The opening certainly sets a tone of rapid-fire absurdity, starting with a ridiculously hirsute newborn to a digression on the inevitable complications caused by the despot's changing of both "positive" and "negative" to "Aladeen." 

Fans of The Daily Show correspondent Aasif Mandvi will be pleased to see his deadpan on display in a very brief appearance.

Last week we saw a new domestic poster for the film.  The week before that Paramount released the first official clip from later in the story, once Aladeen has been stripped of his beard and left to fend for himself on the streets of New York.

Sacha Baron Cohen made a big pop-cultural impression Stateside with Borat, and while he and director Larry Charles didn't quite connect with their follow-up, Bruno, this film represents their first traditional narrative endeavor.  Baron Cohen previously positioned a character of his creation in a straightforward film story with 2002's UK release Ali G Indahouse.  Hopefully The Dictator represents a satiric approach more in line with Borat or Da Ali G Show than Ali G Indahouse.

It's obviously the Sacha Baron Cohen show here, but as the presence of Aasif Mandvi in the opening demonstrates that the comedy is jam-packed with recognizable players both comedic and dramatic, led by Anna Faris and including Jason Mantzoukas, Ben Kingsley, J.B. Smoove, John C. Reilly, Kevin Corrigan, Bobby Lee, Erick Avari, B.J. Novak, and Megan Fox.

The Dictator arrives in theaters on May 16th.