Sacha Baron Cohen defends Ali G revival as reviews divide critics

Sacha Baron Cohen has brought Ali G back for a new film, "Ali G: Who Iz I?" According to The Hollywood Reporter, it is the character's first big-screen appearance since 2002's "Ali G Indahouse."

The comeback puts the character's premise under renewed scrutiny. The BBC framed the debate around whether Ali G has passed his sell-by date, describing footage in which Baron Cohen, using the character's parody street accent, calls a crowd of fans a gathering of cultural appropriators.

On October 20, Variety Movies reported Baron Cohen's defence of the revival. "The fact that Ali G is outdated and problematic is the very reason I resurrected him," he wrote. His stated argument is that the character is designed to expose prejudice.

On October 21, Baron Cohen appeared on "CBS Mornings" to discuss bringing Ali G back for the new movie, according to CBS Top Stories. That day, The Hollywood Reporter also published an interview addressing backlash, death threats, cancel culture and boycotts.

On October 22, Daily Mail reported that Baron Cohen said he was "terrified" about where society was headed, presenting that concern as part of his explanation for resurrecting the character.

Reviews published on October 22 shifted attention from the justification for the comeback to the film itself. The Hollywood Reporter found both substantial laughs and boredom, while Deadline Hollywood offered a more enthusiastic assessment of the returning prankster.

Other critics were considerably less persuaded. Consequence of Sound sharply criticised the film's comedy, while Variety Movies argued that making Ali G the political subject of his own absurdist story was a mistake.

The dispute now has two strands: whether Ali G remains a useful vehicle for exposing prejudice, and whether the new film succeeds as comedy. Baron Cohen's defence, reported by Variety Movies, treats the character's problematic reputation as a reason for the revival rather than an argument against it.

The reviews do not settle that case. The contrasting assessments from Deadline Hollywood, The Hollywood Reporter and Consequence of Sound show a divided critical response, with disagreement about both the laughs and the value of bringing Ali G back.