--- title: "Ali G: Who Iz I?: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/ali-g-who-iz-i/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/ali-g-who-iz-i" critics_score: 41 critics_reviews: 12 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Ali G: Who Iz I? (2026): what the critics said Critics' score 41 from 12 reviews: 2 positive, 3 mixed, 7 negative. Most critics find Ali G: Who Iz I? a tired return, though even several unfavourable reviews acknowledge scattered laughs and effective stunts. Praise centres on Cohen’s improvisation and the pranks that let political extremists expose their own prejudices. The more receptive reviews see some sting left in the satire, particularly when the film gives its targets space to incriminate themselves. There is less enthusiasm for sustaining the character at feature length. The divide is over whether those encounters justify the rest. Reservations cluster around a cumbersome scripted story, uneven pacing and repeated explanations of who is in on the joke. Several critics question Ali G’s relevance, while others find the shock tactics more disturbing than funny. The spread is wide: HeyUGuys finds the satire imperfect but frequently inspiring, whereas The Wrap regards the revival as dispiriting and largely humourless. Even the warmer responses leave room for substantial misses. ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen Rating 3/5. 21 October 2026. The review calls the sequel erratic but funny and hit-and-miss. It praises its Borat-style punking of America’s political extremists. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/ali-g-who-iz-i-review-2026) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Frank Scheck Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 22 October 2026. Scheck finds the film hit-and-miss, with laughs offset by dead spots and humor that drags at feature length. He praises Cohen’s comic instincts and improvisation, but says Ali G works best in small doses. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/ali-g-who-iz-i-review-sacha-baron-cohen-1236736219/) ## Empire — Helen O’Hara Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 22 October 2026. The critic finds the film largely unfunny, though its final stretch provides a startling payoff. The standout moments include a bone-chilling game show and a horrifying drone-related decision. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/ali-g-who-iz-i/) ## Radio Times — Terry Staunton Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 22 October 2026. The critic finds the return uneven and too heavy-handed, questioning whether Ali G remains relevant. They acknowledge some laugh-out-loud moments but say the character’s comedy struggles to land. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/ali-g-who-iz-i-review/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 22 October 2026. Bradshaw finds the sequel intermittently funny but ultimately tired, with Ali G feeling irrelevant and its humor often crass. He praises the prankster’s energetic, Jackass-like hoaxing, while faulting the film for repeatedly explaining who is in on the joke. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/oct/22/ali-g-who-iz-i-review-sacha-baron-cohens-high-stakes-satire-punches-up-and-down-with-spectacular-bad-taste) ## The AV Club — Tim Grierson Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 22 October 2026. Grierson argues that the film’s familiar satire feels stale and inadequate to the moment, despite some effective stunts. He praises Baron Cohen’s influence on later comics and documentarians, who have found fresher ways to expose America’s absurdities. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/sacha-baron-cohen-stuck-in-past-ali-g-who-iz-i-borat) ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 22 October 2026. Gleiberman finds the film cumbersome and less relevant than it thinks, arguing that its attempt to make Ali G a political subject misfires. He complains that it replaces the character’s sharper talk-show pranks with an overblown backstory and rescue thriller. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2026/film/reviews/ali-g-who-iz-i-review-sacha-baron-cohen-1236918623/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 22 October 2026. Hammond presents the film as an outrageous comedy with plenty to offend, suggesting a clearly positive verdict. He singles out the movie’s impressive clearances as a joke in its own right. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/category/reviews/) ## HeyUGuys — Linda Marric Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). Marric finds the film imperfect but frequently inspiring, with its satire still capable of stinging. She especially praises the scenes targeting far-right figures, where their own prejudices make the joke land. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/ali-g-who-iz-i-review/) ## The Playlist — Jeff Ewing Rating C−. 22 October 2026. Ewing finds the film dated and muddled as satire, with only scattered laughs. He praises the TikTok-style interviews with elderly experts as a brilliant gag. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/ali-g-who-iz-i-review-sacha-baron-cohen-20261022/) ## Consequence — Liz Shannon Miller Fi1m's normalised score 15/100 (inferred from the text). 22 October 2026. The critic finds the film painfully unfunny and muddled. She singles out its blend of scripted story and prank footage as undermining the narrative, while some segments feel disturbing rather than amusing. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2026/10/ali-g-who-iz-i-review-sacha-baron-cohen/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 15/100 (inferred from the text). 22 October 2026. The critic finds the revival dispiriting and largely humorless, saying its shock comedy no longer lands. They single out the weak impact of Cohen’s gags, despite a few moments that earn a laugh. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/ali-g-who-iz-i-review-sacha-baron-cohens-schtick-is-old-in-unfunny-unsurprising-new-film/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/ali-g-who-iz-i.md