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You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008)

Director: Dennis Dugan

Time Out rating

Average user rating

58 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

Combining – perhaps for the first time ever – hypersensitive geopolitics with Spandex groin-bulge jokes, this sees Adam Sandler as a swaggering, bubble-permed Mossad agent who struts around Tel Aviv in denim cut-offs and skin-tight Mariah Carey T-shirts, kicking Palestinian ass. Weary of this cycle of violence, he decides to fake his death and follow his dream of becoming a hairdresser in New York City. This undeniably captivating premise turns out to be another sloppily concocted and naggingly non-controversial pretext for Sandler to pelvic thrust his way though a succession of increasingly wacky fish-out-of-water situations, with the intricacies of the Israeli- Palestinian conflict dusted with sugar and served up as inane plot filler.

Sandler’s Zohan is a garishly sketched melange of Ali G’s gormless ladies man and Borat’s wide-eyed naïf, and despite a screenplay co-written by current comedy sage Judd Apatow, he’s such a jarringly two-dimensional creation that there’s nowhere to send him beyond that sparklingly irreverent set-up. On the plus side, the film does have an amiably dreamlike approach to cultural stereotyping, for some reason plucking hummus, hacky sack and an unspecified orange liquid called ‘Fizzy Bubblech’ from the Israeli character profile to use at the centre of numerous recurring, though frequently uninspired, sight gags. John Turturro – whose scream is one of the most joyous sounds in cinema – picks up some of Sandler’s slack as terrorist and kebab-shop franchisee The Phantom, but it’s not enough to save this odd little mess.

Author: David Jenkins 2008-08-12 11:30:08

Time Out London Issue 1982, August 14-20, 2008

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User reviews of this film

uma said...

Posted on Sep 01 2008 21:56 How can you find the film funny in which the main charecter shagging the old ladies at the back room of a hairdresser,,catching a fish with his butt?? Come onn.. If you really want to have a fun and want to watch "quality" comedy films, watch knocked up, death at a funeral (the whole room was laughing the during the whole film) super bad...

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cathy said...

Posted on Sep 01 2008 15:53 this should be a 15 not a twelveA, i took my 10 yr ols son and left after 40 minutes the worst film in history. Not once did I laugh and I will normally laugh at most things.

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????????????????????????? said...

Posted on Aug 31 2008 20:02 Trailer looks great, some of the people that have made comments sound like mardy old windbags

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Heather said...

Posted on Aug 31 2008 19:16 this film is the worst film ever sooooa boaring i was falling to sleep in it DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY !!!!!!!!!!!!!

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uma said...

Posted on Aug 31 2008 15:38 Absolutely rubbish, one of the time and money wasting films, i couldn t even wait till the end. doesn t deserve star rating. Awfull and silly..

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badman6882 said...

Posted on Aug 31 2008 15:22 this flim is the best i thought it was funny,lots of action and cool adam sandler is like the best actor

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davey jones said...

Posted on Aug 31 2008 13:23 absolutely brilliant,..... if youve never seen a film before in your life. Otherwise, this is a total shambles, bringing the most bizzare story plot that is confusing at most times and merely got any laughs when i went to see it at the cinemas. Disappointing, with the sandler playing a mossad agent wanting to be a hardresser? little humor and almost requiring subtitles cos half of the time its hard to understand sadlers israeli speaking attempts. Overall, would not recommend to go and see if you havent seen already

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Cookie said...

Posted on Aug 30 2008 20:37 As a big Adam Sandler fan i had high hopes for this film and it really deliverd which laughes throughout and a great and amusing storyline. A real new spin on comedy and a really fun film. A great way to loose yourself for a couple of hours on a rainy day.

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mariah said...

Posted on Aug 30 2008 09:51 it was so awsome and sexy! i dont know whats wrong with all u crazy people sayin itz bad! it rox!

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ponderings said...

Posted on Aug 29 2008 12:25 Love some of Adam Sandler's other stuff so went to see this with high hopes. After about the first 5 minutes my hopes had faded. I think i laughed once although i can't remember what at. The whole film was littered with innuendo that just wasn't funny. One or two sex jokes in a film can get a laugh but this was just one desperate attempt at sexual humour after another painful other and by the end of it i was bored disgusted and quite frankly sad that stuff like this even gets made never mind that people actually find it funny. I don't think it should have been a 12 but then again at that age boys espeically seem to find a flood of bad sex jokes funny so i can see why it was a 12a. This film can be summed up in one word, CRAP!!

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Beth said...

Posted on Aug 28 2008 14:46 This film was awful, and possibly the worst one i;ve ever seen. Because Adam Sandler was in it, i expected it to be funny and smart, but it is in fact inappropriate, foul and uncomfortable to watch. It was so bad, i left the cinema, and did not bother to see the ending. I really wouldn't waste your money on it.

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olivia said...

Posted on Aug 27 2008 13:16 sexualy descusting and cheap entertainment. dont waist your money!

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Luke said...

Posted on Aug 26 2008 23:32 I Personally felt that was film was good, but not great. It had a few of it's cringing moments, which it could have probably done without.
Adam Sandler acted very well throughout the film, with a fairly convincing middle eastern accent. However the script is it's downfall, there wern't that many funny jokes and gags. The jokes that were funny were only really humourous to adults, jokes that children wouldn't understand.
There is the odd bit of nudity here and there but is covered up in the right places, and there isn't alot of foul language. 12A is about right for the age rating.
Overall though I would say it was an enjoyable film with a good storyline, but not so good script. Fun to watch nonetheless. I give this 3 stars.

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Sarah said...

Posted on Aug 25 2008 15:58 LOVED This film! So yeh it was abit rudee.. but to the people who were saying it should be an 18? wth! have you seen 18's? i think its good as a 12a but should mension sexual content at the start! still a hilarious film, a few auquard gags but id rate it 5* :D

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who's the daddy said...

Posted on Aug 24 2008 21:52 slightly OTT but good jokes - a completely new view of the middle east conflict;
loved the "Hisbollah - terrorist - help line"... which was either busy or temporally suspended till break-down of peace talks... well researched and true, is it? Probably!!!
Not too serious but fun for everyone - certainly not 12A though!

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