Sacha Baron Cohen fans will want to don their wrap-around shades as the star’s newest Ali G movie is set to premiere on streaming.
Amazon MGM Studios‘ Ali G: Who Iz I?, which had a two-day theatrical run that began Friday, is set to hit Prime Video on Wednesday. Baron Cohen makes his feature directorial debut with the comedy centering on the hip-hop journalist that he originated with the sketch comedy series Da Ali G Show, which debuted in the U.K. in 2000 and later aired on HBO.
Ali G: Who Iz I? centers on Baron Cohen’s titular character learning that his girlfriend (Morgana Robinson) is eight months pregnant, leading him to visit America to prepare for the child’s arrival. The film employs the style of comedy that the star used in such previous features as 2006’s Borat and its 2020 sequel, along with 2009’s Brüno, in which unsuspecting individuals become the focus of social commentary. The Who Iz I? theatrical strategy was designed to create a special experience and add urgency to the opportunity to see the movie on the big screen before it heads to streaming.
In the weeks ahead of its release, Ali G: Who Iz I? was the subject of an AI-generated email campaign asking global theater chains to boycott the film, although no cinema chains supported the ban. Amazon MGM did not report grosses from this weekend’s theatrical release.
During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Baron Cohen addressed criticism of the character. “The core joke is that a white moron, possibly the stupidest man in the world, is interviewing a white expert or high-status politician, and that white expert or high-status politician believes that this imbecile played by me is real, and that leads to comedy,” he explained. “And in my belief, it slightly undermines the power of the establishment.”
In his review of Ali G: Who Iz I?, THR critic Frank Scheck described it as having “plenty of laughs, to be sure, but many dead spots as well.”
Known for his bravado and London street slang, Ali G made his big-screen debut with director Mark Mylod’s 2002 feature Ali G Indahouse. Baron Cohen’s later films Borat and Brüno also centered on characters that originated on Da Ali G Show. Sequel feature Borat Subsequent Moviefilm was released directly to Prime Video in October 2020, just before the U.S. presidential election, and earned two Academy Award nominations.