Blu-ray Review – Ali G Indahouse

While he rocketed to superstardom with help from his most famous creation, Borat Sagdiyev, actor Sacha Baron Cohen was initially invested in a different character. Ali G is described as a "faux-streetwise poseur," finding success on "Da Ali G Show," where Cohen would unleash his imagination and great love of uncomfortable comedy. Ali G was the breakout creation, and with television triumph comes cinematic aspirations. Borat would prove to be Cohen's biggest success, but Ali G came first, with 2002's "Ali G Indahouse" attempting to give the "chav" more room to play and a plot to follow, getting away from interview shenanigans that made the T.V. show such a delight. Stripped of improvisational moves, Cohen is forced to stick to a script for the feature, which tries to create a world for Ali G, and opportunities to screw everything up. "Ali G Indahouse" is loaded with customary crudeness from Cohen (who co-scripts with Dan Mazer), and the rigidness of storytelling with this creation is present. However, the effort has many laughs and pleasingly bizarre situations, watching Cohen work hard to sustain the appeal of Ali G, lacking the safety net of seven-minute-long segment run times. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com