The Dictator (2012 film)

"Aladeen" redirects here. Not to be confused with Aladdin.

The Dictator
Theatrical release poster
Directed byLarry Charles
Written by
Produced by
  • Sacha Baron Cohen
  • Alec Berg
  • Anthony Hines
  • David Mandel
  • Scott Rudin
  • Jeff Schaffer
  • Todd Schulman
Starring
CinematographyLawrence Sher
Edited by
Music byErran Baron Cohen
Production
company
Four By Two Films
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • May 16, 2012 (2012-05-16)[1]
Running time
83 minutes[2]
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • United States[3]
Languages
  • English
  • Hebrew
  • Arabic
Budget$65–100 million[4][5]
Box office$179.4 million[4]

The Dictator is a 2012 political satire black comedy film co-written by and starring Sacha Baron Cohen as his fourth feature film in a leading role. The film was directed by Larry Charles, who also directed Baron Cohen's mockumentaries Borat and Brüno. Baron Cohen, in the role of Admiral General Aladeen, the dictator of the fictional Republic of Wadiya visiting the United States, stars alongside Anna Faris, Ben Kingsley, and Jason Mantzoukas with uncredited appearances by John C. Reilly and Garry Shandling.

Producers Jeff Schaffer and David Mandel said that Baron Cohen's character was inspired by real-life dictators with personality cults like Kim Jong Il, Idi Amin, Muammar Gaddafi, Jean-Bédel Bokassa, Mobutu Sese Seko, and Saparmurat Niyazov.[6] The film's opening credits sarcastically dedicate it "in loving memory" to Kim Jong Il, who died in 2011. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $179 million.

  1. ^ Kaufman, Amy (April 9, 2012). "The Dictator moves off Dark Shadows release date". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 7, 2012. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
  2. ^ "The Dictator (15)". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  3. ^ Buchanan, Jason. "The Dictator". AllRovi. Archived from the original on February 5, 2012. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
  4. ^ a b "The Dictator". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on August 5, 2012. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  5. ^ Masters, Kim (May 23, 2012). "'Battleship' Fallout: Lessons From a Box Office Sinking (Analysis)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 28, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  6. ^ Stuart Jeffries, The Dictator: are we right to laugh? Archived February 21, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, Guardian (May 15, 2012).