Ali G: Who Iz I? Is So Unfunny It’s a Little Evil: Review

It’s been a while since Sacha Baron Cohen took his breakout character Ali G out for a spin — specifically since the end of Da Ali G Show, the HBO series famous for prank interviews that made the likes of Buzz Aldrin and Boutros Boutros-Ghali very uncomfortable. Twenty-two years later, Ali G: Who Iz I? finds Ali G attempting to reclaim his past fame, even as other Baron Cohen creations attempt to bring him down. The movie is 89 minutes long. It feels much longer. Baron Cohen’s directorial debut begins by catching the viewer up on Ali G’s life since the end of the HBO show in 2004. This doesn’t take too long, since he’s mostly spent that time getting high. The only notable changes to his lifestyle are that his grandmother has passed away in a freak jacuzzi-related accident, and his longtime girlfriend Me Julie (Morgana Robinson) is now pregnant. It’s the pregnancy that leads to Ali approaching HBO about the possibility of relaunching his old show. When that doesn’t work out, he decides to explore online options like TikTok, building up some success there — but also drawing fire from those who find him offensive. This isn’t Ali G’s first big screen adventure, but 2002’s Ali G Indahous...