After more than a decade out of the limelight and away from his wardrobe of high-visibility, low-practicality clothing, Sacha Baron Cohen‘s Ali G is back with his first film in almost 25 years. This time, alongside the satirical would-be bad boy himself leading “Ali G: Who Iz I” comes his long-suffering girlfriend Julie (constantly referred to by Ali as “Me Julie”). Played by British comic and impressionist Morgana Robinson, Julie is seen in the trailer to the film — released Oct. 23 by Amazon MGM — heavily pregnant while Ali first explains to a doctor that her bump is “probably wind or a big poo” and later with him as, when asked what type of father he wants to be, he replies “absent.” For Middleton, who played Pippa Middleton in “The Windsors,” the experience making “Ali G: Who Iz I” was the most insane she’s ever had, one that required her, on the insistence of Cohen, to stay in character off set.
But for all the silliness of the film (Morgana claims it’s half-silly — ”laugh-out loud funny, but with a message”), “Ali G: Who Iz I” has also come under significant fire, accused of using outdated racist stereotypes and mocking the working class. In the U.K., there have also been calls for cinemas to boycott the film. Speaking to Variety, a wildly entertaining Morgana claims that Julie — who she describes as “the heart of the film” — is much more than what’s been seen in the trailer, adding that the “Who Iz I” actually takes aim at Ali G’s out-of-date views and attitude.
But she also laughs about the shock and surprise of finding people in America who didn’t know Ali G and could be duped by the joke and reveals the real — and painful — struggles of trying not to laugh during each scene, because “there is no take two.” I’m in a bowl of jelly, to be honest. It’s on a rather grand scale, but it’s been amazing, especially on the red carpet and turning up in character. I find it a bit of a comfort.
It’s like a very solid bra. I feel supported and not so exposed. They can look a bit serious, can’t they?
And if you look a bit silly, it’s fine. It gets less silly as you go on. But it’s got all the feels.
But it’s laugh out loud funny, but with a message. He hasn’t changed particularly much, apart from you know his beard’s a bit longer. But how does he sit into today’s society?
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