Der Diktator

The transition to full fiction doesn’t fit Cohen at all. Where Borat and Bruno were sharply satirical thanks to their documentary format, which allowed average Americans to make complete fools of themselves, The Dictator is only eager and a little vapid. Cohen barks and bites in every direction again, but this time it feels as if instead of proper fangs, he had fake teeth. Some of the scenes are incredibly funny (birth! head! onanism!), but I was struck by a great deal of slag (so-so jokes) and many scenes that spend minutes lazily bordering the cringe, only to fizzle out without producing anything very funny (the scene on the helicopter that looked good in the trailer is ruined in the film). There are some good moments, but I expected (and wanted) something much sharper. 6+ (25.05.2012)

Eine regelrecht diktatorische Masse an Unkorrektheit, ein Terrorakt gegen den guten Geschmack. Das hier geht weiter als Borat und Bruno, es ist ein Karneval von ungezügelter Schweinereien, zertrampelter Tabus und entweihter Idole. Der Diktator erinnert mich in einer zerfetzten Welt an eine Insel des gesunden Menschenverstandes, wo Demokratie = die Möglichkeit ist, alles und jeden frei auszulachen (angefangen mit Phobien über die Genreklischees der romantischen Komödie bis zur Absurdität der Zeit). Schwachstellen gibt es hier, jedoch ich bedecke Sie am besten mit meinem langen Bart. Die Frage lautet, ob es hier mehr um Aladeen oder Aladeen geht, beantworte ich klar: Das war ganz eindeutig ALADEEN. Die verrückteste Mainstream-Satire der vergangenen Jahre, was aus Zohan lediglich einen weiteren kahlrasierten Aktivisten macht... (Übrigens hat endlich jemand dargelegt, wie es sich mit der Romantik bei Selbstbefriedigungen verhält) (11.05.2012)

I don't often reach for crazy stuff like this, but I'm glad I made an exception this time. I had a good time watching an American comedy for the first time in a while. Of course, we all have different senses of humor, which is why our opinions on comedy are often very contradictory. I have only one yardstick – the amount of quality and sincere laughter. And Aladdin made me giggle several times. The ideal running time spared us unnecessary dead spots that have no place in a comedy. Even though I'm not at all a fan of S.B. Cohen, he was quite tolerable here. 4 stars. (04.10.2012)

So, Edward Norton, too? A good comedy that is strong in details, but overall it’s another classic Cohen piece crammed with political incorrectness and (im)moral lessons, but in a different package. (26.08.2012)

Ich habe den Eindruck, dass es Sacha Baron Cohen längere Zeit nicht gelingen wird, den Erfolg von Borat zu wiederholen. Mit Brüno ist es ihm nicht gelungen. Diesmal hat er auf die Dokumentarfilmform verzichtet, er hat einen echten Film mit einer echten Handlung probiert… Obwohl das Ergebnis besser ist, gibt es in dem Film auch einige widerspruchsvolle Momente. Viele Situationen sind super lustig, viele Witze (in Anführungszeichen) sind aber überflüssig (und sie wiederholen sich). Das Finale wurde ziemlich schlampig gemacht. Meiner Meinung nach täuscht der Film nur vor, dass er sich über solche Klischees lustig macht. Dreieinhalb. (27.07.2014)

Finally, Cohen again shows himself in the best possible light. His dictator is no different in content from the yokel reporter Borat, but it’s clear that Sacha is again one step ahead, knows what he wants and purposely goes after it. Plus, with his massive beard and unlimited power, he's even more fitting than he is with a Kazakh flag or a mankini, the humour is no longer twisted solely around raunchy or downright controversial themes, and the presence of several stars in the cast suggests that Aladeen will be far more accessible and thoughtful than all of Cohen's previous characters combined. The film has its weak spots and some of the jokes are a bit dodgy, but on the whole it’s a precisely measured, brisk and imaginative satire, the basis of which is better not to think about at all and instead just let yourself ride the wave of Cohen's specific humour, which you will enjoy to the fullest. I didn't expect much after the tragic Bruno, but The Dictator managed to entertain and relax me all the more... (26.09.2012)

The Dictator isn't half as funny, apt, or above all controversial as I expected based on the reviews. In fact, it's a little Aladeen in all respects. Cohen's need to cram triple-digit jokes into every scene with a fluctuating tendency is not the most fortuitous choice, because if you want to laugh for two seconds and then feel awkward for two seconds in a repetitive rhythm, all you'll come out with is a permanent cough. Nobody sat on that humor for very long either, as can be seen in the scene in the helicopter, where the main characters talk completely gibberish in Arabic just to make the English excerpts sound like a terrorist attack. Luckily the scene is so long that I decided to take it as a creative intention, and then it really was funny. Oh, and in general, the jokes are long. The movie can bathe in one potentially funny situation for two minutes, which detracts from the effect. The Dictator is just the kind of "American controversy" that comes out of the post-Communism camel-baiting that the US is a specialist in, but a cynical European like me, for example, doesn't understand what's going on at all, because I find the aspects of terrorist paranoia far funnier than its parodies. And yes, there are fecal jokes again, but ironically I found the falling poo joke to be one of the funniest. And, of course, the interactive Munich 1972, which I've already got cracked at home and I'm up to level five. If you want a really incorrect and genuinely funny comedy, get Four Lions. (22.05.2012)

Ich habe mich lange gegen Cohen gesträubt, es mit Borat durchbrochen und werde mich nun nicht mehr dagegen wehren. Ich finde es gut, dass er allen gleich viel gibt, niemanden schont und das Glück hat, es sich gegenüber Israel herausnehmen kann, ein anderer Regisseur oder Autor hätte wegen ähnlicher Jokes seine Karriere sehr schnell beenden oder für mehrere Jahre unterbrechen können. Der Diktator vermischt alle berühmten Diktatoren, die uns in den Sinn kommen, und ist keinesfalls langweilig. Die kurze Filmlänge sorgt für ein flottes Tempo und einen verrückten Cocktail aus völlig inkorrektem Humor. Berühmte Gesichter sind sogar nur für Sekunden auf der Leinwand zu sehen, und Anna Faris änderte sogar ihren Haarschnitt und ihre Haarfarbe. (23.12.2022)

Sacha Baron Cohen is one of the most original comedians of today, as well as one of the most controversial, who is not afraid to go to extremes. His films "Borat" or "Brüno" are clearly controversial films, with the first one based on the United States of America and the second... well, actually that one too. The same goes for his new film "The Dictator", where he mocks Arab dictators, but also the world's fear that behind every Arab there is a potential terrorist. The most brilliant scene in the film is the scene in the scenic helicopter, where two Arabs and two Americans are sitting. The Arabs are joking in their language and the only thing the Americans hear are words that they are afraid of. I don't want to reveal more because this is really a scene that one must see. If you don't laugh out loud at this, then nothing will make you laugh. Sacha Baron Cohen has a sometimes simply silly humor, but at times he is absolutely brilliant. He is critical, he is bizarre, he is vulgar, and he is foolish. Together, it makes a comedy that either impresses or disgusts you. But isn't the power of controversy in this crazy comedian? Keep going. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/05/9-umelec-diktator-nacho-libre-rise.html (19.02.2013)

Overall, I expected much better of this movie, but two absolutely brilliant scenes made me give it 4 stars in the end: "Do you want the Aladeen news or the Aladeen news?"; "Why do you have Vita Coco water? - Because it has as much potassium as three bananas." (01.11.2012)