Sacha Baron Cohen

Full disclosure: I laughed out loud many times during The Dictator, knowing full well that I should have been offended instead. But what you see is what you get when it comes to Sacha Baron Cohen, and after movies like Bruno and Borat, you already know whether you'll be able to find humor in film about a horrifyingly ignorant world leader who's as naive, racist, and prejudiced as they come.

I know that sounds hard to swallow, but there is a big difference between The Dictator and Cohen's previous work: this time, it doesn't even feel remotely real. Whereas Borat and Bruno are made to taunt and embarrass what appear to be unsuspecting, everyday people, there's no mistaking The Dictator for what it is: a total farce that comes complete with actors you've seen before. It may sound obvious, but having Cohen's Aladeen interact with the likes of Ben Kingsley, Anna Faris, and John C. Reilly makes the whole story easier to digest — and much easier to laugh at in spite of yourself.

To see what else I enjoyed about The Dictator, just read more

Sacha Baron Cohen is everywhere this week with his new film The Dictator. But before he played the tyrannical ruler, even before Brüno and Borat, he was simply known as Ali G. Here he is interviewing David and Victoria Beckham back in 2006. This video includes a double bonus because you get to see Victoria adorably laugh out loud. The video itself is actually pretty hilarious too.

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Sacha Baron Cohen may have recently shown up in family film Hugo, but for The Dictator, he's going for more grown-up subject matter. In the political satire, Cohen plays the title character, a Saddam Hussein-like world leader who comes to America from his country, which he has been terrorizing for years. The film is a reunion for Cohen and Larry Charles, who directed Bruno and Borat, and though I love their collaborations, it feels like they're borrowing from their older material here. With his heavy accent and penchant for prostitutes, Cohen's tyrant seems a lot like Borat in a position of power.

While I have always loved Cohen's outrageous characters, the humor isn't as offensive as I was expecting, nor is it as funny; the Kardashian jokes just feel too easy, especially for the man who created characters like Ali G. Still, the preview is so brief I'm hoping that all the no-holds-barred humor is in the film, so check it out after the jump.

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