust me, actions speaks louder than words.… Collapse

Sasha Baron Coen is like marmite for me in every film he shoots, you either love him or hate him! I skipped Bruno because i was not keen on Borat, and was going to give The Dictator a miss too....I am glad i didn't. One of the funniest films i have seen in a long time. I doubt i would watch it again but for a one off rental this is a good choice.

Great movie with somewhat great message in the end. Some people may get offended of the racist jokes but overall a truly entertaining movie. Well thought out comedy and awesome actors. Go watch it and be entertained.

In short, The Dictator was badass.
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Seemed to be a more cinematic approach to the dictator than his previous films, which felt a little odd at first, but the jokes are plentiful and hilarious! The film becomes instantly much more fun if you go to watch it with a group of friends, even though some of the scenes are a little 'awkward'. Sacha Baren Cohen still hasn't raised the bar above Borat yet, but after the disaster of Bruno, this is a step in the right direction.… Expand

A new movie of Sacha Baron Cohen, I don't be fan of Sacha, I hate he, but I need say that this movie is really funny, have great and funny moments that do this film one of the most entertaining movies of the year.

Like every other Sasha Baron Cohen movie, the Dictator is intended for a mature yet good humored audience. I don't blame the several critics who walked out of the theater, but I feel as though the first half did not do the movie justice at all. In order to enjoy the Dictator you need to be able to relax and laugh, and not take everything so seriously. There were several moments where I found myself overwhelmed with laughter. Overall the Dictator was a good movie, not as good as Borat, not as messed up as Bruno but good enough to deserve an 8.… Expand

I Loved Borat
I Was Cold On Bruno I Like The Dictator
This Movie Still Does Not Have As Many Laughs As Borat But Still Is A Good Funny Movie!

A pretty funny movie with great one-liners. It is offensive to some degree though, so viewer bewre.
A pretty funny movie with great one-liners. It is offensive to some degree though, so viewer bewre.

Really funny and entertaining. The movir comes out fully with its political satire of the oppression of the Middle East and its nervy relationship with the West. The adult humor is a bit extreme and children should probably not watch this movie but it's really funny overall.

Pretty funny film after seeing Bruno which was so ungodly wierd and bad . I found myself laughing alot start to finish through this film . pretty much every thing about the film is rediculas but its what helps make it so funny . Cohen you can tell is having fun with this role and as usaul doesnt hold back from saying any nutty thing he wants to ... but hey as long as its funny . There are also alot of cameos from alot of differnt celebritys in the film but Cohen is the Star and every funny line is his .… Expand

When I saw the trailer for this movie I was amused but I thought it would be bad. A lot of the good jokes seemed to be in the trailer, one person said once the dictator lost his beard the movie would lose its touch, and when my brother came home he said that he did not like it that much. I went to see it and let me tell you it was funny. The Dictator proves that everyone has different opinions some people get it and some people do not and I got most of it.

The Dictator is about dictator Al-Addeen, I think thatâ… Expand

The Dictator manages to be a good comedy but falters in the most important aspect of a comedy, the humor. There are plenty of hilarious moments that will have you laughing out loud, but there are also a lot of moments where he humor is predictable, been done before in other comedies (and better there), or just so gross you actually gag instead of laughing. It takes a lot for humor to actually gross me out, and this movie actually did that a lot, but still I did laugh and, for the most part, enjoyed myself. So if your looking for a good comedy and don't mind some absolutely disgusting and at times dry or flat humor this is worth a rental, but know there are tons of better comedies out there.… Expand

I went into this film expecting about 3 or 4 funny scenes, but I was pleasantly surprised in every way. This is Sacha Baron Cohen's best film in my opinion. It is very similar to Borat, but the context is so much more meaningful and parodic of politics and recent events in international affairs.The whole concept of the movie and its execution aren't flawless, but the constant humour and jokey style make this a worthy film. And don't be discouraged by the 83 minute run time. It actually feels much longer, and is packed with some original scenes. It's not a professionally made film, as evident by its relatively small budget, but it is definitely worth watching for a good laugh.… Expand

It was a really good movie, though it was a little shot on laughs and no quite as funny as I thought but no where near as outrages or hilarious as unscripted Borat, Cohen has produced another hearty film dealing with sterotypes. Though the magic of Borat didn't work for the dictator its still a funny movie with great moments.

It was a really rough start but about 30-40 mins into the movie, It gets really damn hilarious and ends on a high note. Definently worth watching imo. I liked it.

