'The Dictator' a Lowbrow But Likeable Farce

From the guy who brought us Ali G and Borat comes a new character named General Aladeen — a ruthless dictator from a fictional country in North Africa who is part buffoon, horn dog and ruthless bloodthirsty ruler in The Dictator.

Through a ridiculous set of circumstances I will spare you because they are so contrived, Aladeen ends up in New York while his even sillier double is in charge of his country.

There are plenty of cameo appearances from big stars to keep things interesting. As for the element of political satire, we get a pretty heavy-handed lecture that borders on being a bit corny. The Dictator, like so many other characters by Cohen, is offensive but somehow there is a certain likeability to him.

The Dictator is one tasteless gag after another from playing the Munich Olympic games on Wii to having a massive misunderstanding of Sept. 11; there is plenty to choose from. The extended birthing scene, however, lowers the bar in shock humor; that was really bad. That all being noted, it's still pretty funny if you like this kind of thing.

The Flick-O-Meter gives The Dictator a three out of five. It is kind of like watching a live-action cartoon. And if you look at it from that perspective, it's not so bad.

DINNER SELECTION

We're going to suggest making your own dinner this week and then heading over to for a little pre- or post-movie dessert. The frozen yogurt store won for best frozen yogurt joint in our community. After that, head over to for the movie. Check showtimes here.

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