638. Ali G Indahouse (2002)

Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Martin Freeman, Tony Way

Director: Mark Mylod

Running Time: 85 mins

Ali G Indahouse is a British film about a Staines man who, unknowingly, is appointed by the evil Chancellor to help bring down the PM, however his unorthodox approach to politics leads to some complications in the plan.

Quite simply, this just isn’t funny. I don’t like it because it’s horrifically juvenile, and downright idiotic, but the fact that it just doesn’t make me laugh is the worst thing about it.

I liked Borat (although I hate Bruno and The Dictator), but that was properly controversial, hugely offensive and actually quite original, and the fact that it was also so cringe-worthy really made me laugh a lot, but Ali G is instead a dull, repetitive and simply unfunny story.

And again, it’s not that I’m offended by any of Ali G’s antics, in fact the offensive stuff is the best bit about it, because it shows that the writers were willing to try something different and more outlandish, however the majority of the film is totally unlike that, it just picks one big joke, and stays with it throughout.

That means that you get this procession of gags coming at you, and while you may laugh the first few times, I guarantee you will get incredibly tired of watching a chav from Staines drawing up ridiculous political plans while high.

I’m not taking this too seriously either, I’m well up for some madness and idiocy, but when you’ve got a story that just constantly keeps pounding you with one main joke, it really is tediously repetitive, so that was the main reason I didn’t like this film.

Away from that, there are still a lot of problems. Sacha Baron Cohen (whose characters I generally dislike) had a terrible day at the office. When he uses Ali G in the Ali G show, interviewing and annoying real people, that’s quite funny, but in this film, his acting is quite below par, while big actors like Charles Dance and Michael Gambon make an appearance in this film, however it still sounds like they’re phoning it in.

Overall, this gets a 4.9, because it was a boring, unfunny, poorly written and acted film that never gave me any sense of fun or entertainment.