First Benny Hill. Then Monty Python. And now, Ali G.
The alter ego of British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, Ali G describes himself as a “Hip-hop journalist,” and is the latest breed of British cutting-edge comedy to make a splash stateside, this time in the hilarious “Da Ali G” show, currently showing on HBO on Fridays after the mediocre “Real Time with Bill Maher.”
Ali G’s antics are some of the best on late night television, comparable even to Conan O’Brien’s “Triumph the insult comic dog.”
Cohen has a number of characters he uses in the show, like Borat Sagdiyeva, a Kazazhstani journalist who crashes southern society parties and minor league baseball games, or Bruno, the voice of Austrian youth television, who coaxes his interviewees into communicating voiceless safe sex messages to deaf children.
Still, though, Ali G is the undisputed star of the show. His interviews are always hilarious, whether they be with former U.N. Secretary General Boutrous Boutrous Ghali, “Inside the Actor’s Studio” host James Lipton, or Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader, G never disappoints.
“Da Ali G” show is so much more than just crude jokes. Cohen’s interviews offer a view into the real personalities of the people he interviews. Seeing Buzz Aldrin react to Cohen calling him “Buzz Lightyear” and insinuating that the moon doesn’t exist is just priceless. Where else can you watch something like that?
One of the few problems with the show isn’t actually a problem, yet. Shows like these (“The Tom Green Show” comes to mind) start out with a bang initally, but lose gas as the pressure to develop new material really starts to build. If Cohen can meet this challenge, then “Da Ali G Show” as the potential to be one of the best comedy shows ever offered on cable television.
Cohen, if nothing else, has to be applauded for his guts. Whether he’s Ali G, Borat, or Bruno, Cohen’s job is basically to annoy the people he interacts with.
There are several times, for instance, where James Lipton looks as though he is perfectly ready to slug Cohen for calling him “gay” for admiting to crying after watching an emotional film.
It’s obvious that you can get frighteningly far in this world simply by saying you’re from “HBO news.” During one episode, Cohen is somehow allowed to take a tour of the UN security council room in the United Nations building, during which he confiscated the personal note pad of Kofi Annan and scribbled “Saddam’s a real bell end, go sort him out for us.”
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