Ali G Indahouse (2004)

Four years before Borat made Sacha Baron Cohen a household name, the creator of Da Ali G Show took an altogether different approach to bringing his characters to the big screen. Ali G Indahouse transplants its titular faux-B-boy protagonist from the mockumentary world of the television show into a jokey plot that veers from the London suburbs to the House of Commons. The result is closer to a joke-a-minute Leslie Nielsen outing than to the high-concept guerilla theater of Borat. But for those willing to accept the limitations of the genre, Ali G Indahouse is a perfectly enjoyable stoner comedy. The script is at its best when it's deconstructing the character of Ali G, a middle-class wannabe who wears hip-hop affectations like mix-and-match Garanimals. The opening scene -- a ridiculously over-the-top gangsta dream sequence featuring the most memorable prosthetic genitals this side of Boogie Nights -- earns enough comedy goodwill for audiences to forgive the fussy plot mechanics that sometimes slow down the rest of the picture. Then again, even the script's conventional elements generate considerable laughs. Throwaway bits of dialogue add fresh surprises to repeat viewings, while crass sight gags anticipate the most gross-out moments of Borat. Viewed on its own terms, rather than through the lens of its successor's success, it's hard not to like this low-key grab-bag of gags. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide