It was only really in his humble 11 OClock Show beginnings that Ali G really displayed true comic genius, sucking in unsuspecting world luminaries with his thick-as-a-post persona, whilst all the time slyly going for the jugular. By the time Sacha Baron Cohens street-talking invention had his own show, his studio guests were generally in on the joke and the spark had gone.
This transition to the big screen was always going to be an obvious next step for a character with such a whopping cult following (particularly, as the ultimate irony, amongst the very people he originally seemed to be satirising). And you cant really blame Cohen and co-writer Dan Mazer for grabbing this considerable cash-in opportunity while it was still hot. But, what Ali G Indahouse represents more than anything is the final fizzling out of one of the UKs most memorable comedy creations.
A bit like Tom Greens equivalent cinematic vehicle Freddy Got Fingered, Ali Gs first movie outing is starved of the spontaneous reactions of interviewees which often made his TV material work so well. In its place is a plot, only its not a very good one. It focuses loosely around Gs unlikely scaling of the political ladder, egged on by scheming Chancellor of the Exchequer Charles Dance, and blindly supported by Michael Gambon as a less-than-inspiring PM. Kellie Bright lends a hand as me Julie, Rhona Mitra does her eye candy bit, and the excellent Martin The Office Freeman pops up as one of our heros hapless homies.
Each scene is really only an excuse for packing the screen with bouncing booty and puerile willy gags. The parts that work are laugh-out-loud hilarious, but the bulk of it is repetitive and a sorry shadow of the sort of humour this character used to provide. Somewhere along the line, the original satire of Ali G has been lost and all hes got left to parody is himself. But hey, it was a good run while it lasted, Aiii?