Ali G: Who Iz I? Review: Baron Cohen Comeback Falls Flat — SkimNews
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- "Ali G: Who Iz I?" is a new Sacha Baron Cohen-directed film that returns his early-2000s character in a narrative-driven comedy rather than the guerrilla prank format of his earlier "Borat" (2006) and "Bruno" (2009)
- The original Ali G HBO show, which ran two seasons ending in 2004, drew its comedy from interviewing unwitting public figures including Donald Trump, Ralph Nader, Buzz Aldrin, and Pat Buchanan, who didn't realize they were being pranked
- Baron Cohen plays three roles in the new film — Ali G, Dr. Nira Cain-N'Degeocello (a parody of a "wokeness" academic), and Col. Erran Morad (a former Mossad agent) — and has defended the project in a Time magazine cover essay as deliberate commentary on the character's datedness
- Morgana Robinson plays Ali G's pregnant partner Julie, who is kidnapped by Morad and ultimately gives birth in what the review calls "a scene of gonzo fakery" with right-wing militia men serving as her obstetricians
- The film is set in 2026 and features a right-wing network hosting "The Free Speech Show" with "fascist banter and Elon Musk stiff-arm salutes," with Ali G at one point lamenting, "Me was cancelized"
- The Variety critic calls the result "dawdling and cumbersome" and compares it to "MacGruber" or "Stuart Saves His Family," arguing the character is "so out of step" in 2026 that it risks becoming "an ironic nostalgic celebration of something it once — rightfully — skewered"
Why it matters: A signature comedy franchise from Baron Cohen gets a critical drubbing from a major outlet, with the reviewer contending the shift from guerrilla prank-comedy to making Ali G the satirical subject strips the character of what made him work. Coverage is split: Deadline's headline calls the film "outrageous" with "something to offend everyone," while The Guardian covers Baron Cohen's own defense of it, suggesting outlets are split on whether the new format succeeds.
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