Now that's just embarrassing: the new Ali G movie dumped on Prime Video just a week after release

If you thought Sacha Baron Cohen had finished wheeling out his infamous characters, think again. Ali G — yes, that hip-hop-obsessed, tracksuit-loving 'journalist' from the early 2000s — is back with a new film, Ali G: Who Iz I. This time, after a quick stint on the big screen, the film's about to land on Prime Video for anyone who missed it (or simply couldn’t be bothered with the cinema and its sticky floors).

Me movie comin to Prime Video dis Wendesday, it 89 minute long, dere’s 14400 minutes in a day meanin u’ll be able to watch it 161 times a day for de rest of ya lives for free.

That bit of maths and logic comes straight from Cohen, or rather, Ali G himself, who announced the streaming date with classic braggadocio on Instagram. Honestly, only Ali G would try to convince you 161 rewatches a day isn’t overdoing it.

From The Staines Massif to Amazon

It all started back in 2000 with The Da Ali G Show on Channel 4, long before Cohen became a household name across the pond. The whole act — sticking this clueless, over-the-top wannabe gangsta in front of real politicians and serious academics — was as uncomfortable as it was hilarious, especially if you enjoy a bit of secondhand embarrassment. Since then, Cohen has revived this same sort of chaos with Borat and Bruno, but Ali G was his original love letter to cringe-based comedy.

The new film, Ali G: Who Iz I, brings the character into 2026 with typical lack of grace: washed-up, shacked up with his girlfriend (who's eight months pregnant), and rather impressively convinced he's owed piles of cash for another HBO run. For reasons only Ali G understands, he sets off to raise money with his old bag of interview tricks. Imagine Dragons' business meeting, but if you replaced all the businessmen with confused people wondering if this is all some elaborate prank (which, to be fair, it often is).

Ali G: Who Iz I played a limited theatrical run starting 23 October 2026, showing in just 125 cinemas, and — in a move that doesn't exactly scream confidence — Amazon MGM Studios chose not to share any box office numbers.

The fact is, it wasn't really supposed to be quite so limited; plans for a wider release got clipped by backlash online, with some arguing the character feels like an outdated, cartoonish stereotype these days. Cohen’s whole schtick has always been about getting a reaction, so arguably, that’s the point — but it’s a rough time to be in the business of provocation.

Comedy Value or Relic?

If you’re after critical acclaim, Ali G’s latest film probably isn’t where to start. It’s currently sitting at a rather lukewarm 48% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, and according to the site, it’s 'a scattershot comedy with some amusing pranks that otherwise only serves to underscore Ali G's faded satirical value.' So, that’s subtle. Audiences haven’t weighed in with an official score just yet, but that should shift now that it’s streaming.

• Ali G: Indahouse (2002) — 59% critic / 54% audience
• Borat series — Two Oscar nods for Adapted Screenplay, second film lands Maria Bakalova a Best Supporting Actress nomination
• Ali G: Who Iz I — 48% critic (no audience score... yet)

Compared to Borat (who bagged some actual Academy Award nominations), Ali G is having a tougher time shaking off his ‘cringe’ era. But the gap between what critics and fans think has always been part of Cohen’s appeal — you’re either in on the joke or you’re the punchline. Whether this signals the end or there’s another Ali G comeback in a few years, anyone who wants to can now catch up on Prime Video from 28 October 2026.