May 16, 2012, - 3:33 pm
“The Dictator” Mocks Slain Israeli Olympic Athletes, Avoids Insulting (or Mentioning) Islam; Anti-US Occupy Monologue
So much for the alleged and over-hyped “fearlessness” of Sacha Baron Cohen. There’s nothing fearless about attacking America on behalf of Muslims and staying away from the slightest papercut to the Mohammedan crowd.
Cohen’s “The Dictator“–in theaters today–carefully avoids insulting Islam or Muslims. In fact, neither word is ever mentioned in the 83-minute movie, even though the movie is clearly about a North African dictator who is–what else?–an Arab Muslim. Arabs aren’t mentioned, either. On the other hand, Jews and Blacks are repeatedly attacked. Most disgusting: Cohen uses the veneer of his “dictator” character to mock the massacre of Israeli athletes by Islamic terrorists at the Munich Olympics, in a very vivid video game he plays, trying to kill them, as the athletes famously try to keep the door to their dormitory closed. This is funny? Also, not funny: the dictator–obviously modeled on late Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi–puts his hand up a woman’s vagina and drops his cellphone in it. Haha, funny.
Even less funny: when Sacha Baron Cohen he delivers a monologue that liberals will love. In Occupy Wall Street style, Cohen lectures us that America is far worse than (Islamic – don’t mention that word!) dictators and even mentions the 99% and the 1%. America is far worse than, say, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? That’s the message of this movie, as Cohen’s dictator tells foreign leaders that if he were really a dictator, one family would control the media (an obvious reference to the Rupert Murdoch family), he’d prevent people from getting affordable healthcare and education, he’d use government to listen in on people (he phrases it as an obvious criticism of the Patriot Act), and 99% of the wealth would be owned by the wealthiest 1%. Thanks, Sacha. Funny, though, I don’t see you running to abandon your Los Angeles mansion or to give your gazillions away to the “99%,” schmuck.
No, there is none of the typical Borat and Bruno laughter. The best jokes are in the trailer, and the rest is just a dopey, flat script that is bland and silly. And Cohen’s dictator veneer is used to mock everyone except Muslims. But it mocks our accurate and legitimate concerns about Muslims in a way that will be a big hit in the HAMASCAIR crowd. One scene features Cohen and his sidekick on a helicopter ride above Manhattan with two American tourists. In the scene, Cohen speaks (in fluent Hebrew, not Arabic, as it’s supposed to be) with his sidekick (who is speaking some other language) about his favorite car, the (Porsche) 911. The tourists can only hear the words “911” and Cohen’s re-enactment of a crash, which sounds like a bomb plot. They report the “innocent” dictator to Homeland security. The message is that our concerns about all of these Muslims disrupting flights across America and yelling about allah and Al-Qaeda are much ado about nothing, not legitimate fear.
It’s “humor” for morons. Even so, I’m sure many in the lumpenconservatariat will blindly sing the praises of this crappy flick because they simply don’t have the critical thinking skills and intellect to realize what they are seeing. Hey, no one said moronism skips one side of the ideological divide. It’s an all-too-universal quality.
The story: Cohen is Admiral General Aladeen, the not-too-bright dictator of the fictional North African Republic of Wadiya (which is notably NOT called the Islamic Republic of Wadiya because we can’t use the “I” word). After coming under pressure from the United Nations to bring democracy to his country, Aladeen goes to New York to speak to the U.N. to deliver a speech refusing to allow free elections. But his uncle (Ben Kingsley) wants him assassinated, so he can assume power and grant oil contracts to evil American oil companies (see, I told you the Occupy freaks will love this). He orchestrates a scheme to have Aladeen kidnapped and assassinated, while an even more stupid double assumes his place. But the kidnapper only shaves off Aladeen’s beard, and he must find his way around New York and get his rightful position back before his double delivers a speech granting free elections. Unwittingly helping him is an organic market owner (Anna Faris) with unshaved armpits and a butch haircut. She is an activist for democracy in Wadiya and believes the unshaven dictator is a refugee and human rights dissident.
Much of the movie and jokes are predictable and the script and dialogue reach the level of a Razzie-award-winning movie. And that’s in addition to all of the other problems with it that I mentioned. And as I mentioned previously on this site, a movie lauding the benefits of Islamic democracy is passe and silly. We see the results in Al-Qaeda-run Libya, Muslim Brotherhood Egypt, HAMAS Gazastan, Iran-controlled Iraq, and Hezbollahstan/Lebanon. And in every case the previous status quo–dictator or not–was far preferable in every way, shape, and form.
When Sacha Baron Cohen finally makes a movie mocking Islamic intolerance and 13th Century “modernism,” then I’ll take note. But so far, his movies have mostly mocked small-town average Americans who are good people. And in this movie, he doesn’t just mock them, but attack our way of life, likening it to “living under a real dictatorship.” This isn’t any sort of “Springtime for Hitler” humor, no matter how many idiots want to pretend it is.
Spouting the views of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the guise of a comedy ain’t exactly my idea of entertainment . . . or enlightenment.
FOUR MARXES PLUS FOUR BIN LADENS PLUS FOUR AHMADINEJADS
Watch the trailer . . .
Tags: Admiral General Aladeen, General Aladeen, Hebrew, Islam, Israel, Israeli athletes, Jihad, movie, movie review, Munich Olympics, Muslim, Muslims, Republic of Wadiya, Republican of Wadiya, Sacha Baron Cohen, Sacha Baron Cohen Dictator, Sasha Baron Cohen, The Dictator, The Dictator movie, The Dictator Review, Wadiya
Hey,
I dont know if i got the movie wrong, but I actullay concluded the message exactly oppisite of what Debbie is metioning about. I think that the film actually mocked Muslim leaders and the religion. It was like, “check out the stupid ruthless uneducated people in the middle east are”, and “Americans have a right to be afraid of Arab leaders becausethey are so unpredictable and not trustworthy” Just making the character dumb, careless and egoistic and supporter of war, dictatorship and opression is simply mocking.It was against muslims indirectly, because even if it didnt mock Islam, it showed The Dictator an unrespectful person who is fond of looking down at Jews and happy about terrorist orginazations? Thats certainly not funny. In the end that is ofcoarse not true Islam. Islam is against terrorism and those who belive it is lawful is in Islamic viewpoint as good as anyother non-believer. Its sad to put a worse image of Islam when it is already this bad.
1997Zazo on May 26, 2012 at 6:13 pm