Ali G: Who Iz I? reaches Prime Video days after cinemas; critics split

Ali G: Who Iz I?, the new mockumentary in which Sacha Baron Cohen returns as his best-known character, began streaming on Prime Video on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, Amazon MGM Studios said. The move came just five days after the film opened in a limited number of cinemas on October 23, as Amazon cut short a theatrical run it had first planned to be wider. Cohen stars in and directs the film, his first feature as director, and critics have given it a split reception.

Ali G is the character that made Sacha Baron Cohen famous. Played as a clueless, self-styled tough guy from west Staines, a town near London, Ali G interviewed politicians and public figures who did not realise the joke was on them. His last feature outing was the 2002 film Ali G Indahouse. Ali G: Who Iz I? is the character's first feature in more than two decades, which is why the film drew so much attention, and why the actor's name and the character were among the most searched terms in the United Kingdom this week.

The release strategy is part of the story. Amazon gave this film only a short, limited theatrical run before putting it on Prime Video, where it can reach subscribers in many countries at once. For Cohen's style of comedy, which spreads through clips shared online, streaming may suit it better than a long cinema run. It also shows how big streaming companies are deciding film by film whether a cinema release is worth the cost.

Critics are divided. One major British listings magazine gave the film three stars out of five and called it a hit-and-miss sequel, saying the character works best when he is totally ignorant but full of confidence. A leading Hollywood trade publication found that the film drifts from one bit to the next but that enough of it works. A Canadian newspaper called it a laugh-free sequel and a steep decline for Cohen, and a US music and film site called it painfully unfunny in parts. Several reviewers singled out the segment with George Santos, the former US congressman, with one saying it went too far.

There is even disagreement over what the film is. Some listings call it a sequel to Ali G Indahouse, while one British entertainment site described it as a standalone adventure. Amazon describes it simply as a new film starring and directed by Cohen.

Short-term: The quick move to Prime Video means far more people can watch the film this week than saw it in cinemas, and audience reaction online will shape how it is remembered more than box office figures will.

Long-term: If viewing numbers are strong, other studios may follow the same short-window approach for character-driven comedies.

Who is affected: Fans of Sacha Baron Cohen and Ali G; Prime Video subscribers; cinema owners, who lose part of a film's run to streaming; and the public figures who appear in the film's hidden-camera scenes.

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