The Emmy nominated, BAFTA Award-winning Ali G is back! British comedic genius, Sacha Baron Cohen, slips into the skins of his devilish alter egos, Ali G, Borat and Bruno to create loads of hilarious riffs at the expense of... more » American culture in the second season of the international phenomenon called "riotous", by The Dallas Morning News and "deliciously wicked," by the Boston Globe.« less
Jefferson N. from BLAIRSVILLE, GA Reviewed on 12/28/2012...
In this second season of Da Ali G Show, Sacha Baron Cohen has mastered his inimitable style of ambush journalism...and puts it to good use on plenty of pompous political figures and pseudo-intellectuals. If you like Borat or Bruno, check this out! This is where these characters, as well as Ali G, got their start! Political satire at it's best!!
Movie Reviews
Offensively hilarious, more socially important than it gets
Nicholas Adam Chupka | Derwood, MD | 10/11/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Mr. Cohen has received all kinds of accolades for his three stunningly vivid personas: Ali G, Borat, and Bruno.
But aside from the ultra-offensive and seemingly obvious ignorance lay some great social commentary. Through his characters, Cohen is able to expose the still present social bigotries of this country that so many argue went away with civil rights, but that are still so firmly rooted at the core of this nation. A Cambridge graduate, and Jew, Cohen is most impressive as Borat, the anti-Jewish video journalist from Kazakhstan. In this guise he offers up some of the most ridiculously awkward moments, and shines the darkest of lights on "The U, S, and A". As disturbing as it is hilarious is the Borat-led country song, "Throw the Jew Down the Well" in which a slew of stereotypically deep country town folk join in emphatically by the song's final chorus.
This is just a taste of the type of humor/commentary you will find in this great collection (as well as a real Harvard address, I mean, I know he graduated Cambridge, but Hah-vahd, wat wuh yeh thinkin?). Each character, the over-ghettotized clown from Stains (Ali G), the inept foreigner, and the most stereotyped gay man, feigns ignorance as the main selling point for this show, and the reactions from such guests as Noam Chomsky, DEA/FBI agents, Sam Donalson, and wildlife activists ranges from bewilderment, to utter confusion, to frustration, anger, embarassment, etc., etc., etc.
If you can tolerate tongue in cheek humor, and like a little side of social commentary thrown in, this is the perfect set for you. Since there are 6 episodes with seasons one and two, and each episode includes at least one Ali G, Borat, and Bruno skit, I will not suggest buying one over the other. You'll end up going straight to your favorite segments instead of watching the whole way through anyway. Just go out and buy both seasons; "If you do not, I will crush you.""
A Big Up Yurself
Little Miss Cutey | Melbourne, Australia | 08/31/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This guy is a riot. He's really funny and very quick. Whether the interviewees actually know he's not for real or not is up for debate, but they certainly act like they don't know that's the case. They look confused and bewildered as Ali is faking ignorance as to who it is he is actually interviewing. For example, he'd probably ask Neil Armstrong what it's like to win the Tour de France etc. If you aren't easily offended, this will be a show you'll enjoy. Not for the faint of heart."
So Funny It Hurts
The JuRK | Our Vast, Cultural Desert | 12/12/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Make sure you get the joke before watching these shows: Ali G isn't a real person. Neither are Borat and Bruno. They're all the same guy--and he's a comic genius!
Most of the friends I've turned on to Ali G said before they figured it out, "I thought that idiot was for real, like the ones on MTV."
No. It's a joke. And a great one.
Watching the First Season, I focused on the celebrity and political interviews (Ali G was lucky Buzz Aldrin didn't deck him for calling him Buzz Lightyear), but in the Second Season I was howling at the other segments. Borat buying a house ("Where is the cage for my wife?") and then later leading a drunken barroom filled with rednecks singing the Kazakistan song "Throw the Jew Down the Well" were hysterically funny.
And how did he stay in character after downing so much wine at a Texas wine tasting?
"Me and my sister, we make little joke!"
(I'll let you find out what that joke was).
Hilarious. Painful at times, but hilarious.
"
Joyous Beyond Belief
ChaCha | New York, NY | 08/24/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I defy anyone to try and describe Sacha Baron Cohen, aka Ali G., Borat and Bruno and not use the word "genius". It just can't be done. Every so often you stumble upon something or someone who is so unique (or just does the format so much better than it's ever been done before) that you know you are witnessing something you will never see again.
Mr. Cohen interviews people (most are well known) as one of his alter egos. As Ali G. (the hiphop wannabe who still lives with his grandmother - try to imagine a British Kevin Federline with no Britney money) his questions are beyond stupid, as Borat the reporter from Khazakhstan his questions are in-your-face offensive, racist, and sexist but somehow we Americans are more forgiving to this strange man from a country most have never heard of, and last but not least, Bruno, the gayest piece of Eurotrash there ever was.
We are treated to interview after interview from Pat Buchanan to Andy Rooney to real estate agents to a minister who claims he can convert gay people to straight. They have no idea who they are really talking with and two things amaze me. One is that Mr. Cohen never breaks character and the other is to see their reactions to some of the questions. This DVD also puts Americans to the test exposing us warts and all to what we really think.
My challenge to describe Sacha Baron Cohen as anything other than a "genius" at the beginning of my comment should also include a challenge to watch this only once. Go ahead, I dare you!
"
Brilliant and nervy improvisation
David Bonesteel | Fresno, CA United States | 02/04/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The success of the "Borat" movie has boosted the popularity of British comedian Sascha Baron Cohen in the United States. This series dates to the time when he had only a cult following, but his nerve and talent for improvisation is on full display. In order to conduct interviews of unsuspecting subjects, who think they are going to meet a serious journalist, he adopts the personas of Ali G, the confused white wannabe rapper with a flair for malapropisms, Borat, the journalist from Kazahkstan whose disarmingly friendly, ingratiating manner masks his anti-Semitism and hatred of women, and Bruno, the flaming Austrian fashion reporter who regularly and innocently makes assumptions about the sexuality of his subjects, leading to some uncomfortable encounters. These are all brilliant comic performances. He is always funny, even though he sometimes comes off as a bit of a bully when he is making fun of people who seem harmless. However, the show reveals its genius when he has an opportunity to skewer a worthy target, such as the celebrity makeover artist who freely speculates on Jesus Christ's potential as a male model and the members of a private Texas hunt club who are proud of killing endangered species and lament that they are not allowed to hunt Jews. It's a shame that there are only two short seasons of this show."