When the first Ali G movie came out back in 2002 it was relevant, hilarious and it was a time when comedy was actually funny without towing the lines and catering to a soft audience that many comedies of late have sadly become.
We had films like Scary Movie who built an entire marketing campaign about reviving offensive comedy and when the film came out most of the offensive jokes were cut from the film with the extended cut of the film providing more of the jokes of old that we know and love.
In rolls Ali G as Sacha Baron Cohen is looking every bit his age in the new trailer for this upcoming Ali G: Who Iz I movie.
Whilst I’m buzzing a new Ali G film is coming out, a film that could genuinely be hilarious but bringing him back all of these years later feels like the boat has been missed by miles.
Ali G represented a generation that just doesn’t exist anymore, it’s a generation that has since moved on. Rarely do I hear the slang or see people dressed up like that anymore, the attitude has changed over the years and at the time something that was fresh and relevant now feels old and dated.
British youth culture has changed an awful lot since then and releasing the film 24 years later just seems like a cheeky cash grab on behalf of those making it who are relying on our own nostalgia to tune in and check it out and for me, that’s the only reason I will be watching it.
Check out the Ali G Who Iz I trailer below and see what you think!
Bring back some of the old controversial style of comedy and maybe just maybe this film is salvageable but it’s the character that feels so out of place in the world we know live in where the voice of the youth now no longer has a voice at all.
A modern Ali G interacting with politicians, billionaires, influencers or the latest generation of internet celebrities could produce some genuinely brilliant moments.
In the right hands, the character could even become a commentary on how ridiculous the world has become since he was last around.
What would Ali G look like in 2026 and in one teaser posted by Sasha himself we got our answer. Old.
For the people who grew up watching Ali G who are mid 30’s and beyond, this is for you.
The people who bought the DVD.
The people who watched Da Ali G Show.
The people who remember quoting him at school.
The people who remember Ali G Indahouse being one of the biggest comedy films around.
But for the younger generation, it’ll be very interesting to see how this film goes down with the new face of youth culture when the character in question was created before most of them were even born.
Seeing Ali in a modern world could be a funny concept as we watch a man now lost in a world he doesn’t understand still acting within a world he’s now left behind. Either way the production have one hell of a hard sell on their hands and I’m still curious to see how it pans out when the film drops this October.
If anyone can take a character that feels like it belongs to another era and somehow make him work again, it’s Sacha Baron Cohen.
But Ali G can’t just come back.
He needs a reason to exist again.
