Review of "The Dictator"

When I found out that Sacha Baron Cohen was no longer making his disarmingly improvisational films, I was moderately disappointed. The vulgarity and shock value of his previous endeavors were entertaining, both in the actually humor contained in the films and the controversy they stirred up. So, yes, his newest addition to his collage of characters couldn't have been more than a relative letdown. In fact, I found it astonishingly tame and very mediocre.

The Dictator
Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Anna Faris, Alec Berg
Directed by Larry Charles
My Opinion: You'll get some laughs out, but that's about it.

The plot line was promising: Aladeen, the goofy dictator of the Republic of Wadiya, comes to America to ensure that Democracy doesn't spread to his oppressed nation. His body double is mistaken for himself, and Aladeen is forced to make it in the big apple. He gets a job at an organic food market that employs refugees and even gets a lesbian to fall in love with him.
The culture clash lent itself to plentiful humor, most of which was predictable but still worth it. The rest of the laughs stem from Aladeen's eccentricity and utter boldness: shooting competitors to win a race and changing words in the dictionary to his name. However, as the film wore on I found myself losing sight of Aladeen's character. I felt that the vegan culture he had surrounded himself with had tamed too quickly. It didn't seem that Aladeen was strong enough to withstand the demands of a structured plot and he fell flat, into a predictable, sympathetic human. This was fine for the plot and perhaps necessary, but I have to admit it was kind of .
Had it been an unscripted film, the impact would have been heavier and the laughs riskier, but more pungent. Naturally, the plentiful famous faces would have been absent and the safety of the entire cast and crew would be in danger. I'm not saying it would have been a better choice, but it would have made a better movie. It was still really funny at points, but the truth is we'll only remember Cohen's crazy promotional hijinks rather than the film itself.