Yes, really — Sacha Baron Cohen’s Ali G wants fans to illegally pirate his new movie
Sacha Baron Cohen has wheeled out Ali G to plug his new movie — and the cheeky request he makes of fans isn’t exactly above board.
Here’s one you don’t see every day: Sacha Baron Cohen has dug the shell suit out of storage to drum up attention for his latest film in truly classic Ali G style — by telling people, quite baldly, to pirate it. Yes, really.
Ali G: Who Iz I? is in cinemas right now. Get down there, film it, and stick it up on YouTube so no one else has to buy a ticket. Sharing is caring, aight?
That little gem came courtesy of Cohen himself, slipping back into the gold chains and dodgy shades in a new promo video, which landed on the official Ali G X account (for a certain demographic, yes, X still feels weird to say). So, shout out to everyone buying cinema tickets — apparently you’re working overtime for the rest of us.
To be clear, I’m not advocating you actually nick the film, but it’s a bold move having the bloke behind it encourage precisely that, with the full Ali G wink. Straight out of the Baron Cohen playbook, too.
Not His First Stunt
This isn’t Cohen’s first publicity sideshow for the film. Before it even hit cinemas, he’d already wheeled out Borat for a deliberately daft 'boycott' sketch to get the internet talking. It seems Ali G: Who Iz I? is getting more press for its marketing than anything else, though that comes with a fair bit of controversy. The film’s already taken flak for playing up racial stereotypes — hardly uncharted territory for Cohen, but you’d think he might mix it up after two decades.
The Film Itself
If you’re trying to piece together what the actual plot is: this is a sequel to Ali G Indahouse from 2002. Cohen’s not just starring this time, he’s directing as well, so any creative misfires are all on him. The story: after 20 years 'chillin', smokin', and messing about', Ali G gets the shock of his life when his long-time girlfriend Julie turns up eight months pregnant. Reckoning with impending fatherhood, he legs it to America hoping to reclaim his glory days, but — inevitably — he gets himself into trouble and, per the blurb, faces threats to both himself and his future kid.
Morgana Robinson steps in as Julie (a swap from Kellie Bright, who played her in the first film), while Stewart Rodeheaver apparently crops up as himself. Cohen is on producing duties, with Petr Jákl in the executive chair.
Ali G: Who Iz I? managed a 50% Tomatometer, based on twenty Rotten Tomatoes reviews as opening week rolled in.
So if you’re after critic consensus, it’s: solidly mixed — some will laugh, others will wince. The film’s out now, if you fancy risking your brain cells and/or your phone’s camera.