‘Dear Dictator’ Trailer: Michael Caine Teaches A Rebel Teen How To Deal With Mean Girls
Dealing with high school is worse than ever with the advent of cell phones and social media. But what if you could deal with the worst people in your high school by getting advice from a feared international dictator?
Dear Dictatorfollows a British-Caribbean dictator played byMichael Caineas he’s ousted from power and has only one place to flee: the suburban American home of a rebellious teenage girl (Odeya RushofLady Bird) with whom he’s been corresponding through letters. As you may see in the first trailer for the comedy below, that’s not going to sit well with the rest of suburbia.
Dear Dictator Trailer
Dealing with the mean girls of high school isn’t handled much differently than dealing with political traitors. They both require vigilance and authority. And maybe tearing up their thongs.
This concept is quite an absurd one, almost feeling like some kind of strange family film you might have found in the late 1980s or early 1990s. But the trailer definitely made me laugh a few times, particularly the milk boarding line and the nonchalance with which Michael Caine’s character deals with his dictatorial duties. Plus, this looks like a fantastic role for Odeya Rush to show off more of her talents outside being a supporting character in movies likeGoosebumpsandThe Giver.
The only downside is that this movie comes fromLisa AddarioandJoe Syracuse, the husband and wife team who wrote the abysmal family comedyParental Guidanceand directed the subpar R-rated comedyAmateur Night. That doesn’t inspire much confidence, butDear Dictatoralready looks much better than both of those movies, so maybe there’s hope that it will turn out to be a decent comedy.
The rest of the cast featuresKatie Holmesas the teenage girl’s mother andJason Biggsas her social studies teacher. Plus,Seth Greenhas some kind of role as well. That’s an interesting assembly of talent for a movie like this, but I’m still not sure they’ll all come together to make something memorable.
Here’s the official synopsis:
When political turmoil forces a British-Caribbeandictator(Michael Caine) to flee his island nation, he seeks refuge with his pen pal, a rebellious teenage girl (Odeya Rush) in suburban America, and teaches her how to start a revolution and overthrow the “mean girls” in her high school.
Dear Dictatorhits limited theaters and VOD onMarch 16, 2018.
