A bit scattershot and schticky, the film never quite settles into a consistent comic rhythm. Yet for fans of Baron Cohen's work there are plenty of moments of crass hilarity.
– Christopher Orr,
The Atlantic,
16 May 2012
rotten:
Most of The Dictator had me neither laughing nor shocked, but just staring at the screen in anxious is-that-all-there-is? silence.
– Dana Stevens,
Slate,
16 May 2012
fresh:
On the laughmeter The Dictator is closer to Borat than to the misfired Bruno, which is to say it's funny for about half of its brisk 83 minutes.
– Peter Rainer,
Christian Science Monitor,
17 May 2012
rotten:
Now [Cohen is] turning material both fresh and rancid into tepid gruel.
– Joe Morgenstern,
Wall Street Journal,
17 May 2012
rotten:
The film has a vicious edge that the Marx Brothers didn't have, and it's too low-minded to achieve their enchanting blend of anarchy and surrealism.