With Borat it was so shockingly funny you just could not help but piss yourself with laughter, but in Bruno the formulae was stretched thin and the gay jokes just didn't hit the funny bone. The Dictator falls neatly between the two, trading huge piss your pants laughs for steady giggles and the occasional belter. Certainly one of the funniest movies we'll see this year, but not a classic by any means but the chance to see Sasha Baren Cohen do what he does best and offend as many as people as possible is impossible to miss.… Expand

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.

the start is a little weird and hard to understand but the rest is hilarious you will laugh until you cant laugh anymore you must see it. i loced ecery moement one of the best comedy movies to see

Saw this with 3 buddies. All over 40 yo and under 50 yo. I'm declaring that if you're outside of this gender or age range, you'll probably miss many of the jokes or satire (under 35), or find them tedious (any female or anyone over 50). Unfortunately, not much of a marketing range. my demographic doesn't go out to see many movies with others of our type. That said, we belly laughed a number of times and were generally entertained by the entire event. worth the 8 bucks.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It may seem pretty obvious but the point of making a Comedy movie is to make people laugh, nothing more. Depending on your religious views, your ethnicity or even your sexuality, you may find this film very offensive but seeing the name 'Sacha Baron Cohen' within the opening credits is surely a warning of that. The laughs begin right from the get go but in some places, particularly towards the end of the movie, the comedy halts which begins to make the movie slightly boring. The storyline of the movie is pretty lame and the acting isn't particularly brilliant but despite this The Dictator is very funny and well worth the money if you fancy cheering up...just as long as you are not easily offended.… Expand

This Dictator is simply funny! it's really random and unexpected with really funny jokes. The movie is kind of short so it doesn't bore like many other movies, and unexpectedly there's an idea behind the movie and it's kind of political. If you want to see a movie that doesn't require anything but some sense of humor you will love this.

Funny Movie. Not as funny as the first half of Borat, but that movie lost its way badly in the second half. This is more consistent throughout, (although still funnier at the beginning). Its also a surprise to see a regular mainstream kinda movie from cohen, rather than the episodic feel of his other films. Its most similar in structure to Ali G in da house. Cohen cleverly makes fun of every stereotype known to man, from the cliche'd way we in the west view dictators in the east, to vice versa, with sexism, racism, and just about every other 'ism' thrown in along the way. Probably not one to watch at a family gathering, but then not overly offensive either, its easily the funniest mainstream hollywood film for a long time.… Expand

I enjoyed it. Sure it's not a movie you remember, talk about for weeks, buy, rent, or keep when someone re-gifts it to you for Christmas, but it wasn't THAT deplorable as many seem to think.
Personally I have nothing against bearded, middle eastern, murderous, penile-challenged dictators___so I may not be as biased as everyone who still remembers Osama Bin Laden and has fallen prey to the programming which thwarts their notions of the word «funny» when it comes to certain subjects or stereotypes.

Come on people... the jokes were OK.. get over Osama wait for it to be on Stars and watch it again.… Expand

Funny, Restless, Offensive and full of Banned Jokes about US The Dictator is killer funny. This is definitely not a documentary but its a good comedy. Sacha Baron Cohen nailed it as the role of Aladeen! But the parents won't be happy because this film is TOTALLY INAPPROPRIATE. Larry Charles has made Bruno which was also inappropriate but for adults it's okay. And even though its 14A it's very inappropriate. Well 7/10 for me!… Expand

It's not profound, but for the first time in Baron Cohen movies, it has a plot. It's also the funniest movie of the year, and that was its target. If you want to laugh, go and see it!

I love Sasha Baron Cohen's other films, well except for the Ali G one (Ali G was better on cable). This movie is not the same kind of film as Borat or Bruno. He does play another goofy character. But this is just a straight forward comedy, a pretty offensive one mind you. It it very anti-Arab and quite sexist, among other things. Still, there are a number of very funny, albeit often gross or offensive, moments. There are enough of those that I laughed a lot. Now, I don't necessarily feel good about laughing so much. But I did.… Expand

I have mixed feelings about this movie. It's fun and specific humor for which Baron Cohen is known is intertwined with some dull moments (e.g. the birth scene). I enjoyed more the allusions and small, intelligent quotes that some longer scenes. The Dictator has some interesting twists in the plot, laughs at Arab and Western absurds, and this one man show is paired with some decent acting performance by others (Ben Kingsley!). A really positive element are great and funny Aladeen-ish songs. Overall, it's a good movie to see ONCE and laugh a bit. And that's it. Just ONCE.… Expand

