Ali G (Sasha Baron
Cohen), the hip-hopping white gangsta-rapper wannabe gets entangles in
the evil Chancellor's (Charles Dance) plot to overthrow the Prime
Minister of Great Britain (Michael Gambon). 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.
CRITIQUE
Yes, I'm a fan of Da Ali G Show, Sasha Baron Cohen's very funny
program on HBO, but the feature film version with Ali G is
incomprehensibly unfunny. I had some expectations for this film,
admittedly, but they were proven wrong within the first twenty minutes. I didn't laugh very much here, perhaps I smiled two or
three times, but that's
quite disappointing. Plus, the story is just lame, but more than that it's
too thin to support a feature-length film. It doesn't even make a lot
of sense, and parts of the film are too self-indulging; it feels like
Cohen is improvising from one scene to the next. In short, the script
for this film is very weak.
The supporting characters serve their purpose, which is to support the
story and the main character, but "satisfactory" is not the word I'm
talking about. Ali
G's friends aren't interesting, though Martin Freeman (The Office), playing Ali's best friend, does the best job he can with the limited and
rather silly material. Meanwhile, Michael Gambon and Charles Dance,
though fine actors, are completely wasted in this film, and hottie
Rhona Mitra is, well, somehow forgotten. The film also features
several hot women, but that's just Ali dreaming. On one last note, the
film is full of gibberish, coming mostly from Ali's mouth. This is a
forgettable film.
THE VIDEO
Universal presents Ali G Indahouse in 1.85:1 anamorphic
widescreen. Colors are bright and clear. Detail and
sharpness look decent, yet there are some minor issues. But overall
the presentation is just fine.
THE AUDIO
Universal presents Ali G Indahouse in English 5.1 Dolby
Digital Surround Sound. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand,
as are the sound effects and the many songs.
THE EXTRAS
The
audio commentary by Sasha Baron Cohen and Martin Freeman is
done in character; the actors play their parts from the film riffing
on scenes and talking mumbo jumbo jive. Unless you care for Ali G and
his random thoughts you won't get anything out of this commentary.
The DVD also offers an
intro by Ali G, a number of deleted scenes that are not
interesting, some decent but overall general outtakes, a
behind-the-scenes featurette that offers several interviews and
takes the viewer behind the camera showing what goes on around the
set, a photo gallery, and, last but not least, a fun two-minute
"Talk Like Ali G"featurette that offers translations for
various Ali G speak from scenes in the film.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Ali
G Indahouse is unfunny for most of the duration, and therefore I
won't recommend it, not even as a rental, although fans of Da Ali G Show
may show a very small interest. Then again, fans beware, because this
Ali G is not going to make you laugh very often. The best choice here
is to stick with Cohen's HBO show and not bother with the film.
