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You Don't Mess with the Zohan /

Rated: PG-13

Starring: Adam Sandler, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Jon Turturro, Rob Schneider, Nick Swardson

Directed by: Dennis Dugan

Produced by: Jack Giarraputo, Adam Sandler
Written by: Adam Sandler, Judd Apatow, Robert Smigel
Distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing

     What exactly about the idea of making his comedies “topical” attracted Adam Sandler in the first place? I have nothing against humor that tackles contemporary socio-political issues—in fact, I tend to believe that this sort of daring combination can provide material an added kick—but the only thing funny about Sandler’s recent attempts to be relevant is the pathetic nature of the attempts themselves. Last year, the popular comedian and director Dennis Dugan tried to make a statement on the gay marriage issue—murky as that statement may have been—with their embarrassingly hypocritical and unfunny I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. Now, the pair is back for second helpings in the “important statement”-genre, sharing a few thoughts on the Israel/Palestine conflict in You Don’t Mess with the Zohan, a movie about an Israeli Counterterrorist who leaves his hectic military-life to go to America and become a hairstylist.

     The reason why Sandler’s brand of comedy doesn’t mesh well with social commentary is fairly obvious: it isn’t smart enough to do so effectively. Because all of his trademark humor consists of facile poo-poo-gah-ga jokes, all political additions must therefore be dumbed-down in order to not seem out-of-place. In Chuck and Larry’s case, the only message Sandler and director Dugan were able to reasonably communicate was a simple and unnecessary “Why can’t we all just get along?” (This, of course, was purported in a movie that was meanwhile ravenously homophobic.) Sandler’s newfound blend of the Juvenile and the Psuedo-Intellectual feels like the inverse of, say, what The Shawshank Redemption might’ve been had Morgan Freeman randomly joked about the size of Tim Robbins’ penis every ten minutes.

     Fortunately, You Don’t Mess with the Zohan is better than Chuck and Larry by leaps and bounds. The reason is simple: whereas the earlier film’s sense of comedy was constantly bogged down by heavy-handed messages about tolerance, this one’s second act includes hardly any political material. The viewer may have to endure an hour and fifteen minutes’ worth of poorly-constructed hoopla about the strife between the focal two Middle-Eastern groups—the most painful of which involves a subplot about Sandler’s Zohan stealing a goat from Palestinian ex-farmer, now-NYC-taxicab-driver Salim (Rob Schneider, of course)—but they also get to enjoy a half-hour of Pure Sandler. And when I say Pure Sandler, I mean the Sandler of the 1990s, not the recently-weak starrer of mediocre efforts like Click and Mr. Deeds. Yes, the majority of this half-hour consists of entirely vile humor—the most obnoxious of which follows Zohan’s tendency to sleep with his elderly female clients when he is finally hired as a hairdresser—but it’s so well played and outrageous that it proves nearly impossible not to laugh at. (I say this as one who hasn’t so much as chuckled at a Sandler Comedy in at least five years.)  The majority of You Don’t Mess with the Zohan isn’t great, but the movie shows obvious signs of life, which, as far as I’m concerned, is more than any of the actor’s comedies since 2000’s Little Nicky have.

     Even if they don’t crack a smile at You Don’t Mess with the Zohan, Sandler’s typical male viewers will at least be able to engage themselves in the limitless beauty of lead actress Emmanuelle Chriqui, who plays Zohan’s love-interest and employer. As for women audiences: they were planning on going to Sex and the City for the second time instead anyway. You Don’t Mess with the Zohan certainly isn’t a success, but it’s not without its simple merits either. Now more than any other time in recent history, I have a feeling that Sandler may finally make a great comedy provided that he lays off the politics. And with the seemingly-unstoppable Judd Apatow writing and directing one of the star’s next projects, this great comedy may be arriving in theatres much sooner than many of us had previously expected.

-Danny Baldwin, Bucket Reviews

Review Published on: 6.8.2008

Screened on: 6.7.2008 at MovieMax Theatres in Carlsbad, CA.

 


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