Movie was ok but not a classic like bruno & Borat. but you know is was entertaining and it was almost worth the 20 bucks (with popcorn & drinks). Overall the movie was great

Sasha Baron Cohen has made another film where he plays an ignorant foreigner and this time he plays a Momar Qaddafi like dictator hence "The Dictator". This movie was a step up from Bruno but not as memorable as Borat. The humor was really offensive but still really funny at times, and I will be quoting quite a bit of the film but the humor was also really stupid as well. Sasha Baron Cohen is a genius but he needs to knuckle down on some of it. Rent it on DVD… Expand

As a vehicle to link together a bunch of genuinely funny and deliciously offensive gags, the film achieves what it sets out to do. But the filler - the story that links it all together - is just too pedestrian compared to what I feel will be Cohen's best work down the road.

The Dictator suffers the same problem as many comedies these days: The best bits are in the trailer, and many of the jokes rely on pop culture. It's lazily written, but there are strokes of genius here and there. Between the strange almost-surreal type of humor and the Borat-inspired quips, the film can't decide what it wants to be, and it ultimately stumbles over its own jokes.

The latest from Sacha Baron Cohen casts him as the titular tyrant, who gleefully oppresses his country, until he confronts reality in New York City. Despite a constant flow of mischievous moments, it's seldom truly funny. There are some amusing one-liners and interesting conceptual gags, but it never pulls together successfully. If you enjoy Cohen's brand of humor, you won't be disappointed, but you're liable to find it more cheerfully mean-spirited than genuinely hilarious.… Expand

It had it's moments. It was funnier than Bruno, but not nearly as charming as Borat. Borat was a likeable guy; his racism and narrow-mindedness came from a sort of innocent ignorance. Aladeen is just a tool who never shows any redeeming qualities. SBC's humour works A LOT better in the lower budget mocumentary format. The Dictator is just mindless hollywood glitz.

The Dictator is the perfect example of the movie that you want to hate but in the end, you can't. I'm not saying this is a very good film or anywheres near close to that, but it turned out ok. I saw this just to see it pretty much, I was intrigued although by the trailer i could've sworn it would be a very dumb film. It actually turned out pretty funny at times, but at other times i felt bored. The jokes were split 50/50 with me, some i found funny and chuckled a bit, but the others just fell flat. Like some jokes that bash the U.S. and other foreign countries (which is about 80% of the jokes) were just taken wayyyy too far, including some jokes about Osama bin Laden which was an issue with me, but you have to look at all of these things as jokes obviously and not 100% serious. I never laughed out loud during the movie so that says something right there. Its a chuckle here and there film, not a laugh out loud film. Sacha Baren Cohen was of course Sacha Baren Cohen, funny, and great at what he does. I never saw Bruno because of the sheer ridiculousness, but i did see Borat and Borat is definitely leagues ahead of The Dictator. I wasn't feeling the supporting cast in this film either. Anna Faris' character just wasn't cutting it for me, i did not care for her at all, same with everyone else. This movie definitely could've been much better. The script was mediocre and the supporting cast as i stated just wasn't there, and half of the jokes just fall flat. The only major positive in this movie is Sacha Baren Cohen which is obviously 99% of the film so thats why i give this movie a 5 and nothing less. If your looking for a laugh out loud movie, this isn't it, but if you enjoy a good chuckle every now and then, then you should check out The Dictator. 5/10 for me.… Expand

This movie should of been better than it is, I wanted to love this so much but it was a massive let-down. Don't get me wrong though, Sacha Baron Cohen is a great charactor actor and the supporting cast isn't all that bad either but what made Borat so great (and to a lesser extend, Bruno) was the witty yet shocking humour of it all. With Borat the humour came naturally because of it's mockumentary style filming and the use of unexpected real people. This is a scripted film where it tries too hard with the shocking jokes that they arn't witty enough, hell some of them wern't even funny! it's a passe movie and a enjoyable watch but it's also the sort of film that will sit on your DVD shelf for all eternity.… Expand

Yes, it is both funny and offensive. I appreciate the execution of this idea. Its much better executed than "You Don't Mess with the Zohan", but too many scenes in this comedy fall flat, and there isn't enough plot to compensate for this.

