Whether you love or hate this film depends largely on how much you understand about the central character 'Ali G' and the background of Sacha Baron Cohen, the comedian who plays the main role.
Ale G (who's 'real' name turns out to be Alistair Graham) is a young white man living with his ... Read review
By the marginal-or-miss standards of British TV spin-offs,Ali G in da Houseis well above ... more
adequate, even though it drags out every smart line or decent routine until they lie dead on the screen just begging for a laugh track. The film pulls back a bit f...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
The most controversial and hilarious number one blockbuster, see the original superstar ... more
from Staines as you've never seen him before. Assisted by his loyal crew, the West Staines Massive and his girlfriend 'me Julie' he emerges as the unlikeliest of he...
By the marginal-or-miss standards of British TV spin-offs,Ali G in da Houseis well above ... more
adequate, even though it drags out every smart line or decent routine until they lie dead on the screen just begging for a laugh track. The film pulls back a bit f...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Ali G gets all political in his big-screen debut finding himself in the bizarre position ... more
of having to resolve one of the biggest national and political scandals in the country's history. Abetted by his loyal crew the West Staines Massive and long suf...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
By the marginal-or-miss standards of British TV spin-offs,Ali G in da Houseis well above ... more
adequate, even though it drags out every smart line or decent routine until they lie dead on the screen just begging for a laugh track. The film pulls back a bit from the absolute obnoxiousness of theAli GTV skits, which makes Sacha Baron Cohen's character bearable at feature length, but also significantly less funny. Here it is finally confirmed that Ali is a weedy white kid called Alistair who pretends to be Jamaican, rather than a weedy white comedian doing a Jamaican character.Believe it or not, there's actually a plot, with a scheming Chancellor of the Exchequer (Charles Dance) recruiting Ali as a parliamentary candidate for Staines in a devious attempt to unseat Prime Minister Michael Gambon. Yet this framework is really an excuse for the sketch-like bits, such as a Los Angeles ghetto movie fantasy, Ali G addressing a meeting of lesbian feminists ("I've seen a lot of your videos"), and Charles Dance forced to read a budget speech in Ali G speak. Oddly, the film makes early-1990s jokes about Tories rather than going after New Labour, but any political satire here comes in second to knob-polishing jokes and sometimes-hilarious patter. Luckless inhabitants of the M4 corridor will nod ruefully at the final gag, in which Ali G persuades the PM not to devastate Staines and nods agreement as Gambon reassures him, "it's all right, we'll destroy Slough instead". --Kim Newman
Postage & Packaging:£2.69 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
By the marginal-or-miss standards of British TV spin-offs,Ali G in da Houseis well above ... more
adequate, even though it drags out every smart line or decent routine until they lie dead on the screen just begging for a laugh track. The film pulls back a bit from the absolute obnoxiousness of theAli GTV skits, which makes Sacha Baron Cohen's character bearable at feature length, but also significantly less funny. Here it is finally confirmed that Ali is a weedy white kid called Alistair who pretends to be Jamaican, rather than a weedy white comedian doing a Jamaican character.Believe it or not, there's actually a plot, with a scheming Chancellor of the Exchequer (Charles Dance) recruiting Ali as a parliamentary candidate for Staines in a devious attempt to unseat Prime Minister Michael Gambon. Yet this framework is really an excuse for the sketch-like bits, such as a Los Angeles ghetto movie fantasy, Ali G addressing a meeting of lesbian feminists ("I've seen a lot of your videos"), and Charles Dance forced to read a budget speech in Ali G speak. Oddly, the film makes early-1990s jokes about Tories rather than going after New Labour, but any political satire here comes in second to knob-polishing jokes and sometimes-hilarious patter. Luckless inhabitants of the M4 corridor will nod ruefully at the final gag, in which Ali G persuades the PM not to devastate Staines and nods agreement as Gambon reassures him, "it's all right, we'll destroy Slough instead". --Kim Newman
Postage & Packaging:£1.21 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
By the marginal-or-miss standards of British TV spin-offs,Ali G in da Houseis well above ... more
adequate, even though it drags out every smart line or decent routine until they lie dead on the screen just begging for a laugh track. The film pulls back a bit from the absolute obnoxiousness of theAli GTV skits, which makes Sacha Baron Cohen's character bearable at feature length, but also significantly less funny. Here it is finally confirmed that Ali is a weedy white kid called Alistair who pretends to be Jamaican, rather than a weedy white comedian doing a Jamaican character.Believe it or not, there's actually a plot, with a scheming Chancellor of the Exchequer (Charles Dance) recruiting Ali as a parliamentary candidate for Staines in a devious attempt to unseat Prime Minister Michael Gambon. Yet this framework is really an excuse for the sketch-like bits, such as a Los Angeles ghetto movie fantasy, Ali G addressing a meeting of lesbian feminists ("I've seen a lot of your videos"), and Charles Dance forced to read a budget speech in Ali G speak. Oddly, the film makes early-1990s jokes about Tories rather than going after New Labour, but any political satire here comes in second to knob-polishing jokes and sometimes-hilarious patter. Luckless inhabitants of the M4 corridor will nod ruefully at the final gag, in which Ali G persuades the PM not to devastate Staines and nods agreement as Gambon reassures him, "it's all right, we'll destroy Slough instead". --Kim Newman
Postage & Packaging:£1.21 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
Comedy - Director: Gareth Carrivick - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Kathryn Drysdale, Sheridan Smith, Natalie Casey, Will Mellor, Ralf Little
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
Advantages: Accutely observed contemporary satire Disadvantages: Gets a little confused
...in a fantasy sequence, where Ali defeats a group of Latin American gang members, saving the life of a young mother and her child, and is rewarded by receiving oral sex from a couple of 'freed' prostitutes, instead he wakes to find it's all been a dream, and he's having his private parts licked by the family dog - to compound his embarrassment, his grandmother comes into the bedroom, and proceeds to humiliate him by addressing him as a toddler. ...red light.
Ali comes to the attention of local politicians when he tries to mount a protest about the closure of his local community centre, in which he acts as mentor to a group of eight year old boys - he gains their nomination to become a candidate in a local BI-election, and by unintentionally slandering his opponent with rhetorical accusations of committing an act of oral sex on a farmyard animal, causes his withdrawal and thereby ... more
Whether you love or hate this film depends largely on how much you understand about the central character 'Ali G' and the background of Sacha Baron Cohen, the comedian who plays the main role.
Ale G (who's 'real' name turns out to be Alistair Graham) is a young white man living with his grandmother in Staines, a working class suburb of West London.
In his mind, however he is the leader of a small but faithful group of 'young bloods' known as the 'Westside Staines Massive' - whilst they model themselves on a Los Angeles gang, 'reality' is quite different.
The film starts in a fantasy sequence, where Ali defeats a group of Latin American gang members, saving the life of a young mother and her child, and is rewarded by receiving oral sex from a couple of 'freed' prostitutes, instead he wakes to find it's all been a dream, and he's having his private parts licked by the family dog - to compound his embarrassment, his grandmother comes into the bedroom, and proceeds to humiliate him by addressing him as a toddler.
There's a hilarious 'car chase' down (presumably) Staines high street against the rival 'east side' gang in customised hatchback cars, with unfeasibly large hi-fis, in which they 'race' at the regulation 30mph, only to be beaten at the end by entering a 20mph zone, and being beaten by a red light.
Ali comes to the attention of local politicians when he tries to mount a protest about the closure of his local community centre, in which he acts as mentor to a group of eight year old boys - he gains their nomination to become a candidate in a local BI-election, and by unintentionally slandering his opponent with rhetorical accusations of committing an act of oral sex on a farmyard animal, causes his withdrawal and thereby winning the election.
From there, the plot becomes increasingly unfeasible (as if that was ever a consideration) uncovers a corruption scandal, resulting in the resignation of the prime minister, and his eventual appointment as an ambassador to Jamaica, in which his duties include the approval of the Marijuana crop (like the 'Man from Del Monte') and the humiliation of the disgraced politician behind the scandal previously mentioned.
The character of Ali G has undergone some subtle transformations from the original portrayed in 'da Ali G Show' and the original '11o'clock show'
First off, and critically, is the removal of the ambiguity of Ali's ethnic origin - he's white, very, very, white, and the whole point of the film is beautifully sending up the adoption of 'gangsta' culture by a section if English youth, who have absolutely nothing in common with their idols.
