Lucille Ball’s “Life with Lucy” comeback got skewered by critics before its merciful cancellation.
It proved tragic, not funny, to see the legend in a vehicle leagues beneath her. A similar feeling creeps up while watching “Ali G: Who Iz I?” Sacha Baron Cohen’s solo vehicle tries to replicate the whimsy of his 2006 breakout film “Borat.”
Instead, we get tired setups, dated satire and yet another progressive attack on free speech. The former is understandable.
The latter? Untenable.
Ali G (Cohen), the wannabe rapper and “cultural appropriator,” is hungry for a comeback. His very pregnant girlfriend Julie (Morgana Robinson) wants him to settle down, but Ali G craves the spotlight more than fatherhood.
He thinks he landed a second chance at fame with an HBO deal, but he eventually settles into becoming a TikTok star. Oh, and he wants to be black so badly he mistakes a hastily written note to believe his father was, indeed, a person of color.
(That could let Cohen explore the modern nature of race relations, and how being non-white can be seen in some circles as an advantage. That angle gets left unexplored.)
That’s more or less the story, just enough structure to let Cohen loose in his inimitable style. Except that style lacks the inspiration that once fueled it.
He’s still visually cheeky, wearing outlandish outfits and props to spike otherwise ordinary setups. You can sense the old magic lurking within, but he lacks the skill to pull rabbits out of his rastacap.
Sacha Baron Cohen shockingly dupes luxury California realtor in wild stunt from Ali G: Who Iz I? https://t.co/7WU15f71h0 https://t.co/dQXiuO7rP4
— New York Post (@nypost) November 1, 2026
Our antihero is being pursued by Dr. Nira Cain-N’Degeocello (also Cohen), his idea of a social justice warrior. Kudos for the effort, but Cohen and his writing team don’t have their heart in the parody.
A brief sequence where the not-so-good doctor recommends forcing children to swap their genders at school is a shocking exception.
The character remains a welcome nod to the woke mind virus, but Cohen has shown time and again that he doesn’t mind the woke police (assuming they stay off of his back).
More on that shortly.
His other recurring character, Col. Erran Morad, is an ex-Mossad agent who traffics in gay panic gags without wit or comic spark.
Let’s talk about those “Candid Camera”-style setups. The film opens by saying many of the people on-screen weren’t in on the joke. What does that mean, exactly? It’s very hard to believe Ali G’s interactions with reg’lar folks are unscripted and raw.
Too many camera angles, for starters. Ali G, while never as prominent in the culture as Borat, has been kicking around for more than two decades.
Plus, the film’s final moments are so unhinged, featuring real actors in peril mixed with unsuspecting souls, that you’d have to swallow hard to believe it wasn’t all staged.
It’s also worth noting that for all the talk about “punching down” in comedy, no one does it more than Cohen. His satirical targets are often dim-witted souls tricked into farcical situations. Of course, they’re mostly on the far-far right.
So, when will a single progressive call him out for it? Never, because he’s on their ideological side and woke is a farce. Still.
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And then there’s the final third of the movie. Cohen and co. go heavy into open borders propaganda, anti-ICE cracks and something far more foul.
He equates free speech with bigotry and hatred, with a tip of the cap to ol’ Adolf. Part of “Who Iz I?” finds Ali G teaming with a new free speech show. The participants rail against people of color, anchor babies and more.
We also watch George Santos, ever so desperate for notoriety, participate in a cruel game show stunt. Otherwise, most of Cohen’s political targets are no-name souls who will rue the day they met his creative team.
The exceptions? We see Newt Gingrich for about three seconds and Kari Lake for even less. What Cohen has proven over the years is that fame-hungry types will do almost anything for camera time – including historian Alan Lichtman’s ghastly cameo.
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It’s almost like Cohen concocts these films merely to target Republicans in any way he can, and the rest is just filler. That’s exactly what sparked “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.” Toward that end, “Ali G” drags out a bit replicating Elon Musk’s awkward hand salute during the 2025 inauguration ceremonies.
Yawn.
“Ali G: Who Iz I?” offers about a dozen smiles or tiny smirks. Otherwise, it’s a painful reminder that comedy often comes with an expiration date.
There’s a wink-wink moment late in the film where Cohen’s Ali G says, “my wiiiiiife,” a nod to his breakthrough “Borat” comedy. He even breaks the fourth wall to say that movie aged well.
It has. We can’t say the same for Cohen’s shtick.
HiT or Miss: 1.5 out of 5 stars
Genre: Comedy/Political satire
Runtime: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Where to Watch: Prime Video
Family Friendly? R (Sexual situations, adult language, gross comedy segments)
Reeks of a washed-up has-been flailing for attention.
he not only didn’t read the room,he didn’t read the building…