If you go into The Dictator expecting much, you're going to get absolutely nothing out of it. However, if you go knowing it's not going to be a great comedy, or even a good comedy, then you'll end up somewhat enjoying it. The movie has its moments, but it's not one after the other kind of hilarity. Sacha Baron Cohen is a guy who likes to make movies on a lot of controversial stuff, and he does so again, making mention to things like Bin Laden and 9/11, but it still ends up being funny. Serviceable comedy, nothing great. Anchorman 2 teaser however, it's gonna make you cream.… Expand

Sacha Baron Cohen will always be remembered as Borat. Why? Coz his other films 'Bruno' and this one are hardly worth remembering. It's based on one of the 12 classic hollywood templates with only the dictator character added. Sometimes it's somewhat funny, most of the time it doesn't work too well. I hope his next film won't continue this downhill slope quality wise or he might have to look for another job...… Expand

Sacha Baron Cohen is a good actor and a great screenplay writer and that's the only reason I watched this film. A few jokes were thought provoking and some of them were really lame and cheap. Full-on satire and disgusting & vulgar humor are the qualities of the Dictator. But despite that, I only give it 5 marks because it is just an average film. Not too good and not bad.

I get where and what Sasha was going for here-which is fairly original. So most of my score accounts for those things. However, the humor-or lack thereof- really made this movie predictable and unwatchable a 2nd time. The few chuckles I got from the movie would not have been worth a movie ticket or DVD for that matter.

I was very disappointed that Cohen didn't do another mockumentary, but I was even more disappointed that his first time away from that style didn't yield satisfying results. Most of the funny parts are in the trailer, the characters are silly and uninteresting, and even though the film is very short, it still tends to drag on. In the end, it settles for too little.

No where near the standard of Borat but still funny in places. I think Sacha Baron Cohen's comedy may be starting to wear a little thin and has become rather predictable. Still he has managed to come up with some hilarious new gags and if you do not mind wafting through some pretty poor parts you may enjoy this film.

This was not a great movie. I didn't think the humor was all that funny. I laughed at like 3 jokes. I found Cohen's humor offensive. He usually is except in Madagascar.

When it is funny, it is really funny. Unfortunately, it tries to be a movie and have an actual plot and you buy none of it. It completely falls apart.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I rented the movie and saw the extended uncut version - I found it mildly entertaining although it just wasn't that funny - I did like the scene toward the end about the US "dictatorship" I think it would've been better without the whole love story sub-plot. About a year after 9-11 some friends and I came up with a concept for a terrorist comedy that made fun of everyone, terrorists, politicians, the media ect. and began writing the script - but we dropped it because we decided no one would ever produce it for fear of a fatwa being issued - maybe that same fear kept this film from being as funny as it could have been.… Expand

I thoroughly enjoyed Borat but this film is simply not funny. It's repeated unfunny jokes become annoying and the plot is predictable and annoying. I understand the film is supposed to have a thin plot but in this film it felt like it was getting in the way. Baren Cohen's humour may start to be wearing off after Borat.

This effort brings to mind M. Night Shyamalan. The first effort was great but everything after became more and more dismal. Borat was fabulous, Bruno was pretty good but the Dictator, while there were a few amusing moments, is easily the worst of the three. Some parts are downright painfully not funny. In my sick twisted mind, I did find the 911 jokes to be the best of the show.

The Dictator is funny enough, but it really falls short of its potential, what with a great concept and a funny guy like Sacha Baron Cohen. But overall, a lot of the Dicator's jokes fall flat, and the plot of the movie is just to small and constricting. Then there is the terrible performance by Anna Faris. She has the same expression on her face the entire time, and her voice is more annoying than a Justin Bieber song. Overall, it's not that good, but it's not totally worthless.… Expand

It's Euro-Cup time now, so there is a famine in the cinemas, maybe one should not go to cinema twice a week these days (I have already watched PROMETHEUS 2012), the only possibilities are this one or SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN (2012), so hectoring by the latter's horrid reviews, a satire comedy sounds like a more safe choice between these two.

Deceiving by its trailer, and Instead of being a political satire, the film is no more than a crass sketch comedy, with a plentiful supply of self-conscious jokes about masturbation, human excrement, racism, sexism, gay culture, terrorism, a mixed-bag of all the possible sought-after topics. But how is the effect?

