Starring:
Sacha Baron Cohen as Ali G/Borat
Michael Gambon as Prime Minister
Charles Dance as David Carlton
Kellie Bright as Me Julie
Martin Freeman as Ricky C
Rhona Mitra as Kate Hedges
Barbara New as Nan
Emilio Rivera as Rico
Special Features:
Commentary by Ali G
Deleted scenes and Outtakes
Behind the scenes featurette
Photo gallery
Learn to talk like Ali G
Trailers
Other Info:
Widescreen (1.85:1)
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish Subtitles
Running Time: 1 Hour 28 Minutes
Synopsis:
This film was originally released in 2002. The following is the official description of the DVD:
“Ali G (Sacha Baron Cohen), HBO’s hottest comedy sensation, stars in his side-splitting, outrageously funny feature film debut – Ali G Indahouse!
The hip-hopping, white gangsta-rapper wannabe gets entangled in the evil Chancellor’s plot to overthrow the Prime Minister of Great Britain (Michael Gambon, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban). But, instead of bringing him down, Ali G is embraced by the nation as the voice of youth and ‘realness,’ making the Prime Minister and his government more popular than ever.”
Ali G Indahouse is rated R for strong sexual content, pervasive crude humor, language and drug content.
The Movie:
I have to admit that I had absolutely no interest in seeing this film at all. On the cover it looked like a bad rapper film or something. I’d never heard of Ali G or his HBO comedy show. So I was a bit surprised to find out that I somewhat enjoyed the comedy.
Ali G is a gangster wannabe. He dresses like a rapper, tries to speak the hip-hop lingo, and fantasizes about getting in street fights. The only problem is that he’s white, British, and lives at home with his Nana. He’s also a moron. Ali G is his funniest when he’s trying to be cool and simply isn’t. He drives a car that is all fixed up like it’s from the “hood”, but it’s a British mini that he drives the speed limit. He insists on keeping it real’ and getting respect’, but he can’t seem to even spell it. When he rallies his fellow British homies to infiltrate a mansion, they wear camouflage that is made of bright colors. All this comes together to make a unique stupid character.
Unfortunately Ali G also resorts to a lot of disgusting sexual humor. He graphically describes giving oral sex to women. He fantasizes about having an enormous penis which they provide a glimpse of. He allows his dog to suck his penis as well. It gets more disgusting from there. If you’re into that sort of comedy then it won’t bother you, but it was a bit too graphic for my tastes.
Sacha Baron Cohen, who plays Ali G, somehow managed to get Michael Gambon to play the Prime Minister in this movie. Rhona Mitra, who now stars in The Practice spinoff, co-stars as Kate Hedges. I have no idea how he talked them into taking these roles, but they help raise the level of the film slightly.
As you would expect, the soundtrack is full of rap music that is just about as profane as the dialogue. Again, if you’re offended by the profanity then the music won’t do much for you either.
In the end Ali G is a fun concept with a lot of amusing moments, but the disgusting sexual content was enough to offset anything that was funny in the film.
The Extras:
There are a fair number of bonus features included with this DVD. Here are the highlights:
Commentary by Ali G Ali G and his buddy provide the commentary for this film. Since Sacha Baron Cohen delivers it in character, it’s a bit more amusing than your typical commentary. The two make jokes about each other, try to make themselves seem less stupid than they are in the movie, and more. If you like the character then you’ll like this.
Deleted scenes and Outtakes There are a number of deleted scenes included here. One shows Ali G getting in a West Side Story type of fight with a rival gang member wielding a booger. Another scene features more of Ali G getting in trouble when meeting the Queen. Included in this batch are a few outtakes. One shows the dog Tupac actually nipping Ali G’s crotch. Then there are flubbed lines, etc.
Behind the scenes featurette Ali G takes you on a tour of the set to meet the extras, the cast, and the crew. Again, it’s all done in character so it is pretty funny stuff.
Learn to talk like Ali G This translator lets you know what Ali’s street lingo means in English.
The Bottom Line:
Ali G is a funny and stupid character, but the graphic sexual dialogue that comes with him is enough to ruin the more amusing parts of the film.
