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THE DICTATOR (2012)Movie Reviews
Comedy about a leader who risks his life to ensure that democracy never comes to the country he rules. Cast:Sacha Baron Cohen, Ben Kingsley, Megan Fox, Anna Faris, Jason Mantzoukas, John C. ReillyDirector:Larry CharlesRelease Date:May 16, 2012DVD Release:August 21, 2012From:ParamountRating:RLength:1 hr 23 min
AUGUST 21, 2012
The Dictator (2012), Good (Not Great) Reviews, Mixed
The Dictator (2012) played to good not great reviews. Reviews were mixed. • Glenn Kenny wrote for MSN Movies, "Baron Cohen balances the stupid, outrageous, over-the-top stuff with almost, ahem, radically provocative observations and pronouncements..." • And Randy Cordova wrote in the Arizona Republic, "There are some clever bits scattered here and there..." More Reviews Below...
The Dictator (2012) Positive Reviews (49 Reviews, reviews below)
Richard Corliss, Time: VERY GOOD "...we should welcome Cohen's decision to stop being the best at something few others dare try and instead to inhabit a more familiar comedy style... He pulls it off."(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,127 words, 05/18/12
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: WEAK(cg) "Baron Cohen's least-focused film yet... For a long time, it's hard to tell what his point is in spoofing this type of despot: that torture and rape are bad?"(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 607 words, 05/15/12
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: FAIR(cg) "...a failed insurrection... Baron Cohen's demonstrations of political 'outrageousness' feel all too canned, planned, and defanged."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 316 words, 05/18/12
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "In his country, Aladeen claims, the top one-percent controls all the wealth and a dictator can declare war with impunity, even on the wrong country."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 519 words, 05/25/12
Claudia Puig, USA Today: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...uneven... has its moments of slyly clever satire.... Who else but Cohen could mine humor from human rights abuses and 9/11?"(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 549 words, 05/16/12
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: VERY GOOD(cg) " 'The Dictator' is funny, in addition to being obscene, disgusting, scatological, vulgar, crude and so on.... I feared the movie would feel like deja vu. But no."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 534 words, 05/11/12
Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: VERY GOOD(cg) "Baron Cohen balances the stupid, outrageous, over-the-top stuff with almost, ahem, radically provocative observations and pronouncements..."(See all of Glenn Kenny's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 544 words, 05/10/12
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: MODERATE(cg) "...results in some hilarious sequences, but they occur unevenly and are buffered by a storyline that could have been lifted from an Adam Sandler film."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 829 words, 05/15/12
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (13 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: FAIR "There is nothing especially outrageous here... gestures halfheartedly toward topicality and, with equal lack of conviction, toward pure, anarchic silliness."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 855 words, 05/16/12
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: EXCELLENT(cg) "...often hilarious... The easily offended will be appalled. The rarely offended may be appalled. But they'll have to stop laughing long enough to realize it."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 466 words, 05/16/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "By turns hysterical, heretical, guilty, innocent, silly, sophisticated, teasing and tedious... underscores both Baron Cohen's genius and his folly..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 856 words, 05/16/12
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...wages war with itself, crude nonsense up against crude nonsense that's really funny.... It's maddeningly uneven, though a step up from the wearying 'Bruno.' "(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 468 words, 05/11/12
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a hugely offensive, outrageously funny farce... paints a deadly accurate picture of a dictatorial USA.... Just forgive yourself and keep laughing."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 357 words, 05/16/12
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: VERY GOOD "...loose and silly and occasionally exhilarating... in the tradition of Chaplin's 'The Great Dictator' (obviously) and the Marx Brothers' antiwar masterpiece 'Duck Soup.' "(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 790 words, 05/16/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) " 'The Dictator' is funny, in addition to being obscene, disgusting, scatological, vulgar, crude and so on.... I feared the movie would feel like deja vu. But no."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 534 words, 05/11/12
Karina Longworth, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "...feels strained, as if the film is reaching to simulate the anarchic 'no you didn't!' moments... a rehearsal of old-hat culture-clash stereotypes..."(See all of Karina Longworth's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 849 words, 05/16/12
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...like a Mike Myers movie, trading in juvenile slapstick, shock humour and the obligatory airing of naughty bits. And it's often funny..."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 539 words, 05/15/12
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "...while Baron Cohen's lanky physical slapstick and verbal manglings are funny, the movie begins to feel like one of the later, worn-out 'Pink Panther' movies."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 682 words, 05/11/12
Glenn Sumi, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "There's a lot of plot to get through, and the writers concoct an endless stream of jokes - some of which work while others fall flat."(See all of Glenn Sumi's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 266 words, 05/17/12
KEY CITIES (13 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: POOR(cg) "Even amid the hit-and-miss broadsides and laugh-free longueurs that comprise most of 'The Dictator,' Cohen's acute hypocrisy-detector keeps on ticking, if barely."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 490 words, 05/15/12
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "Baron Cohen plays the General Admiral with a winning mix of straight-faced ardor and buffoonish pomposity... mixes high and low comedy with surprising success."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 580 words, 05/16/12
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...unfailingly audacious... It hits uncomfortably close to home, but where there's no pain there's no comedy. 'The Dictator' packs plenty of both."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 505 words, 05/16/12
Randy Cordova, Arizona Republic: MODERATE(cg) "There are some clever bits scattered here and there... But for the most part, the movie's rhythms feel slightly off... there is a mean-spirited air to the whole thing."(See all of Randy Cordova's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 335 words, 05/16/12
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "...lands somewhere between wan Mel Brooks and good Adam Sandler... in striving for offensiveness, the jokes are just badly lazy... What's the point of this dictator?"(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 892 words, 05/16/12
Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a mix of comic bombshells and conventional plot devices that add up to an entertaining goof.... a fine and riotous jab in the ribs."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 391 words, 05/16/12
