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Bookmark this pageYou Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008)
Director: Dennis Dugan
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
Time Out London Issue 1982, August 14-20, 2008
User reviews of this film
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- rachel said...
- Posted on Aug 19 2008 12:25 'was that your feet?' 'yes that was my feet, te feet uppercut, smell it smell it now take it' thud! lol!
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- lesley said...
- Posted on Aug 18 2008 23:32 Not for 12 year olds , i love adam sandler but not one of his better movies. Very poor script.
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- sam said...
- Posted on Aug 18 2008 15:15 hewever says this film is not good get a life this is most likely one of the best adam sandler films i have seen and there all quality this film is so funny and is good for all ages defo go see
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- Kazza said...
- Posted on Aug 17 2008 12:24 I think everbody who goes to see this film will have an idea of the kind that it is going to be, that is if you don't like typical Adam Sandler, easy to follow, easy to laugh at films, the type that we have come to expect from Sandler then I think you know this isn't for you. Don't go expecting Shakespeare, its obviously not, and that's the beauty of it. This is Sandler comedy at its best. I loved it, I love him, he can do no wrong in my eyes so the film was everything I expcted it to be and will be adding it to my collection of Adam Sandler DVDs when it's out.
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- Dianne Love said...
- Posted on Aug 17 2008 08:34 This was such a funny movie, ha ha Adam Sandler s hilarious as he plays the part of Zohan. I reccommend it for everyone of all ages. It is very silly in places but very funny too. Oh please do MY hair Zohan!!!
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- jackson30 said...
- Posted on Aug 16 2008 15:19 Bad. Waste of money
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- Coolboy said...
- Posted on Aug 15 2008 23:57 The worst film I have seen all year closely followed by superhero movie. DO NOT WATCH
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- Ian said...
- Posted on Aug 15 2008 23:27 some good gags but also some cringeworthy bad jokes. All in all it's good for Sandler fans like myself and maybe not for others. Defo should not be a 12A, there was parents takng their children out of the cinema in droves today... Someone at the film board has lost their marbles classifying this, same goes for batman...
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- cricket said...
- Posted on Aug 15 2008 20:45 A bore ! a waste of your money! for once time out got the review right
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- footballer13 said...
- Posted on Aug 15 2008 20:31 one way to describe this RUBBISH Adam Sandler is a good actor but this script was rubbish. And how in the world did it get under 12a should have been 15
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- WENDY said...
- Posted on Aug 15 2008 16:08 this is a very funny film all through all Adam sandler fans will enjoy this one!
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- lainey said...
- Posted on Aug 15 2008 15:05 im going to see it today it looks awsome .i have been waiting like forever for it to come out in the cinemas so hopefully it shal be worth the wait !!!
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- john cliffright said...
- Posted on Aug 13 2008 20:34 Is it any good?Whats it about?Is it any good for children under 12?
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Cast & crew
Director: Dennis Dugan
Cast: Adam Sandler, Emmanuelle Chriqui, John Turturro, Lainie Kazan, Nick Swardson, Ido Mosseri, Rob Schneider, Dave Matthews full cast
Genre(s): Comedy
Rated: 12A
Duration: 113 mins
UK Release: Aug 15 2008
US Release: Jun 6 2008
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