RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
RT's Blu-ray HQ
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / You Don't Mess With The Zohan
You Don't Mess With The Zohan

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
Bookmark and Share

You Don't Mess With The Zohan (2008)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
36 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:177

Fresh:64

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

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
  • Trailer
    >
    Trailer #2
    >
    Interview Featurette
    >
    RT Review Revue Mini - Zohan
    >
1 - 4 of 4

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
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
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for You Don't Mess With The Zohan

    • T-Meter Critics
    • Top Critics
    • RT Community
    • My Critics
    • My Friends
    • DVD
     
     
    61 - 80 (sorted by date)
    Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
    Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
     
     

    Director Dennis Dugan knows his way around shin-whacking slapstick, and Sandler is mesmerizing.

    Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
    06/09/08
    David Edelstein
    David Edelstein
    New York Magazine
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    'I just want to make people silky smooth,' cried Adam in the kind of Israeli accent which suggests that Israel borders France.

    Full Review Source: MovieJuice! | comment Comment
    06/09/08
    Mark Ramsey
    Mark Ramsey
    MovieJuice!

    ...nearly two hours of mind numbing junk.

    Full Review Source: Houston Community Newspapers | comment Comment
    06/09/08
    Gary Brown
    Gary Brown
    Houston Community Newspapers

    Were there laughs to be had? Sure, but even a "Dorf on Golf" videotape has its moments.

    Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
    06/09/08
    Pete Vonder Haar
    Pete Vonder Haar
    Film Threat

    Zohan might have made a relatively entertaining series of regular sketches on SNL but can't sustain a nearly two-hour running time

    Full Review Source: Movie Retriever | comment Comment
    06/08/08
    Brian Tallerico
    Brian Tallerico
    Movie Retriever

    Judd Apatow continues his quest to kill comedy with coarse, low class, low-intellect rubbish like this, which can turn you mind to porridge if you sit through it.

    Full Review Source: tonymedley.com | comment Comment
    06/08/08
    Tony Medley
    Tony Medley
    tonymedley.com

    Hopes are dashed for the screenwriting contribution of Judd Apatow to elevate Adam Sandler as a poor man's Groucho Marx...

    Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
    06/08/08
    Cole Smithey
    Cole Smithey
    ColeSmithey.com

    A silky smooth, subversively silly political satire.

    Full Review Source: SSG Syndicate | comment Comment
    06/08/08
    Susan Granger
    Susan Granger
    SSG Syndicate

    You Don't Mess with the Zohan is cacophonous and competitive comedy, more exhausting than fun.

    Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
    06/08/08
    Cynthia Fuchs
    Cynthia Fuchs
    PopMatters

    Adam Sandler takes on terrorism as Israeli agent-turned-hair stylist in raunchy shock comedy.

    Full Review Source: Leader Newspapers, New Jersey | comment Comment
    06/08/08
    Kam Williams
    Kam Williams
    Leader Newspapers, New Jersey

    The racial stereotypes that emerge in this film are as over the top and potentially offensive as Eli Wallach's Tuco in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. But what redeems the film to some degree is its general good naturedness...

    Full Review Source: KPBS.org | comment Comment
    06/08/08
    Beth Accomando
    Beth Accomando
    KPBS.org

    Amid the silliness, the boorishness and the vulgarity is a certain warmness and sweetness.

    Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope | comment Comment
    06/07/08
    Robert Roten
    Robert Roten
    Laramie Movie Scope

    opens with a close-up of [Zohan's] bulging crotch and remains in that territory, in every sense, for the 113 minutes that it violates the screen

    Full Review Source: Killer Movie Reviews | comment Comment
    06/07/08
    Andrea Chase
    Andrea Chase
    Killer Movie Reviews

    So I smelled it, smelled it, smelled it and took it - and you know, I thought it was pretty good.

    Full Review Source: Seacoast Newspapers (NH/Maine) | comment Comment
    06/07/08
    Gina Carbone
    Gina Carbone
    Seacoast Newspapers (NH/Maine)

    Although this film could've been hilarious, almost every scene ends up as crude or just plain silly. But Adam Sandler looks terrific as Zohan!

    Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment Comment
    06/07/08
    Betty Jo Tucker
    Betty Jo Tucker
    ReelTalk Movie Reviews

    Don't mess with audiences, Sandler. Yet another bum movie from the actor that so steeped in stereotypes, it's nauseating.

    Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment Comment
    06/07/08
    Christopher Smith
    Christopher Smith
    Bangor Daily News (Maine)

    For as stupid as it is, part of its problem is that it really isn't stupid enough.

