Dear Dictator

Play trailer

2:10

Dear Dictator

2018

1h 30m

Comedy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

17%

Tomatometer

23 Reviews

40%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

When an outcast teen, Tatiana, gets a school assignment to write a letter to a person she admires, she jokingly writes to a foreign dictator named Hector because she likes his fashion sense. Hector takes to the admiration, and the two become unlikely pen pals, however, when Hector has to flee his country during a coup, he seeks refuge in the house of his only remaining friend.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Dear Dictator never comes close to taking advantage of its wildly silly premise -- or the assortment of talented veterans who round out the cast.

Read Critics Reviews

J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

03/09/2020

Unfortunately writer-directors Lisa Addario and Joe Syracuse can get only so much mileage out of it, and they cede too much screen time to Katie Holmes as the girl's mother.

Go to Full Review

Karen Han

The Daily Beast

03/16/2018

There's something sharper and smarter in Dear Dictator, but that ground is left regrettably unexplored; it's a film that ultimately doesn't live up to its premise. Going deeper would require considerably more guts.

Go to Full Review

Simon Abrams

RogerEbert.com

03/16/2018

3/4

[A] just-shy-of-great teen comedy.

Go to Full Review

Josh Goller

Spectrum Culture

07/20/2019

1.75/5

Appropriates and then drains all subversion out of its punk and revolutionary trappings in favor of contrived, melodramatic pap.

Go to Full Review

Austin Trunick

Under the Radar

07/02/2018

3/10

Dear Dictator makes you hope for something subversive, and there occasional flashes of potential, but then it always falls back into the easiest, most obvious route.

Go to Full Review

Susan Granger

SSG Syndicate

05/06/2018

5/10

While Michael Caine is always fun to watch, unfortunately, the pacing/editing is not on a par with the writing. The satire should have been sharper and more subversive.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Curtis G

@RT91610606 09/30/2024

I could not finish it. I think it’s one of the worst movies I have ever seen.

See more

sucursal 5

@RT74662587 09/26/2024

He visto muchas malas críticas sobre esta película. Pero que esperaban, se trata de un dictador en desgracia, que se refugia en casa de una niña/adolescente y la ayuda a ser popular mientras mejora la relación con su madre, y que no pretende ni ser un héroe ni ser bueno. No esperes una Opera Prima, pero es una comedia sencilla que cumple, no está mal actuada, te arrancará alguna risas y quizá ayude a pensar en la naturaleza del poder.

See more

Michael A

@Kinich61 07/05/2024

Why on earth is Michael Caine in this very sloppily made movie??? Last time I saw Michael Caine and Katie Holmes in the same film was Batman... what goes on in Hollywood casting?

See more

Cork B

@RT87142816 11/17/2023

Pretty good cast and a pretty good idea. But this thing just fails on execution. It was just plain not funny, and I found myself losing interest in the characters and the story.

See more

11/30/2021

Total train wreck of a film. How in holy heck did Sir Michael Caine get wrapped up in this monstrosity? Maybe he was seeking to negate his film legacy and thought this would be a good way? Like the rebels in the fictional banana republic that Caine's character rules over, let's hope that everyone involved in the making of this film gets put up against the wall. Caine better have fired his agent for this one. And Holmes? She used to be a semi-serious actor. This movie made her career seem deader than her marriage with Cruise. Talk about securing your position on the D-list.

See more

mike g

@RT73155044 11/16/2021

Whoever sold Michael Caine on wigs and pubic mustaches should be fired. This is cringe.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Lisa Addario

Director

Joe Syracuse

Director

Michael Caine

General Anton Vincent

Odeya Rush

Tatiana Mills

Katie Holmes

Darlene Mills

Jason Biggs

Mr. Spines

Madness in the Method

30%

60%

Madness in the Method

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Madness in the Method

Class Rank

85%

56%

Class Rank

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Class Rank

Public Schooled

86%

60%

Public Schooled

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Public Schooled

I Love You, Daddy

37%

55%

I Love You, Daddy

Watchlist

TRAILER

for I Love You, Daddy

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Dear Dictator: Trailer 1

2:10

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

When an outcast teen, Tatiana, gets a school assignment to write a letter to a person she admires, she jokingly writes to a foreign dictator named Hector because she likes his fashion sense. Hector takes to the admiration, and the two become unlikely pen pals, however, when Hector has to flee his country during a coup, he seeks refuge in the house of his only remaining friend.

Director: Lisa Addario, Joe Syracuse
Producer: Lisa Addario, Jorge Garcia Castro, Robert Ogden Barnum, Mary Aloe, Daniel Grodnik, Lucas Jarach
Screenwriter: Lisa Addario, Joe Syracuse
Distributor: Cinedigm
Production Co: Cinedigm, Defiant Pictures
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 16, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 16, 2018
Runtime: 1h 30m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

Most Popular at Home Now