The Dictator Directed by: Larry Charles Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Anna Faris, Ben Kingsley Rating: Not Yet Rated Release Date: May 11, 2012
TRAILER SCORE: 5/10
Thoughts by TSR: I was disappointed by the first trailer for The Dictator, but when I heard it would have an ad during the Super Bowl I felt it might be a chance for redemption. What better place to really bring it than one of the biggest advertising showcases of the year, right?
Unfortunately, after a humorous NBC/Super Bowl-centric joke, this ad did not feature any new footage. Yes, Sacha Baron Cohen shooting his opponents during the race still made me laugh, but I’d seen it before. No, seeing the Megan Fox/Kim Kardashian joke a second time did not make it any less groan-worthy. And that was it. I imagine a lot of people were seeing this for the first time, and they may very well have been amused. So in that sense I guess it might have done its job. But this spot won't be altering the opinion of anyone who has already seen the full trailer.
Sacha Baron Cohen is very talented, but the schtick is feeling tired this time around. I’m still holding out a modicum of hope that the good stuff is being saved for the film, but so far all signs point to this being a miss.