Though in my memories, I didn't perceive BORAT! (2006, a 5/10) as a deserving accomplishment, but by comparison, THE DICTATOR even has less virtue and has no difference with other annually cranked-out Hollywood trashy comedies, which more or less are able to generate some laughters but one would never give a second-thought after leaving the cinema, lest feel repellent even thinking about the source material or simply erase it from the memory. THE DICTATOR marked the third time Sacha Baron Cohen and director Larry Charles work in unison (after BORAT! and BRUNO 2009, which I skipped), but the pith of it is all in its trailer, I wonder, when will Hollywood ever deliver another comedy without meddling too much with filthiness, sometimes audience needs to be innovated instead of being pondered to. About the cast, I donâ… Expand

I dont think it's awful but then it definitely was forgettable. Humour was very expected for the most time and the plot never seems to make sense...which is okay for a comedy but it lacks everything a truly great comedy needs. There are a couple laugh out loud original moments but the dialogue and jokes are so repetitive and predictable I felt like I was watching a movie done by a high schooler.

Wait til this one's on DVD and a friend buys it if you're unsure. It doesnt deserve the $10.00 I spent on it but if you're incredibly bored you'll find the few funny parts in this film enjoyable enough to justify a watch through.… Expand

While it is understandably hard to recreate the success of Borat, Sacha Baron Cohen hits less of a note of focused political insight hidden within doses of raunchiness and more of a note of gross out, juvenile, broad, hit-and-miss jokes that recall a mix of Charlie Chaplin's 'The Great Dictator' and 'You Don't Mess with the Zohan'. While there are some admittedly funny bits (holding hands romantically inside of a pregnant woman giving birth, a terrorist misunderstanding in a helicopter, and a clever speech about democracies and dictatorships, for example), most of the film has an air of mean-spiritedness and when the jokes miss, they miss by a mile. While Sacha Baron Cohen seems more dedicated to craft than the average funny-man, 'The Dictator' winds up being just a comedic vehicle running on empty.… Expand

His first two movies were hilarious because no one knew who he was. Now that his face is out there, he cannot be that guy anymore. Making a real movie with all actors was a bad idea. There are for sure some funny parts to this but as a whole it just was not that good.

It has some funny moments and innovations and Sacha Baron Cohen is a really good actor here, but The Dictator is still a stupid film; a blockbuster just made to win money.

Did I like it? Yes. Is it a great film? Hell no. It has some humorous moments, but overall the film isn't that funny. The best jokes are all in the trailer. Very short. Incredibly inconsistent.

85% hacky. I love 'purposely stupid' as much anyone else, but these jokes missed the mark way too many times. The ratio has got to be at least one decent joke for every three flat-liners, and the whole first hour of this film belongs in the ICU. It picked up around the beginning of the third act, but by then I was only watching because I was planning this review. I'll put it like this, any adult who grew up watching 80s and 90s cartoons has actually heard most of these jokes or similar enough ones to know whats coming. If you have too much free time, sit down in front of this. Otherwise you can do better very easily.… Expand

This was actually a horrible movie. The first 30 minutes were completely without a joke. Nothing funny at all in the first 30 minutes, oh yeah, and the rest of the movie. Loved Borat and Bruno, this movie sucks.

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.

Although The Dictator offers some funny Jocks but with a bad storyline and Script the movie is too hard to like . The Movie delivers delivers nothing lightened. The whole point of the movie is Useless . Sacha Baron Cohen was a bit flat in his role and others were horrible . Saw the Movie and trying to forget it and don't ever wanna see it again . Its a total wast of time .

this movie was funny but it same as his other films his done in past the part in movie which was really funny but the nothing else that was making me laugh rest of flim i watch the bit in it i did laugh that bout it not entirely good movie but only thing which made it better was when ending credit pop up

I went into this movie expecting light entertainment, and got even less. A few giggles here and there, but for the most part, The Dictator was agonizing to watch.

All in all a very disappointing movie, too much hype with the trailer.... It's watchable but would not say I laughed my head off. will not recommend it. American pie and 21 jump street were of a different league of comedy compared to the dictator.

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.

Not a great movie. I kept hoping for something really bold and funny. But it's just predictably "shocking". YAWN. The physical gross-out stuff especially had me eye-rolling.

