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With The Dictator, he’s pulled away from the stealth-doco approach of his previous two outings by embracing the mainstream instead. Sure, it’s still fish-out-of water territory (with a dash of rom-com, this time), but the novelty of Cohen using tried-and-true set-ups feels fresher than you’d think. It’s almost as unexpected as the Queen popping up on a late night infomercial, and quite possibly funnier.

The plot (with its echoes of Coming To America) is of course nonsense, but provides Cohen ample opportunity to spit out a quick-fire string of jokes – with an impressive hit rate. For every ill-advised paedophilia gag, there’s an undeniably amusing and original riff on puppetry.

After arriving in New York on state business, a string of misfortunes finds the bloodthirsty General Aladeen (of the fictional nation of Wadiya) destitute on the streets, and ironically mistaken for an anti-Aladeen dissident by super-earnest political activist Zoey (Anna Faris), who takes him under her wing. Aladeen’s glimpse of life on the other side of autocracy, and his subsequent quest to return to the throne, dishes up a veritable lol-athon thanks to Cohen and his co-writers.

As the titular character, Cohen inhabits a role that almost matches Borat for stereotyped accent and maladroit misadventure. Despite the mainly one-note nature of the part, it’s to Cohen’s credit that we keep watching, and indeed caring about Aladeen. But it’s not just Cohen’s superb timing that’s on display: supporting players are key to the film’s success. Cohen has found a gifted foil in Jason Mantzoukas (as Nadal, Wadiya’s top nuclear scientist) and Faris gives her activist love interest a dedication and earnestness that lifts the film as much as it grounds it.

Although the opening sequence is slightly clunky and rushed, the film settles into a good rhythm before long, and at 83 minutes the pace is brisk.

With only one really effective moment of political satire, you might argue this latest adventure in scatology lacks bite. Be that as it may, at least it’s not preachy - and more importantly, it will make you laugh.

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originally posted: 05/21/12 11:22:27
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