Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Sacha Baron Cohen is a One-Man Riot in The Dictator

Sacha Baron Cohen has a winning formula in place. He doesn't give us too much, introducing only one new character to us every few years. But when he does release a character, what a doozy it is always proves to be.

The Dictator introduces Crazy Character #4 to the world. I love Ali G, Borat, and Bruno. And I can't wait to see Baron Cohen in 2014 as Freddie Mercury in Mercury. This current role adds another layer to the most politically incorrect actor of our time.

The film is dedicated to Kim Jong Il. Every single race is skewered and roasted. Women and food co-op types are ruthlessly ridiculed. The Dictator pours urine on an Israeli diplomat.

But yet a lot of what makes Sasha Cohen brilliant is that he injects bits that are so poignant and profound, so true, and so shockingly deep and moving into the mix of the underarm and goat-sex jokes. His final speech in New York, where much of the action takes place, is one of the most biting indictments of American democracy that I have ever seen.

If you can get past the crudity and amazing tastelessness of it all (kind of reminds me of Wiener Sausage: The Musical! quite a bit. Several of Baron Cohen's lines and jokes are eerily similar to some in the musical comedy I wrote with Dan Sullivan), you will be richly rewarded with an amazing time at the movies.

****1/2 out of *****

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