Page 20 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • May 30, 2012 ‘The Dictator’ is satirical look at tyrant leader by Dennis Seuling Sacha Baron Cohen became famous for his wildly exaggerated characters, including the moronic hip-hop interviewer Ali G, clueless Borat Sagdiyev of Kazakhstan, and Austrian fashion guru Bruno. What these characters have in common is a dense inability to perceive how culturally and politically offensive they are. Through them, their creator dares to do and say what less edgy comedians might avoid. Now, Cohen has added a new fellow to his repertoire: Admiral General Omar Aladeen, despotic ruler of the fictional North African country of Wadiya. Unlike “Borat” and “Bruno,” Cohen’s two previous films showcasing his creations, “The Dictator” is scripted and doesn’t contain the unanticipated ambush reactions of real, unsuspecting civilians. There is a sense of improvisation here and there, but the plot is fairly routine, and even predictable. Aladeen is under scrutiny by the civilized nations of the world because he believes human rights are not for his people, delights in personally torturing those who criticize him or his policies, and is building a nuclear weapon. He comes to New York to address the United Nations, where his scheming uncle (Ben Kingsley) has him replaced by an easy-to-control double while he is kidnapped to be tortured and killed. He manages to escape and eventually meets the proprietor of an organic foods store, Zoey (Anna Faris), who believes Aladeen is a dissident seeking political refuge. With its fish-out-of-water scenario, “The Dictator” takes viewers through lots of misunderstandings, awkward comments, and gradually evolving attitudes of Aladeen toward the America he has spent a lifetime hating. Satire is often like walking on eggshells. It has to make its point by eliciting laughs. This is where “The Dictator” is problematic. In an ambush, hidden-camera picture, editing can build the scene for maximum humorous effect. When confined to the rigors of the written page, the script has to stand on its own. Too often in “The Dictator,” the jokes make audiences squirm. These include toss-away gags about Aladeen’s cousins “taking down” the Empire State Building and a scene in a helicopter shared by a middle-aged couple where Aladeen speaks to his associate in his native language with certain words, gestures, and facial expressions that convince the couple that Aladeen is about to cause another 9/11. The joke is lame and it goes on too long, its length making the viewer more and more uncomfortable. Baron Cohen succeeds in making Aladeen a caricature, but never really bothers to make him a real person. There is a hint of Aladeen’s humanity toward the end of the movie, but it seems pat, and a way to soften a character most of the film depicts as a villain, albeit a comic one. Cohen is a master at instant characterizations. With Aladeen’s beard and his zillion medals on a paramilitary uniform, he most closely parodies Libya’s Muammar alGaddafi. As a sketch on “Saturday Night Live,” Aladeen would be a hit. In an 83-minute feature film, the character overstays his welcome long before the final credits. What started at a brisk pace becomes mired in sentiment and the resolution is not terribly imaginative. Kingsley has very little to do other than look glum and kowtow to Aladeen while he thinks of a master plan to take the reins of Wadiya. Kingsley, a fine actor, is virtually wasted here. Faris’ Zoey is a sweet-faced activist whose politics and ideals clash markedly with Aladeen’s. The idea that the two would develop even a cursory friendship strains credibility. Even a comedy has to convince viewers that such a relationship could last more than five minutes. Rated R for nudity, sexual situations, strong language, and some violence, “The Dictator” is not Sacha Baron Cohen’s finest. Despite some good visual gags and his no-holds-barred approach to getting laughs, he is far less Admiral General Aladeen (Sacha Baron Cohen) comes to New York to address the United Nations in ‘The Dictator.’ successful in getting laughs here than when he points his hidden camera at real people and draws out their bigotry, prejudices, and dark thoughts.