Review: You Don't Mess With The Zohan

Adam Sandler kills, literally and figuratively, as an Israeli special forces operative turned New York hairdresser in “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan.”

No doubt the hairdresser bit is a tad...well...hair-brained, but Sandler really gets into his role as the titular Zohan, a man who is, according to his father, “Like Rembrandt with a grenade.” Sandler completely disappears into his role, and I couldn’t detect a trace of the rough-edged, crude Brooklynite that he typically portrays.

Although Zohan is inadvertently insulting to just about everyone he meets, it never seems forced. In his earlier films, such as “Big Daddy,” Sandler often came off as a complete jackass who was deliberately trying to insult everyone he met, forcing the audience to roll their eyes at the ridiculous crudeness of it all.

However, after seeing him in his recent films, such as “Click,” “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry,” and “YDMWTZ,” I can honestly say that he’s grown as an actor and as a comedian.

As Zohan, Sandler displays a Sacha Baron Cohen-like ability to become his character in chameleon-esque fashion. Whatever he does as Zohan, it stems entirely from the character’s unfamiliarity with American culture, rather than a screenwriter’s desire to inject more “kewl” humor for the brain dead.

The film’s real delight comes not only from Sandler’s performance, but also from the trippy action sequences that left me wondering whether or not someone had salted my popcorn with LSD. Throughout the movie, Zohan and his Palestinian rival, the Phantom, engage in some truly bizarre battles that seem like they came from a different film. Although “Zohan” seems mostly grounded in reality, there are incredibly surreal sequences that will completely warp your mind. Examples abound, including Zohan catching bullets in increasingly bizarre ways, battling a wig, and my personal favorite, using rocks that Palestinian children are throwing at him to make an impromptu rock-sculpture. These sequences will stick with the viewer long after the rest of the movie has faded, and I know for a fact that me and my friends have officially added “grenade ping-pong” to our lexicon.

The only real problem with this film is that it seems unable to decide on a villain. Throughout the film, Zohan battles The Phantom, three horrifically inept taxi-cab drivers turned terrorists, and another villain so marginal to the movie that he should be considered a plot device. “Zohan” could have used a clearer, more focused plot based around just one of those villains, or a combination of all three. As it is, he meets one, passes the challenge, and doesn’t really have to deal with the villain again until the end. This lends the film an episodic feel, almost like it could have been a television series/mini-series rather than an actual movie.

However, I doubt that any of the main networks would pick such a series up because of the film’s other misstep.

The other problem is that some people might find the stereotyping in this film to be rather insulting, and although the humor isn’t as offensive as “Borat,” people with a strong political correctness gene should probably steer clear. Both Israeli and Palestinian sides in the film are obsessed with ping-pong, Mariah Carey, and cheap electronics (“But it has Sony guts in it!”). On the other hand, I doubt that anyone would come to an Adam Sandler movie if they were looking for a deep, nuanced and intelligent look at characters who blow stereotypes out the window. That, and the whole “both sides really aren’t so different” message seems to offset the sting viewers might feel.

Although it has nearly a 2 hour run-time, Zohan is fresh and different enough to avoid the same mire as the lengthy “Sex and the City,” but only barely. Towards the end, things start to get rather tedious, and the film ends just as you start checking your watch to see how long it’s been going on.

Despite its flaws “Zohan,” will still entertain those viewers who came looking for a wacky, no brains required experience. Anyone looking for something even remotely poignant will be sorely disappointed.

Final Verdict: 8.25/10