This is the salvation of the film, without knowing this, it simply falls into the genre of 'racial stereotyping' instead of 'acutely observed satire'.
It won't be to everyone's taste, there are frequent references to drug culture, and homophobia features highly, however it's worthwhile noting that it spends more time challenging the phobia itself rather than gay lifestyles themselves - indeed two of the supporting actors, believing themselves to be facing certain death, are interrupting performing a homosexual act and admit 'we didn't want to die, and not know what it was like, it was quite nice actually'
The comic style is mostly 'adolescent' - relying almost entirely on 'knob gags' - I'm sufficiently confident with my masculinity not to be troubled by this, and there is a high degree of 'saucy' extras, displaying a high proportion of flesh, although this barely compares with the 'confessions' flicks of the 1970s, Benny Hill, or even 'carry on'.
I resisted the temptation to view this at the cinema, hire the video, or watch it on pay-TV, instead I bought a copy for about seven quid from my local 'previously viewed' section of the local video store.
The certificate is 15, and whilst there's many a Hollywood film I wouldn't especially mind my 13 year old daughter watching (after viewing, and exercising parental judgement) I don't especially disagree with the classification - I *hope* much of the humour would go well above her head!
Were I to offer one criticism, it is that the editing makes it unclear whenever Ali is in fill 'Walter Mitty' or 'Billy Liar' fantasy mode, and when the plot 'proper' takes over, in the end, it becomes increasingly hard to differentiate, by which time, however, it really doesn't matter.
The film deserves to be held in much higher regard than it is - whether it ever achieves cult status depends on whether enough viewers have a sufficiently highly developed sense of irony.
Shakespeare - it isn't - but it's a good deal funnier than most of *his* comedies!
Your Gran won't understand it, your parents probably wouldn't like it, your kids will be embarrassed by it (if they understand it at all) and your wife may well fall asleep on the couch (like mine did) - I had a jolly good chuckle to myself.
Worth a look if you get the chance, but don't spend too much for the privilege - probably best viewed after half a dozen pints and perhaps a couple of spliffs.
Advantages: A few jokes Disadvantages: Lame plot, dull looking, nothing new
The success of Ali G on television meant that a big screen adventure for the leader of the Staines massive was inevitable. I count myself as a fan of Ali and get the joke that all he is a piss take on all those white boys who think they're actually cool following the black culture. However the character works because he was also someone who would conduct an interview with people who obviously didn't get it and wanted to appear cool to the 'youth' ... ...I was ready to give Ali G Indahouse a fair go, I didn't see it on it's theatrical release but though I couldn't go wrong with a blind purchase on DVD. Sadly I was wrong. The film sees Ali in his home town of Staines with his small gang including his mate Dave and Ricky C (Martin Freeman from The Office) generally doing nothing and getting in the face of arch rivals the east end massive. Ali teaches a 'keep it real' class at the local community centre ...
utero 04.12.2002
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Ali G - Indahouse - The Movie (DVD)
Advantages: funny, easy to understand Disadvantages: may offend some people
Ali G; Britain's stupidest character created by one of Britain smartest comedians.
Ali G is one of the many characters played by Sasha Baron Cohen. This particular incarnation is my personal favourite. Ali G is, basically, an idiot. He comes out with a of stupid comments and numerous comments that are sexist and homophobic. Ali G's rise to fame came on the 11 o'clock show many years ago. All he did there was to give interviews in the way that only ... ...After all this came Ali G; Indahouse. This was a film where Ali becomes a politician and tries to change things for the better.
The film starts in a comical fashion. Two women are being harassed by some men and he comes to their rescue. These few men suddenly turn into loads of men and start shooting at him. Obviously he dodges all the bullets in his own stupid way and even manages to save a child in the process. This one scene basically warms you ...
mynameisrui 07.07.2008
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Ali G - Indahouse - The Movie (DVD)
Advantages: Funny Disadvantages: Bordering the ridiculous, but hey, it makes you laugh
...line of this op. When Ali G first appeared on our screens as a bit-part on the Eleven O’clock News Show on Channel 4, a couple of years back, I used to grapple with the TV remote control, hurrying my fingers to switch the channel over. The guy used to annoy so much so, that I stopped watching the show altogether after a few episodes. It was actually amazing I watched for that long as, to be fair, the show on the whole was c**p.
