Ali G Indahouse - The Movie (Widescreen Edition)

Amazon.com

Ali G addicts have been fretting over the British comedian's spiraling popularity. As word of his outrageous celebrity interviews spreads--the deer-in-the-headlights gaze of his victims as they wrestle with incredulity over his audacious stupidity is itself always worth the price of admission--his pool of potential victims naturally diminishes. Not to worry: Ali G as a character has enough flexibility to make the leap to full-length film. The transition is far from perfect: few moments in Ali G Indahouse can match the unforced hilarity of Da Ali G Show. The film's biggest drawback, in fact, is the absence of the real-life personalities we know from the interview format; it's the friction between them and comic actor Sacha Baron Cohen's imposter shtick that generates so many howlers. Ali G Indahouse, in contrast, hangs on a silly plot. The setup of fictional characters interacting with Ali G simply can't have the same payoff.

Said plot is nothing more than a vehicle to subject the hip-hop poseur to a variety of ridiculous situations. He finds himself the unexpected champion in a parliamentary election and has to deal with the devious plotting of the Machiavellian Chancellor of the Exchequer (played by Charles Dance, who undergoes all manner of extreme humiliation). The result is a mix of Dumb and Dumber and Leslie Nielsen-esque pratfalls, with a hint of the Peter Sellers character in Being There. A good deal of the intended irony falls flat, and the litany of dated jokes calculated to offend all over the spectrum gets tiresome: from raunchy malapropisms to Ali G's recurrent obsession with being perceived as gay. But Baron Cohen's genius for getting under the skin of his creation remains undiluted. One aspect of special interest to Ali G fans is the light Ali G Indahouse throws on topics that are always behind the scenes in the Ali G Show context. We actually see Ali's Nana and his crib in suburban Staines, and "me Julie" (Kellie Bright) becomes a focal point as the story unwinds. Genial Borat makes an appearance (and gets dissed by Ali); we even learn the secret origin of Ali G's name (an abbreviation of Alistair Graham). It all might add up to a guilty pleasure, but hey--check yaself before ya wreck yaself. --Tom May

Customer Reviews:

Worth checking out.......2007-08-22

This movie was too funny. It took me a long time to get up enough desire to watch it because it just looked so stupid. But I am glad I did. I can't get enough of it now. I watch portions of it almost everyday. This is what I imagined Vanilla Ice to be like in his heyday.

Not nearly as good as Borat.......2007-08-04

But that could be because I'm not British & don't understand some of the references & also it could be because it was produced before Borat & his acting is better then. I'm still happy I bought it though.

Very Disappointing. .......2007-06-19

Well, I'm very surprised to see that this movie received as many 5 stars ratings as it did, perhaps my negative reaction to it was misguided. I have to say, and make no mistake about it, Sacha Baron Cohen is top dog when it comes to comedy so that people would buy the DVD is a given. I'm about to get Season 2 of the Ali G show in the mail and I'm sure I'll love it as much as I did Season 1. The only words that I can use to describe the movie Borat are "total joy." There's not many movies better, but the same can't be said about Indahouse. As a vehicle for his talent, this flick was a Yugo. I found it incredibly boring and I was extremely disappointed. In fact I turned it off after 50 minutes. There are no interviews (which is what made his show so great) and there is no Borat or Bruno to add to the hilarity. I'd say to take a pass on this one. Actually, if Cohen wasn't in it I'd give it only 1 star.

bought as a gift.......2007-06-15

very campy, nowhere near as good as the show

2 1/2 stars!.......2007-06-02

After watching Borat, and loving it. I decided to watch Ali G Indahouse. From the hilarity of Borat, I expected Sacha Baron Cohen's Ali G Indahouse to be just as funny, and entertaining, I was wrong. While Ali G provides some hilarious moments, there are too many slow spots in the movie. There were times I laughed by butt off, them other times the movie was so boring. If you loved "Borat" rent "Ali G Indahouse" it is not anywhere near as good as "Borat." 2 1/2 stars, worth a rental!

Ali G Indahouse - The Movie (Full Screen Edition)

Average customer rating:

Worth checking out
Not nearly as good as Borat
Very Disappointing.
bought as a gift
2 1/2 stars!

Ali G Indahouse - The Movie (Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Charles Dance , Michael Gambon , Barbara New , Rhona Mitra , and Emilio Rivera
Director: Mark Mylod
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Satire | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B0002ZMIU8
Release Date: 2004-11-02