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...lumpy... has a few laughs along its bumpy path, but not enough of them to indicate that Cohen has found a means to escape the shadows of his early career..."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 634 words, 05/16/12
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: VERY GOOD(cg) "Cohen is a smartly subversive comedian... 'The Dictator' is too short and undisciplined to be a world-class comedy, but its chutzpah deserves respect."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 335 words, 05/16/12
Steve Persall, Tampa Bay Times: GOOD(cg) "...jokes about rape, torture and genitals have a more polished edge... Watching actors portray alarm at Cohen's antics isn't as hilarious as civilians doing it for real."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 449 words, 05/16/12
Tom Long, Detroit News: EXCELLENT(cg) "Sacha Baron Cohen has more on his mind than just laughs. He is also intent on taking America to task for its many blind spots."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 570 words, 05/16/12
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: WEAK(cg) "...a collection of outrageous gags and jokes strung together by a slapdash plot no one really cares about, least of all the filmmakers.... radiates a mean-spiritedness..."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 718 words, 05/16/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (11 Reviews)
Karina Longworth, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "...feels strained, as if the film is reaching to simulate the anarchic 'no you didn't!' moments... a rehearsal of old-hat culture-clash stereotypes..."(See all of Karina Longworth's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 849 words, 05/16/12
Katey Rich, Cinema Blend: WEAK(cg) "...an uncomfortable mix of comic setpieces... the filmmakers have a lot more jokes in mind than an actual story, or even a concrete character to put in the center of it."(See all of Katey Rich's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 736 words, 05/14/12
Scott Tobias, AV Club: EXCELLENT(cg) "...both more conventional than 'Borat' and 'Brüno' and a more accommodating vehicle for different types of comedy.... Baron Cohen finds a viable way forward."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 978 words, 05/15/12
Cynthia Fuchs, Pop Matters: POOR(cg) "...has lots of predictable business to launch... the movie's comedy is rambunctious or its politics obvious. But none of it is especially smart..."(See all of Cynthia Fuchs's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 743 words, 05/16/12
Stephanie Zacharek, Movieline: EXCELLENT(cg) "...hilarious, an unruly thing that invites you to laugh at things you feel you shouldn't.... Cohen knows it's the impolite conversation that really gets things moving."(See all of Stephanie Zacharek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,050 words, 05/15/12
R. Kurt Osenlund, Slant: WEAK(cg) "...uncharacteristically arid and unfunny... lacks the utilized vigor of mad happenstance that colored Baron Cohen's last two Larry Charles collaborations."(See all of R. Kurt Osenlund's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 748 words, 05/12/12
Glenn Sumi, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "There's a lot of plot to get through, and the writers concoct an endless stream of jokes - some of which work while others fall flat."(See all of Glenn Sumi's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 266 words, 05/17/12
Curt Holman, Atlanta Creative Loafing: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...may be a sloppy comedy with more than its share of comedic duds, but it prevails through sheer quantity of sight gags, creative insults, and slapstick gross-outs."(See all of Curt Holman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 599 words, 05/16/12
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: POOR(cg) "...perhaps Sacha Baron Cohen doesn't realize that he's not a movie pratfall artist: he's a cultural critic.... He doesn't need to invent scenarios to be knocked down..."(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 747 words, 05/17/12
A.O. Scott, New York Times: FAIR "There is nothing especially outrageous here... gestures halfheartedly toward topicality and, with equal lack of conviction, toward pure, anarchic silliness."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 855 words, 05/16/12
David Denby, New Yorker: MODERATE "Baron Cohen, like Lenny Bruce, who was always willing to turn the tables on his hip, educated fans, is not a nice boy.... short (83 minutes), but it runs down fast..."(See all of David Denby's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 814 words, 05/21/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "By turns hysterical, heretical, guilty, innocent, silly, sophisticated, teasing and tedious... underscores both Baron Cohen's genius and his folly..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 856 words, 05/16/12
Dana Stevens, Slate: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Isn't the whole point of going to a Sacha Baron Cohen movie to get away from humanist sentiment, to go to a place where darker regions can be accessed?"(See all of Dana Stevens's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 805 words, 05/16/12
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: EXCELLENT "...from one hilarious, absurd and patently offensive setup to the next, mercilessly mocking the stupidity and paranoia of Americans, the venality of celebrities..."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,239 words, 05/15/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Peter Debruge, Daily Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Rather than challenging audience prejudices, Baron Cohen exploits them by presenting this ruthless world leader as an object of scorn and ridicule..."(See all of Peter Debruge's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 863 words, 05/11/12
Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "Baron Cohen employs a comic range that ricochets between wicked political barbs and the lowest anatomical farce, to often funny and occasionally hilarious effect."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 940 words, 05/11/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "By turns hysterical, heretical, guilty, innocent, silly, sophisticated, teasing and tedious... underscores both Baron Cohen's genius and his folly..."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 856 words, 05/16/12
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: EXCELLENT(cg) "...broad as most of the gags and allusion are, they are executed expertly by an ultra-bright actor blessed with sharp intelligence, political savvy, and comedic timing..."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,070 words, 05/11/12
A.O. Scott, New York Times: FAIR "There is nothing especially outrageous here... gestures halfheartedly toward topicality and, with equal lack of conviction, toward pure, anarchic silliness."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 855 words, 05/16/12
19.9 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Dictator (2012)'s reviews are separated by an average 19.9 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
The Dictator (2012) (49 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Dictator (2012)'s reviews cover 83.8% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 30,987 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 632 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 15.3 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Dictator (2012)'s reviews on average broke 15.3 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is The Dictator (2012)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Dictator (2012) (49 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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