Does Ali G Still Work in 2026? Why a Final Bow Makes Sense

Red velvet stage curtain lit by a spotlight and fading into darkness on one side

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If you were watching British television when Ali G first turned up, you will remember the feeling of watching a serious grown-up try to answer one of his questions with a straight face. It was cringe comedy before anyone called it that. So it was hard not to have mixed feelings on hearing that Sacha Baron Cohen was bringing the character back for Ali G: Who Iz I?, which opens in UK and US cinemas on 23 October.

Having read the early reviews, my honest answer to the big question, whether Ali G still works, is "partly". And I think that is fine, because this is clearly meant as a goodbye.

The joke was always about who was in on it

The whole engine of Da Ali G Show was that the people being interviewed did not know who he was. They thought they were talking to a clueless youth presenter, and the comedy came from watching them take him seriously. That trick depended on a very particular moment in time. The character started on Channel 4's The 11 O'Clock Show in 1998, got a film in 2002 and finished his HBO run in 2004.

Twenty-odd years later, the problem has flipped. The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw pointed out that the new film keeps having to explain who is and is not in on the joke, because a whole generation simply does not know who Ali G is. When the audience needs the joke explained, the magic is under strain.

The reviews are split, and that feels right

Variety's Owen Gleiberman was harsh and compared it to a Saturday Night Live movie. Deadline's Pete Hammond had a much better time. Bradshaw landed somewhere in the middle and called it sometimes funny. I would expect audiences to divide the same way, mostly along the line of whether they watched the original show.

Why I respect the decision anyway

Baron Cohen has said this will be the last time he does this kind of comedy, and I believe him. He has nothing left to prove. Borat made him a global star, he picked up Oscar nominations for writing, and he showed in The Trial of the Chicago 7 that he can act in a serious drama too. He does not need the tracksuit and the yellow glasses to stay relevant.

Lots of comedians keep dragging out old characters long after the joke has gone stale. Baron Cohen is doing the opposite. He wrote it with old collaborators, directed it himself for the first time, kept it to a lean 89 minutes and is giving it about a week in cinemas before it moves to Prime Video. That is a performer taking a final bow on his own terms, not a studio squeezing a brand.

Should you go? If you used to quote the show with your mates, yes, and take them with you. I would not expect it to be as sharp as the old episodes. I would expect a few big laughs and a bit of nostalgia, which is about all you can ask of a farewell tour. For the plot, the full cast of characters and the streaming plans, Global Celebrity Meter has a complete guide: Ali G: Who Iz I? release, reviews and Prime Video date.

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