The heroic story of a dictator who risked his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed.The heroic story of a dictator who risked his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed.The heroic story of a dictator who risked his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed.
- Awards
- 1 win & 1 nomination
John C. Reilly
- Clayton
- (uncredited)
Nazanin Homa
- Virgin Guard
- (as Naz Homa)
Dawn Jackson
- Virgin Guard
- (as Dawn Zimniak)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe mock-Arabic language that Aladeen (Sacha Baron Cohen) and Nadal (Jason Mantzoukas) speak on the helicopter tour is actually Hebrew.
- GoofsAt 09:40 (After leaving the nuclear research campsite), A Waving Spanish Flag can be found on the top of the palace instead of Wadiyan Flag.
- Quotes
General Aladeen: [to his pregnant wife] Are you having a boy or an abortion?
- Crazy creditsIn loving memory of Kim Jong-il
- Alternate versionsUnrated version - 99mins
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #20.126 (2012)
- SoundtracksWala Ala Baloh
Written by Khaled Ezz, Mohamed Refahy & Mohamed Rahem
Performed by Amr Diab (as Amir Diab)
Courtesy of EMI Music Arabia
Under License from EMI Film & Television Music
Featured review
I went to see this movie with my friend. I would consider that we both have a good sense of humor and are open to all sorts of jokes. I have seen other movies by Sacha Baron Cohen, like Bruno and Borat. I found Borat to be hilarious, but Bruno was a bit over the top for me. This movie strikes a balance between the two, but leans more towards (my personally favored) Borat side.
The comedy in this movie is both hilarious and uncomfortable at times. It has the same LOL- quality as it did in Borat, but there are scenes where the comedy is so crude that it is almost uncomfortable watching/listening to it. The movie is definitely funny, but you will not enjoy it if you do not find jokes about racism and stereotypes funny.
The plot is your typical Sacha Baron Cohen plot; a person from an entirely different culture travels to America and you watch how incompatible the two cultures are. Also, just like most of Sacha Baron Cohen movies, there is a love story intertwined. It's not the dramatic and sensitive kind of love story though. The plot itself is not very immersive, and I believe that its only purpose is to lead you to the funny parts.
I will say this though, the ending speech of this movie given by 'The Dictator' really impressed me. It made me realize how well Sacha Baron Cohen understands politics and stereotypes. You have to hear it for yourself.
If you're looking for a movie with consistent but crude laugh-out-loud comedy, but do not look for a serious and powerful plot, then you will enjoy this film. On the other hand, if you cringe at racist and stereotype jokes, you will be covering your ears virtually the entire movie.
Approach with an open mind.
The comedy in this movie is both hilarious and uncomfortable at times. It has the same LOL- quality as it did in Borat, but there are scenes where the comedy is so crude that it is almost uncomfortable watching/listening to it. The movie is definitely funny, but you will not enjoy it if you do not find jokes about racism and stereotypes funny.
The plot is your typical Sacha Baron Cohen plot; a person from an entirely different culture travels to America and you watch how incompatible the two cultures are. Also, just like most of Sacha Baron Cohen movies, there is a love story intertwined. It's not the dramatic and sensitive kind of love story though. The plot itself is not very immersive, and I believe that its only purpose is to lead you to the funny parts.
I will say this though, the ending speech of this movie given by 'The Dictator' really impressed me. It made me realize how well Sacha Baron Cohen understands politics and stereotypes. You have to hear it for yourself.
If you're looking for a movie with consistent but crude laugh-out-loud comedy, but do not look for a serious and powerful plot, then you will enjoy this film. On the other hand, if you cringe at racist and stereotype jokes, you will be covering your ears virtually the entire movie.
Approach with an open mind.
- mtuspersonal
- May 18, 2012
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- Finchley's Dream
- Filming locations
- Plaza de España, Seville, Andalucía, Spain(Palace of Wadiya exterior scenes)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $65,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $59,650,222
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $17,435,092
- May 20, 2012
- Gross worldwide
- $179,379,533
- Runtime1 hour 23 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content