Tell us what you thought of 'The Dictator'
Sacha Baron Cohen's latest hits theaters today
Sacha Baron Cohen in "The Dictator"
Credit: Paramount Pictures
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I haven't caught up with Sacha Baron Cohen's latest shenanigans in "The Dictator" yet but the wife thinks it looks funny so maybe we'll make it out this weekend. I do get the sense that things are running a bit thin and hope Cohen can jump into this Freddy Mercury thing ASAP for a nice shift (not that collaborations with Tim Burton and Martin Scorsese haven't been refreshing). Anyway, I imagine many of you will be seeing it, too, so when/if you do, head on back here with your thoughts.
Kristopher Tapley has covered the film awards landscape for over a decade. He founded In Contention in 2005. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Times of London and Variety. He begs you not to take any of this too seriously.
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2012-2013 OSCAR PREDICTIONS
UPDATED: FEB 25, 2013
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Original Screenplay
Best Cinematography
Best Costume Design
Best Film Editing
Best Makeup And Hairstyling
Best Original Score
Best Original Song
Best Production Design
Best Sound Editing
Best Sound Mixing
Best Visual Effects
Best Animated Feature Film
Best Documentary Feature
Best Foreign Language Film
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Login or create a HitFix account Login SignupJMC
May 18, 2012 at 5:06PM EST Reply to CommentThere were only four of us in the theater at a noon movie on a Friday. My guest and I were the only one to stay all the way through, the other two individuals left at various points. That said, I think it's Cohen's smartest and wittiest film to date. As crude and as tasteless as ever, but some of the jokes are the smartest I've seen in awhile. I think most audiences will hate it (as seen by the 'C' Cinemascore), but I was pleasantly surprised. It's nothing profound, but I got a good laugh out of it. 3 out of 4 for me.
Al
May 18, 2012 at 5:21PM EST Reply to CommentFunnier for being outrageous then any actual commentary. I was hoping he'd be the 'dictator' for a greater majority of the film, and not just a bigoted foreigner. Anyway, it was still a good time.
Gabe
May 18, 2012 at 7:31PM EST Reply to CommentI must say i expected it to be a little funnier... like Borat.. that was pretty much non stop laughter. but the dictator was good enough. i liked it.. unfortunatly i can see some closed minded people being offended by it. 4 out of 5 stars for me !
Jonnybon
May 18, 2012 at 7:44PM EST Reply to CommentFrom what I've read (including the negative reviews) and clips I've seen so far, I'm expecting to enjoy this more than Borat. The man is hilarious, and that's not about to change.
Paul
May 18, 2012 at 8:02PM EST Reply to CommentIt is hilarious. I found it to be non stop laughs just as much as Bruno and Borat. It was weird to see so many stars that were in the movie only briefly. Quite a few people when I went on Wednesday and half of them were females going with their dates. I highly recommend this movie!
Michael Dalton
May 19, 2012 at 9:23AM EST Reply to CommentThe film has its moments (The opening title card, the helicopter scene and the speech) however Sacha Baron Cohen is braver, smarter and funnier than the majority of this film. The film is at its best when he is The Dictator (The first and final ten minutes) however the middle stretch avoids political satire and instead becomes any other wacky, broad, silly, fish out of water comedy.
Considering his previous work and the potential of the concept, this is a big letdown. When it hits however it really does hit, with the speech at the end being the kind of intelligent, funny political satire the film should have had more of. It is funny that a film which so convincingly compares U.S.A to a dictatorship in a scene which is presented as a heart-warming and victorious moment, is being distributed by Paramount Pictures, makes a nice counter to Battleship I guess.
You can read my full review at my site movieparliament.com