Sacha Baron Cohen Brings Ali G Back for Absolute Comedic Chaos in ‘ALI G: WHO IZ I? Trailer
Amazon MGM has released the official trailer for Ali G: Who Iz I?, bringing Sacha Baron Cohen back to one of his most infamous comedy characters more than two decades after Ali G first started confusing celebrities, politicians, intellectuals, and pretty much anyone unfortunate enough to sit across from him.
This time, Ali has a new problem that even his considerable supply of confidence may not be able to solve: impending fatherhood.
The official synopsis explains: “After 20 years spent chillin’, tokin’ and bonin’, Ali G is shocked to discover that his long-term girlfriend, Julie (Morgana Robinson), is eight months pregnant.
“Faced with an extra mouth to feed, he gets off his batty and heads to America to reclaim his former glory… but soon encounters adversaries who will ultimately threaten his and his child’s very existence.”
That sends Ali G back to America, which should provide Cohen with plenty of opportunities to unleash the character on people who have no idea what they’re getting themselves into.
Ali G dates back to 1998, when Cohen introduced the character on The 11 O’Clock Show for Channel 4. His popularity eventually led to Da Ali G Show in the early 2000s, where Cohen used the character to conduct ridiculous interviews with real public figures including Noam Chomsky, Andy Rooney, and Newt Gingrich.
Ali made the jump to the big screen in 2002 with Ali G Indahouse, directed by Mark Mylod, who later went on to direct episodes of Succession. Now, more than 20 years later, Cohen is returning to the character for another feature film, but Who Iz I? is taking the mockumentary route.
Cohen filmed the new movie in secret, following the approach he used on Borat, Brüno, and Who Is America?. That format has produced some of his funniest and most uncomfortable comedy over the years, with Cohen disappearing into an absurd character and seeing how real people react when conversations start going completely off the rails.
Cohen first revealed Ali G: Who Iz I? in July with an Instagram video that featured him back in character. Ali G naturally had his own explanation for what audiences were about to see:
“Dey haz finally made a documentary about me. And it ain’t dat crap one about da penguins, dis one haz got at least twice as much animal sex.”
Who Iz I? also marks Cohen’s feature directorial debut. He wrote and produced the film through his Four by Two Films banner, with Petr Jákl and Emily Kob serving as executive producers. Morgana Robinson plays Ali’s longtime girlfriend Julie, whose pregnancy gives him the motivation to drag himself back into action.
The film arrives as Cohen has been keeping busy outside his own comedy projects. He recently joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Mephisto in Ironheart on Disney+, and his other recent credits include Netflix’s Ladies First and Prime Video’s Balls Up.
Ali G comes from an era when Cohen could walk into an interview and leave his subject wondering what the hell had just happened. Pulling that trick off today is considerably harder, especially when smartphones and social media can expose a secret production within minutes.
That makes Ali G: Who Iz I? an interesting return beyond the nostalgia factor. The big question is whether Cohen can still get unsuspecting people to play along long enough for Ali G to cause some serious comedic damage. It looks like he manages to pull it off!
Ali G: Who Iz I? hits theaters October 23. Check out the trailer below.