Here we have the first official picture (a “one-sheet”, they call it) for The Dictator, starring Sacha Baron Cohen, from director Larry Charles (Religulous, Bruno). Not to be confused with the upcoming Blue Collar Comedy vehicle, Tater Dick. Anyway, the film’s about a Saddam Hussein-like dictator who gets replaced by a look-alike goat herder and starts a new life in New York City. Which sounds lame, and basically like the plot of Justin Bieber’s girlfriend’s new movie, until you realize The Dictator is actually based on a book written by Hussein himself. You’ll probably like it, because if you reading this blog is any indication, you clearly enjoy a writer who’s well hung. (*dodges tomato*) (*dodges shoe*)
“Zabibah and the King” is about a benevolent, beloved king who falls in love with a beautiful, victimized girl who was raped by her cruel husband. Believe it or not, it’s a subtle allegory for Iraq and the United States — the king (based, obviously, on Saddam) is the peaceful Iraq, while the cruel, rapist husband is the Gulf War-waging United States.
The log line from Paramount, the film’s production home, turns subverts the premise, saying, “The film tells the heroic story of a dictator who risked his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed.” [HuffPo]
Ahh yes, the purple mountains, the amber waves of rape, it’s like I finally understand what all those Mellencamp songs were about. Anyway, a lot people seem to be down on Sacha Cohen these days, but even when I don’t find his stuff laugh-out-loud funny, I still admire his enormous brass balls and find myself compelled by the social experiment aspects. That said, between the funny hair, garish costume, and requisite sunglasses, this isn’t much different than the posters for Marmaduke or The Smurfs. All he needs is a dumb tagline, like “Who’s your daddy?”