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Watch: Amusing First Trailer for Sacha Baron Cohen's 'The Dictator'

by Alex Billington
December 14, 2011
Source: Moviefone

Paramount has debuted the first full trailer for The Dictator, the new character and comedy created by Sacha Baron Cohen getting him back to his usual wacky self. This time he plays a ruthless Middle Eastern dictator, along the lines of Muammar Gaddafi, who's sent to America in exile and must live among the infidels. Unfortunately it looks more like Don't Mess with the Zohan than it does Borat, I'm not sure why he can't ever get back to that humor, but I'm holding out hope this is hilarious. Cohen is one of my favorites and I love seeing him take on a character as bold and edgy, yet still easy to make fun of, as this. Have fun!

Watch the first trailer for Larry Charles & Sacha Baron Cohen's The Dictator, via Moviefone:

That's a hell of a beard! The Dictator is again being helmed Larry Charles, director of Borat and Bruno, as well as Religulous and episodes of "Curb Your Enthusiasm". Paramount has this comedy set for release on May 11th, 2012 next summer, so we've got a while, but this is a rather unforgettable first tease. The cast for The Dictator also includes Anna Faris and Ben Kingsley, but we have no idea how they're going to fit in this. Apparently, Saddam Hussein's best-selling novel Zabibah and the King "inspired" this story about a dictator who risks his life to ensure that democracy will never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed. Paramount will be bringing The Dictator to theaters everywhere starting May 11th this coming summer.

Filed under Hype, Opinions, To Watch, Trailers

From around the web:

Anonymous

Dumb...
Oliver J L

wow big budget comedy.. last scene made me giggle though
Theshom

Oh, here we go...
http://twitter.com/Nielsen700 M.K. Nielsen

Last scene was epic, rest was just OK.
http://www.skonmovies.com/ Sean Kelly

You don't know how Ben Kingsley is going to fit in the film? He is quite prominent in the trailer as the dictator guy's aid. Either way - meh.
- http://www.firstshowing.net Alex Billington
  
  Yea I saw that and was thinking the same thing like... whaaaa? Why him? He's TOO recognizable, it just doesn't work. Ugh, what have they done. I thought this was going to take us back to his Borat roots... but no. :/
  - grimjob
    
    I hope he's not in the process of pulling a Mike Myers.
junk

I'm actually quite excited for it. Not sure why everyone wants him to just keep making Borat over and over again. Cohen is consistently funny in everything he's in, in my opinion - so I have some faith. Hopefully they're being smart and not ruining all the really funny stuff in the trailer, like most other comedies these days.
Anonymous

Looks like it's done in the same vein as his Ali-G Movie. Looks funny, but not in that great mocumentary sort of way as the Ali-G show or Borat.
Jpeters1138

Bold and edgy??? Really? This guy has made his living by ridiculing easy targets. Oh, America doesn't like middle-easterners? I'll make an idiot character from over there and make fun of their culture. Now I'll dress like a ridiculous rapper and again, act like a moron. Now I'll be an idiot male model...Oh Zoolander already did that?...Well, people will like it anyway. Then the guy gets five minute bit-parts in movies like Sweeney Todd and Hugo and people talk about him being a serious actor?? This guy is a talentless schmuck who is only successful because people will basically laugh at anybody being an idiot in funny costumes. And whad'y'know, he's playing another character that's...you guessed it, making fun of middle-eastern people because apparently its "cool" to make fun of those guys with turbans. If he's so "edgy" why doesn't he pick roles that would actually be controversial instead of just going along with whatever the ignorant consensus dislikes at the time. Whats worse is he is taken seriously. Now he's slated to depict Freddie Mercury in a Queen biopic. This insincere clown with no idea of showmanship or genuine drama is going to deface the memory of a great performer/musician because he "had a mustache once." Please America, do the world a favor and don't see "The Dictator."
- http://www.milliondollarcuffs.org Triangle Dimes
  
  Okay so what edgy role would you suggest? He's already played a gay Austrian fashonista, a British Chav rapper, and Kazhakistani reporter, which are all totally obvious and cliche. I see those being done everywhere. I assume because you use "edgy" in quotes you're bursting with amazing ideas and would never play devil's advocate to get people to think you're cool.
  - Thexn
    
    His mom thinks he's cool. Oh, no, wait...she's shaking her head. Guess not.
  - Sweet Lola
    
    The words you're using to describe his characters are just elaborate descriptions of what Jpeters already called them, Just down to their basic ideas.
    - http://www.milliondollarcuffs.org Triangle Dimes
      
      Yeah I know what I said. I said it. I did it to articulate how fucking stupid his description was. It would be stupid edgy if he did a racist Texan or played an Arab suicide bomber who yells at women the whole movie. Gay Austrian Fashion Reporter doesn't jump to the top of the list of the obvious.
http://twitter.com/QuanahTweets Quanah

As one of the posters said (and I'm summing it up) Cohen preys on the easy comedic targets. It's not super creative, but it's funny. It's like a fart: it's smells like something dead, it makes a little trumpet sound, and it comes out of your butt. Overdone? Yes. Still funny? Incredibly. But, I'm not a huge Cohen fan...I still see how people will like this though. I'll just rent this on Zune market through my 360 sometime in July. Nice evening flick with the wife right before some hanky panky. Too much?
Xerxexx

eh...might surprise us. Loved seeing Fox making fun of how the media portrays her.
http://www.milliondollarcuffs.org Triangle Dimes

"America... birthplace of AIDS." I'm loving this.
Truong18

the last scene was funny
- Buster19782006
  
  agreed.
Thexn

The thing is I don't see this in the vein of a mockumentary at all. Just looks like a typical comedy. I don't think it's going to be shots of on the street reaction in this one, seems way too polished for that. Whatever it is, I'm pretty sure I'll see it as Cohen makes me laugh like an idiot.
Anonymous

other than the john c. reilly scene - this was one of the most unfunny things i've watched since.....maybe.....the last adam sandler trailer. seriously, alex - SBC is one of your favorite comedians?....yikes!
tir na nog

I guess I'm the odd one out but I really liked.
MegaMan3k

Sacha Baron Cohen looks like he's channeling John Turturro.
JC

With all his previous movies, he's actually not making fun of the characters that he's playing, but the "foreign" country/culture aka America and UK he was put in. He's using the characters to bring out what these countries think of other ethnic/minority groups and how ignorant these countries can be (Americans in Borat for example) With The Dictator, he's basically reflecting a role on how Americans portray middle-eastern leaders.
- Traveler
  
  So in other words its a movie about dumb Americans? Like a lot of movies these days are. How original... I'm getting tired of it.
Neuromancer

I was in stitches when I saw that supervisor on the side line get shot during the last scene.
borat

that might be funny,i had a little chuckle while watching it.