Plot
Britain's satirist-of-all-trades Ali G (aka Sacha Baron Cohen) makes his feature-film debut with this gross-out comedy set against the backdrop of the House of Parliament. Where his British and U.S. TV shows had him conducting absurd interviews with real-life politicians and lawmakers, Ali G Indahouse casts him against Charles Dance as Carlton, an unscrupulous member of the House who's intent on upsetting the current Prime Minister (Michael Gambon) in the next election. Hoping to attract negative attention to the leader, Ali G is promoted as a running mate of sorts -- a tactic that backfires in Carlton's face as the clueless rapper quickly ascends the political ladder. ~ Michael Hastings, RoviReview
Four years before Borat made Sacha Baron Cohen a household name, the creator of Da Ali G Show took an altogether different approach to bringing his characters to the big screen. Ali G Indahouse transplants its titular faux-B-boy protagonist from the mockumentary world of the television show into a jokey plot that veers from the London suburbs to the House of Commons. The result is closer to a joke-a-minute Leslie Nielsen outing than to the high-concept guerilla theater of Borat. But for those willing to accept the limitations of the genre, Ali G Indahouse is a perfectly enjoyable stoner comedy. The script is at its best when it's deconstructing the character of Ali G, a middle-class wannabe who wears hip-hop affectations like mix-and-match Garanimals. The opening scene -- a ridiculously over-the-top gangsta dream sequence featuring the most memorable prosthetic genitals this side of Boogie Nights -- earns enough comedy goodwill for audiences to forgive the fussy plot mechanics that sometimes slow down the rest of the picture. Then again, even the script's conventional elements generate considerable laughs. Throwaway bits of dialogue add fresh surprises to repeat viewings, while crass sight gags anticipate the most gross-out moments of Borat. Viewed on its own terms, rather than through the lens of its successor's success, it's hard not to like this low-key grab-bag of gags. ~ Brian J. Dillard, RoviCast
- Sacha Baron Cohen - Borat
- Michael Gambon - Prime Minister
Credit
Annie Hardinge - Costume Designer, Mark Mylod - Director, Paul Knight - Editor, Natascha Wharton - Executive Producer, Sacha Baron Cohen - Executive Producer, Anni Buchanan - Makeup, Grenville Horner - Production Designer, Jon Billington - Production Designer, Ashley Rowe - Cinematographer, Tim Bevan - Producer, Eric Fellner - Producer, Dan Mazer - Producer, William Green - Producer, Sacha Baron Cohen - Screenwriter, Dan Mazer - Screenwriter, Keith Sweat - Featured Music, Shaggy - Featured Music, Adam F. - Featured Music| Ali Farka Touré: Springing From the Roots (2000 Film), Ali Baba and the Seven Saracens - Hawk of Bagdad (1964 Film) | |
| Ali MacGraw: Yoga Mind & Body (1994 Film), Ali Rap (2006 Film) |
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