What is going on here? It sounds like Amazon/MGM has decided to cut the rollout of "Ali G: Who Iz I?," Sacha Baron Cohen's latest prank-filled improv comedy, even shorter. The film hits theaters this weekend, by the way.
It's looking like this 'Ali G' movie will now play theatrically not for a full week, but for just one weekend: Friday, Saturday and Sunday. That's it. And in most locations, it will screen only once a day.
The original plan was for a more robust rollout, and some chatter had hinted at 1,000+ screens back when the film was announced, but things have changed since then. The film, which is Cohen's feature directorial debut, has been mired in controversy, especially in the UK. Whether that controversy is what led to the shrinking rollout has not been confirmed.
Despite the truncated rollout, Cohen has been everywhere promoting "Ali G: Who Iz I?," from "60 Minutes" and Howard Stern to Jimmy Fallon and Time. On "60 Minutes," he even revealed he spent $3M of his own money on a single eight-hour scene. He's not the only one with money on the line. According to Showbiz411, the film credits a staggering 54 producers, 13 of them executive producers, many presumably investors. You have to wonder how they feel about a one-weekend, once-a-day release with no screenings in Los Angeles and only a handful in Manhattan.
Listen, Cohen will always be known as a comedy revolutionary. His peak came in the early 2000s with "Da Ali G Show," which gave us Borat, Brüno and Ali G, characters who blurred the line between performance and reality, exposed people's biases and turned culture clashes into incredible satire.
Then came the 2006 "Borat" movie, which I still think is one of the best comedies made this century, maybe the best. But for the last 15 years or so, his comedy just hasn't landed; stuff like "The Dictator," "Grimsby" and "Ladies First" screwed the pooch. Sure, "Borat 2" was a streaming hit, but it paled in comparison to the first film. He's actually been more successful in drama, with acclaimed turns in "Hugo," "The Trial of the Chicago 7" and "Disclaimer."
I didn't expect "Ali G: Who Iz I?” to hit paydirt, nor did I expect it to make any positive waves. Amazon has obviously noticed that. Presales haven't been terribly good, and a one-weekend, one-showtime-a-day release is actually worse than anything Netflix could dream up at the peak of its anti-theatrical era.
All signs point to a quick move to Prime Video, which is always in need of new "content," though as of now no streaming date has been announced.
This latest batch of images makes it all the more baffling that, with the film barely five weeks from release, we still don't have an official poster, nor have we gotten a full-course trailer.