Sacha Baron Cohen's Ali G Return Is a Hit-and-Miss Directorial Debut

Sacha Baron Cohen's controversial character Ali G is back on the big screen for the first time since 2002, per The Hollywood Reporter. The new mockumentary, 'Ali G: Who Iz I?,' marks Cohen's feature directorial debut and is released in a limited theatrical run before heading to Prime Video.

The film follows the character, an older but not wiser version of the 'Da Ali G Show' host, as he tries to revive his career with an expired offer from HBO. Per the report, it mixes scripted scenes with Ali's pregnant girlfriend Julie, played by Morgana Robinson, and unscripted interactions with real people.

Cohen also brings back two other characters from his Showtime series, the ultra-leftist professor Dr. Nira Cain-N'Degeocello and the former Mossad agent Erran Morad. According to TheWrap, the plot involves Ali grappling with his cultural appropriation and facing cancellation, while also getting a chance to host a talk show featuring real-life figures like George Santos and Kari Lake.

Both outlets note the comedy is inconsistent. The Hollywood Reporter describes bits involving a zoo, a pawn shop, and a massive restaurant bill that fall flat, while segments with the professor proposing a 'Compulsory Gender Reversal Year' or Ali taking boner pills in a store land better. TheWrap argues the schtick feels outdated, with real people now expressing reprehensible views that are less shocking than simply sad.

The most elaborate sequence, per The Hollywood Reporter, involves the Mossad agent recruiting Texans for a bizarre kidnapping plot involving a prosthetic weapon. TheWrap adds that the film attempts to interrogate Ali G's legacy but ultimately feels humorless and unsurprising in today's cultural landscape.