Sacha Baron Cohen has taken a stab at some traditional films recently (most notably Martin Scorsese’s HUGO) but let’s not forget where he got his start: silly, offensive characters in funny costumes.
The first trailer for Cohen’s THE DICTATOR proves the comedian hasn’t lost interest in that sort of humor. The trailer shows him wandering around New York as a deposed former dictator from an fictitious Middle Eastern country. Mean-spirited, offensive hijinks ensue. It doesn’t look like THE DICTATOR will rely as much on filming real, uninformed people like BORAT and BRUNO did but that doesn’t mean it’ll lack laughs. In fact, maybe being in a scripted movie will let Cohen try new things. While many loved BORAT (and some enjoyed BRUNO) it’s easy to admit that the films were very formulaic – they had to be in order to tell a story.
What’s your favorite joke from this trailer? I’ll admit the last gag with Cohen shooting a gun during a foot race made me chuckle.
Aside from Cohen, the cast also includes Anna Faris, Ben Kingsley, J.B. Smoove, and John C. Reilly. It opens May 11.
Thanks to Moviefone for the trailer.