    Full Review Source: Film School Rejects | comment Comment
    06/07/08
    Kevin Carr
    Kevin Carr
    Film School Rejects

    It's a difficult feat to manage irony without antecedent, so rather than opt for knowing caricature -- like, say, Adam Goldberg's The Hebrew Hammer -- Zohan mostly opts for empty farce: topical humor for people unfamiliar with the topic.

    Full Review Source: New Republic | comment Comment
    06/06/08
    Christopher Orr
    Christopher Orr
    New Republic
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    [A]voids that pitfall that brings down this genre of nutty comedy far more often than not: there's nothing meanspirited about it. It's crude in many ways... but it's never vulgar, and in fact it's often strikingly sweet.

    Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
    06/06/08
    MaryAnn Johanson
    MaryAnn Johanson
    Flick Filosopher

    This is one of those movie ideas that leaves you wondering what other ideas, exactly, were rejected in favor of this one, on the grounds of being too lame.

    Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
    06/06/08
    Moira MacDonald
    Moira MacDonald
    Seattle Times
     
     
    61 - 80 (sorted by date)
    Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
    all

    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...

    See All

    More DVDs

    Close
    Top Rentals
    Tomatometer Percentage Movie
    15% 15% The Ugly Truth
    98% 98% Up
    36% 36% G.I. Joe: The Rise of …
    52% 52% The Taking of Pelham 1…
    45% 45% Ice Age: Dawn of the D…

    More Rentals…

    New On DVD This Week
    Tomatometer Percentage Movie
    36% 36% Angels & Demons
    68% 68% Funny People
    25% 25% Four Christmases
    45% 45% Shorts

    More New Releases…

    See All

    RT On Current TV

    The Rotten Tomatoes Show on Current TV

    DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...

    Learn how you can be part of the show

    More...

    What’s Hot On RT

    Total Recall

    Total Recall

    John Travolta's top reviewed movies

    Disney Countdown

    Disney Countdown

    Look back on Disney's best animated movies!

    RT's Gift Guide

    RT's Gift Guide

    Give the best movies, gear, and more!

    What's Coming Out

    What's Coming Out

    Find movies for the holiday weekend!

    Other News

    Close
    • Top Stories
    • Popular
    • Interviews
     
     

    Comments

     
     
    Top Stories
    Headlines Comments
      
    • First Look (Sort Of) at New Nightmare's Freddy Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com
    15
    • First Look at Shrek Forever After Source: USA Today
    40
    • Woody Harrelson Will Battle Zombies in 3-D Source: Moviehole
    24
    • Natalie Portman Says Kat Denning Is in Thor Source: MTV
    34
    • Disney Restructuring Has Broad Implications Source: Los Angeles Times
    10
    • Joel Silver Talks Ninja Assassin, Sgt. Rock, Lobo, and More Source: Collider.com
    1
    • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
    118
    • Idris Elba Joins Thor Source: Hollywood Reporter
    112
    • Jackass 3D Coming in 2010? Source: Collider.com
    32
    • 6 Reasons 'Twilight' Is Doomed Source: The Wrap
    64
    Popular
    Headlines Comments
      
    • Box Office Guru Wrapup: New Moon Shatters Records
    176
    • Critics Consensus: New Moon Wanes
    130
    • Total Recall: John Travolta's Best Movies
    76
    • Total Recall: Star-Crossed Lovers
    75
    • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
    59
    • Critics Consensus: Flee From Ninja Assassin
    37
    • Friday Harvest: New Moon, Avatar, and more!
    32
    • WB offers DVD to Blu-ray Trade-In Program
    26
    • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Angels & Demons, Funny People, and Superman
    18
    • Five Favorite Films With Zombieland Director Ruben Fleischer
    18
    Interviews
    Headlines Comments
      
    • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
    13
    • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
    9
    • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
    19
    • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
    6
    • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
    15
    • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
    20
    • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
    8
    • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
    28
    • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
    28
    • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
    14
     
     

    Sponsored Links

    Around The Network

    • You Don't Mess With The Zohan at Rotten Tomatoes
    • You Don't Mess With The Zohan at IGN

    Fresh Links

    Featured
    Wes Anderson on Fox
    Wes Anderson on Fox External Link

    The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox

    Animated Oscar?
    Animated Oscar? External Link

    Hollywood.com ponders whether or not an animated film could win Best Picture.

    TIME's Holiday Movie Preview
    TIME's Holiday Movie Preview External Link

    Richard Corliss previews the season's best offerings and hottest tickets.

    Scenic Routes
    Scenic Routes External Link

    The AV Club's Mike D'Angelo airs his beefs with Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men.

    Promos
    Follow RT on Twitter
    Follow RT on Twitter External Link

    Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!

     
     
    About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
    IGN Logo

    IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
    TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
    AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


    By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
    Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
    IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
    Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.