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Movies / On DVD / You Don't Mess With The Zohan
You Don't Mess With The Zohan

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You Don't Mess With The Zohan (2008)

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Reviews Counted: 175

Fresh: 62

Rotten:113

Average Rating: 4.6/10

Consensus: You Don't Mess With the Zohan features intermittent laughs, and will please Sandler diehards, but after awhile the leaky premise wears thin.

Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for crude and sexual content throughout, language and nudity.

Runtime: 1 hr 57 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:Jun 6, 2008 Wide

Box Office: $100,018,837

Synopsis: Dennis Dugan (BIG DADDY, HAPPY GILMORE) directs this comedy co-written by Adam Sandler, Judd Apatow, and Robert Smigel. Disco- and hummus-loving Zohan (Sandler) is the Israeli army's best weapon.... Dennis Dugan (BIG DADDY, HAPPY GILMORE) directs this comedy co-written by Adam Sandler, Judd Apatow, and Robert Smigel. Disco- and hummus-loving Zohan (Sandler) is the Israeli army's best weapon. He can single-handedly take out terrorists and swim like a dolphin, and still find time to charm the ladies. But this lethal weapon is tired of fighting Palestinian terrorists like the Phantom (John Turturro). He has bigger dreams: he wants to cut and style hair. Unfortunately, once Zohan arrives in New York City with a new look straight out of the 1980s and an assumed identity after faking his own death, his lack of experience gets him laughed out of salon after salon. Finally, Dalia (Emmanuelle Chriqui), a Palestinian salon owner, gives him a shot, and the older patrons love him. But just as Zohan is hitting his stride, Salim, a Palestinian New York City cabbie (Rob Schneider) recognizes him, and suddenly the Zohan's dream is in jeopardy. To confuse matters more, there is a Trump-like developer (Michael Buffer) who is trying to clear out the Manhattan neighborhood where Israelis and Palestinians peacefully coexist in order to build a mall. A bulked-up Sandler is amusing as Zohan, and this is Schneider's best performance in years. Despite the extreme stereotyping, there is an underlying message about the futility of war and fact that people really are, after all, just people. The film is peppered with brief appearances from a menagerie of celebrities, including Chris Rock, Dave Matthews, Charlotte Rae, Kevin James, John McEnroe, Mariah Carey, George Takei, and Bruce Vilanch. Lainie Kazan and Nick Swardson also star in this film as a mother and son who befriend the new immigrant. [More]

Starring: Adam Sandler, John Turturro, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Nick Swardson

Starring: Adam Sandler, John Turturro, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Nick Swardson, Lainie Kazan, Rob Schneider

Director: Dennis Dugan

Director: Dennis Dugan
Screenwriter: Robert Smigel, Adam Sandler, Judd Apatow
Producer: Adam Sandler, Jack Giarraputo
Composer: Rupert Gregson-Williams
Studio: Sony Pictures Entertainment

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Release:

Oct 7, 2008

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • Comedy superstar Adam Sandler is back - and funnier than ever - as The Zohan, the finest counterterrorist agent the Israeli army has. That is, until he fakes his death and travels to Manhattan to live his dream...as a hairdresser. Now this skilled fighting machine who used to clip bad guys is out to prove he can make the cut as a top stylist. All goes silky smooth until his cover is blown when he's recognized by a Palestinian cab driver (Rob Schneider). Now, The Zohan must fight to live a peaceful new life in New York in this razor-sharp action-packed comedy from Adam Sandler, Robert Smigel, Judd Apatow and Dennis Dugan.
  • Source: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
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    Reviews for You Don't Mess With The Zohan

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    Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
    04/23/09
    Peter Keough
    Boston Phoenix

    ...the latest in a long line of underwhelming Adam Sandler comedies...

    Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
    10/24/08
    David Nusair
    Reel Film Reviews

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
    10/18/08
    St. Louis Post-Dispatch
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    You have to give Adam Sandler some credit: He is trying new things and working to expand his particular brand of juvenile comedy, albeit not always successfully.

    Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk | comment Comment
    10/18/08
    James Kendrick
    Q Network Film Desk

    I cracked up during a lot of this movie.

    Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium | comment Comment
    10/18/08
    JoBlo
    JoBlo's Movie Emporium

    The ideas and some of the individual bits in Zohan work, but the crudeness of the execution undermines the results.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
    10/18/08
    Michael Phillips
    Chicago Tribune
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    This counter-terrorism satire is its own worst enemy. Especially whenever Sandler's whining geek turned combo swaggering assassin hair stylist's too-much-information bulging prosthetic crotch pops up.

    Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | comment Comment
    10/05/08
    Prairie Miller
    NewsBlaze

    Slightly better than most.

    Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
    10/01/08
    Kit Bowen
    Hollywood.com

    An army hero wearing Mariah Carey t-shirts? Yes. Yes. Yes.

    Full Review Source: ReelzChannel.com | comment Comment
    09/08/08
    Heather Huntington
    ReelzChannel.com

    Sandler prefers to fall back on cartoonish stunt action, sleazy innuendo and bodily fluid gags. These things may satisfy his core fan-base, but everyone else will leave the cinema feeling a bit cheated.

    Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
    08/15/08
    Rich Cline
    Shadows on the Wall

    The worst thing about the film is not that but the constant, feeble sexual innuendos with which Sandler saddles himself.

    Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
    08/15/08
    Derek Malcolm
    This is London

    Images of a thrusting male pelvis haunt the sensitive critic yet.

    Full Review Source: Financial Times | comment Comment
    08/15/08
    Martin Hoyle
    Financial Times

    The ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine isn’t exactly the obvious choice of topic for a comedy – which is perhaps why this film is about as funny as a suicide bombing.

    Full Review Source: Sun Online | comment Comment
    08/15/08
    Sun Online
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    The central character may be a spin on Borat, and many of the jokes a touch familiar, but the whole package is so unbelievably silly, you’ll find yourself laughing for at least half the running time.

    Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
    08/15/08
    David Edwards
    Daily Mirror [UK]

    The central character may be a spin on Borat, and many of the jokes a touch familiar, but the whole package is so unbelievably silly, you’ll find yourself laughing for at least half the running time.

    Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
    08/15/08
    David Edwards
    Daily Mirror [UK]

    By the end, I felt as though I had been carpet-bombed by comedy's answer to Vladimir Putin. But, on second thoughts, Putin is funnier.

    Full Review Source: Daily Mail [UK] | comment Comment
    08/15/08
    Christopher Tookey
    Daily Mail [UK]

    There are enough comedy diamonds in the rough here though to make it worth a look, but only just.

    Full Review Source: Heart 106.2 | comment Comment
    08/15/08
    Heart 106.2
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    After playing it relatively straight in his recent movies, Adam Sandler goofs off big time here, laying on a thick Israeli accent and proving real men blow dry. There are funny highpoints, but the grab-bag approach never quite gels.

    Full Review Source: Total Film | comment Comment
    08/15/08
    Tom Charity
    Total Film

    While the premise may not stand up to scrutiny, Sandler's performance - relatively restrained and nicely judged - makes you almost warm to the man who dumbly shrugged his way through years of neo-com tat.

    Full Review Source: Sky Movies | comment Comment
    08/15/08
    Tim Evans
    Sky Movies

    But it's Sandler who is pivotal to its amiable success. Less precious, less power-tripping than the likes of Ben Stiller, Jim Carrey or Mike Myers, he never looks down on his material. He makes us laugh by willpower as much as technique.

    Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
    08/15/08
    Sukhdev Sandhu
    Daily Telegraph
     
     
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    Latest News for You Don't Mess With The Zohan

    October 05, 2008: This counter-terrorism satire is its own worst enemy. Especially whenever Sandler's whining geek turned combo swaggering assassin hair stylist's too-much-information bulging prosthetic crotch pops up. Opens in new window
    More...

    August 19, 2008: Arab Censors Mess With The Zohan Opens in new window
    In a move that will leave some American filmgoers seething with jealousy, censors in Egypt, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates have banned Adam Sandler's You Don't Mess With... More...

    August 16, 2008: NewFilmReview: This counter-terrorism satire is its own worst enemy. Especially whenever Sandler's whining geek turned combo swaggering assassin hair stylist's too-much-information bulging prosthetic crotch pops up. Opens in new window
    More...

    July 13, 2008: Box Office Guru Wrapup: Moody Superheroes Rule the Box Office
    Hellboy II: The Golden Army nudges Hancock out of first place while Murphy debuts as the summer's biggest flop. More...

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