Nevertheless, ... ...revolves, in loose terms, around Ali G, by freak accident, becoming an Member of Parliament for the Staines ‘massive’, in order to fight the closure of the local leisure activity centre. Let’s face it, he’ll do a damn better job than the lot presently residing at Westminster. He becomes embroiled in all sorts of mishaps, ridiculously unrealistic situations, and elevation into political positions that even the most insane amongst ...
kleft 14.04.2002
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Ali G - Indahouse - The Movie (DVD)
Advantages: Lasts longer than a half-hour Ali G show Disadvantages: Only as many laughs as a half-hour Ali G show
...your comedy, you know that Ali is a Viz cartoon writ large, but with a bit less swearing. If you’re easily offended, I believe the Princess Diaries might be a better venture.
***THE PLOT***
Ali G is actually Alistair Leslie Graham, a nice Jewish boy who likes to make like he’s a hardcore gang-banger. When he’s not dreaming of over the top gangsta related gunfights and bottom sex (mainly the latter), he runs a “Keep It Real” workshop for the kids ... ...planned for, and it seems Ali G is the best MP the UK has seen in a long time. Can he foil the evil plot and still manage to keep his long-suffering girlfriend “Me Julie”? Stay tuned...
* * * * *
***A LI-GUE OF HIS OWN***
Whenever a TV show is converted into a movie, the end product may not be to everyone’s taste. That said, you know what you’re getting. Like Paul Daniels, raspberry sauce on your ice cream and driving toothpicks into snails to ...
peppersinclaire 26.03.2002
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Ali G - Indahouse - The Movie (DVD)
Advantages: It's funny, good music and hilarious moments Disadvantages: bit gross at times
Hmmmmm a whole film about Ali G? I guess I shouldn’t expect too much in terms of plot then, but is it funny? Well the short answer is yes, even though you hate yourself for laughing at times: it is really funny. As usual expect to see a lot of gangster wannabe style stuff, references to drugs, sex (girls), fast cars, and Ali’s erm individual dress sense is there.
One thing that I would say to anyone who hasn’t seen the film is ... ...MeJulie, Me-Nan, and Uncle Jamel. Ali also has a dog called 2pac who he is quite close to (ahem! Watch the film and you’ll understand what I mean). The beginning of the film is excellent and it’s the point where you can tell whether you are going to like the rest of the film or not. I must state guys are more likely to like the film then girls due to the huge number of girls shown in skimpy bikinis in the film. Naomi Campbell also ‘pops ...
chocoholic 01.04.2002
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Ali G - Indahouse - The Movie (DVD)
Ali G's got two words for you: Keep it real! The goofy gangsta (Sacha Baron Cohen) and his West Staines Massive crew iz in a film that was shown on big screens but iz now shown on small screens. Iz dat phat or what
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
VISION VIDEO LTD.; UNIVERSAL MUSIC OPERATIONS
Release date
11/11/2002
No of Discs
1
Catalogue No
903 206 9
Barcode
3259190320697
Languages
Main Language
English
Technical information
Special Features
Audio Commentary, Trailers, Deleted Scenes, Featurette - 1. ME VIDEO DIARY, Stills Gallery
DVD Description
Ali G's got two words for you: Keep it real! The goofy gangsta (Sacha Baron Cohen) and his West Staines Massive crew iz in a film that was shown on big screens but iz now shown on small screens. Iz dat phat or what
Compare Ali G - Indahouse - The Movie (DVD) to other similar Comedy »
![Ali G Indahouse The Movie [DVD] [2002]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78545561.jpg)
![Ali G - Indahouse - The Movie [VHS] [2002]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78267262.jpg "Ali G - Indahouse - The Movie [VHS] [2002]")
![Ali G Indahouse: The Movie [DVD] [2002] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/83382060.jpg "Ali G Indahouse: The Movie [DVD] [2002] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]")
![Ali G Indahouse (Da Soundtrack) [ECD] - Various Artists](http://imagesa.ciao.com/iuk/images/products/small/458/Ali_G_Indahouse_Da_Soundtrack_ECD_Various_Artists__5879458.jpg)
