Credit: Netflix

Who knew we’d have to see Sacha Baron Cohen fumble a comedy release in 2026? Still feels a bit weird, doesn’t it?

The man gave us Borat, which is a comedy so controversial that people spent years arguing over whether it was genius satire or complete brainrot. Then came Bruno, causing rows everywhere, followed by The Spy on Netflix, where he transformed so well it became difficult to recognise him as the same person. Very few pull that off without falling flat on their face. Then comes Ladies First.

The film disappointed so many people that it felt seriously frustrating. The second it was announced, people were anticipating another hilarious comedy from Cohen, but it seems like they were disappointed. Cohen opposite Rosamund Pike sounded brilliant on paper, if you think about it. Both seem like two alpha males in a room, and the idea of a fresh pair is already intriguing. Instead? The whole thing moved so fast without giving the characters enough breathing room.

And it wasn’t just that Ladies First was rushed; it had chemistry problems too. You can tell within about five minutes whether two actors properly click together. Cohen and Pike never fully got there. Their relationship spends most of the film feeling undercooked, so when the emotional moments arrive, the audience doesn’t know what to feel next or how to switch up the emotions. Ladies First was a bit of a nightmare for a romantic comedy, that. Because once the central pairing falls apart, the entire thing starts wobbling.

Which brings us nicely to The Dictator, aka the film reminding everybody why Sacha Baron Cohen became such a comedy menace in the first place. And please, “menace” is absolutely the correct word here. Released in 2012, the film follows Admiral General Aladeen, the ridiculous yet hilarious dictator of the fictional country Wadiya. After travelling to New York for a United Nations meeting, Aladeen gets betrayed by his uncle Tamir, played by Ben Kingsley, who wants control of the country for himself. Suddenly, Aladeen loses his iconic beard and ends up dumped into normal civilian life in America, which goes about as smoothly as you’d expect.

Now this is where Cohen works best. Completely committed without any half-measures. Neither the jokes nor the character was softened to make everybody comfortable. It is very raw. Aladeen is childish, arrogant, super inappropriate and fully detached from reality, which gives the satire room to properly bite.

The film takes digs at dictatorships and American politics with a hint of media obsession without sounding scared of offending anybody. Modern studio comedies barely take risks anymore because makers panic every time the internet frenzy gets angry, and that’s another reason revisiting The Dictator now feels refreshing.

Also, can we appreciate how much fun Anna Faris seems to be having in this film? Her character Zoey could’ve easily become another forgettable rom-com lead, but Faris took the risk of playing an odd character that we still remember today. And Ben Kingsley… The man was the perfect choice for Tamir.

So, after Ladies First ended up missing the mark for plenty of viewers, returning to The Dictator feels a bit like watching Cohen back in his natural habitat again. He actually looks as though he is having fun here, which becomes infectious after a while. Even viewers who don’t love every joke can still appreciate how fearless the comedy is compared to a lot of bland ones we are spoonfed today.