I left the theatre trying to recall the funny parts of the movie. There was one involving the nuclear scientist. (Not sure why he wanted to continue with the dictatorship, but that is beside the point). I couldnâ

I got dragged along to this movie with my girlfriend and her family - I wasn't going to see it otherwise as I feel Sacha Baren Cohen has been on a steady downward spiral since the Ali G days (which seem so long ago now) when he was actually smart, funny, and enjoyable to watch without cringing.

The Dictator is a slapstick gross out film. Nothing more, nothing less. It was one of those films that you feel pressured to laugh at, specially in a movie theater filled with people (many who weren't too impressed with the film, as I heard very few laughs). I feel the move to a scripted comedy was a terrible idea, as EVERYTHING feels forced and pre-conceived. All the jokes rely on being politically incorrect and shocking to get laughs, but considering the fact that none of them are done 'well' at all makes this the films main failure. I love a bit of 'non PC' humour, and it can be done really well to great effect. But in 'The Dictator', EVERY joke is based on racism/sexism/misogynist attitudes that grow stale before they are even said.

Gone are the days of Ali G, where SBC would use his characters as a vessel and tool to show truths from other people, in result showing their ignorance and stupidity. Now all that's left is a Z-grade comedy film that is best suited for 13 year old boys who aren't well accustomed with good humour, and get a good laugh from the political incorrectness. The only redeeming scene in the film is where, after ripping up a new constitution for democracy for his home country Wadiya, SBC goes on a rant saying that 'America should be run by a dictatorship', going on to mention all the 'perks' of a dictatorship, ultimately describing all the ways America has cheated and gone against its democratic constitution. This is a great scene, and if the film was based more on smart tongue in cheek humour like this then the film could have been a success. Unfortunately, it isn't, and it is not a good film in any form as a result.… Expand

A meandering, occasionally funny let down from a man who should have known better. I barely chuckled and felt as if my intelligence was being insulted at nearly every turn.

Disappointment soon led to anger. The laughs were few and cheap. The Dictator completely missed the nail by a long shot, only people from ages 12 -15 would find the film amusing.

Sasha Baron Cohen's worst **** movie ever. Funny only a small fraction of the time and WTF for the rest. I almost never stop a movie halfway, but this was pure stupidity.

Aaah..Sacha completes the fall from 90% fabulous humor and 10% offensiveness with Ali G ten years ago, to vice versa with the Dictator. He's just not funny anymore.

Boy, did Sasha Baron Cohen ever miss the mark with 'The Dictator.' Like many others have said, I wanted to like this movie. I paused the DVD about 45 minutes in and debated slogging through the rest of it for the sake of finality. Who knows, maybe it would get better. But boy, it didn't. The majority of the jokes were anecdotal, like "Don't worry, I was the best _______ in Wadiya, I came first place in the Wadiyan _______ competition!" And the other guy, the nuclear scientist guy would reply with "But you were its only competitor! You had everyone else killed or disappeared because you're the Wadiyan dictator and that's what you do you **** Let's do slightly different iterations of this joke about 50 more times throughout this film and hope it's still funny." The jokes were like Family Guy flashback gags without the cutaways. Well, there were some, but that of course doesn't excuse how horribly written and repetitive the jokes in this movie were. Another example would be Anna Faris's hippie co-op store-owner, that Aladeen would constantly make jokes about her not shaving her armpits. Seriously, he must've said that like twenty times, culminating in a scene where he licked the **** things. Again, like other reviewers said, I started getting angry towards the end of this film. Baron Cohen is so much better than this movie. 'Borat' was a lot more intelligent and politically inclined than 'The Dictator', and THAT movie had a naked wrestling scene for **** sake. If you're a Sasha Baron Cohen fan, skip this film. If you've never seen any of his work, don't watch this movie. Cohen is a lot better when he's messing with real people disguised as "Borat" or "Bruno", but now that those characters are so popular, and he himself is famous and recognizable, he can no longer make such movies. But hopefully 'The Dictator' isn't all that's left in his comedic repertoire.

I rate this film 1 out of 10, and it gets rating of 1 simply for the fact that it's a movie.… Expand

Have never written a review here, actually signed up just to write this and I have been using Metacritic regularly for a few years now. I had enjoyed Borat, Bruno was poor enough, saw the trailers for this and thought it looked crap, then got bribed into watching it, but when I saw the middling metascore I Said I'd go in positive....simply awful film, I laughed once, at the end, at an outtake. Jokes and plot are aggravatingly transparent, acting is poor, characters are painfully stereotypical and although this should be expected in a film like this it just doesn't work anymore.… Expand