Reviewed by Screenjabber
Stars Adam Sandler, John Turturro, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Lainie Kazan, Rob Schneider,
Dave Matthews, Nick Swardson, Mariah Carey | Written by Adam Sandler, Robert Smigel & Judd Apatow
UK certification 12 | UK RRP £24.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 116 minutes | Directed by Dennis Dugan
Ouch! Unfortunate timing in the extreme, with this very funny comedy being released right in the middle of the latest conflict in Gaza. But politics should not really detract from this very silly effort by Adam Sandler that pokes fun at both sides.
Far too often these days, comedies are mediocre affairs with a few chuckles sprinkled here and there. So it’s somewhat of a surprise to say that You Don’t Mess With the Zohan had us in stitches through most of it – a good sign, because Sandler’s usual style of comedic hijinks have typically been more miss than hit.
Telling the delightfully loopy story of an almost super-human Israeli Mossad agent who stages his death at the hands of Palestinian arch nemesis The Phantom (Turturro) so he can move to New York City and pursue his dream of becoming a hair stylist, Sandler, along with writers Smigel (Saturday Night Live) and Apatow (40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad, Pineapple Express) have wisely opted to mine the Zucker brothers’ vein of comedy, with the end result being a movie that is chock full of stupidly funny scenes. There’s even a running gag about hummus that’s almost worth the price of the Blu-ray alone. We should also mention that in addition to the laughs, the movie also comes with some incredible eye-candy in the form of Canadian Emmanuelle Chriqui, who plays Dalia, the stunningly attractive Palestinian hair salon owner who gives Zohan his big break upon his arrival in New York. Consider that to be the sprinkles on an already tasty ice cream.
On paper, we could see the premise of this movie making some producers cringe. And yet it manages to take the touchy topic of the conflict in the Middle East and turn it on its head for some laugh-out-loud moments. Add to that the fact that the movie has its heart in the right place, and this is a comedy that won’t steer you wrong. — Craig McPherson & Stuart O'Connor
EXTRAS *** There are two versions of the film on the disc — the theatrical releaase, and an extended, "uncut" version. Although, to be frank, considering that it carries a 12 classification, it doesn't appear to be all that "uncut". Anyway, back to the extras. There's a couple of commentary tracks: the first is with Sandler, co-writer Smigel, and co-stars Schneider Swardson; the second is with director Dugan. There's also 15 behind-the-scenes featurettes: Look Who Stopped By (featuring all the cameos in the film, such as Chris Rock, Kevin James, John McEnroe and Henry "The Fonz" Winkler); Dugan: The Hands-On Director; The Stunts of Zohan; Dugan Espanol?; Zohan vs The Phantom; Zohan's Double; Shooting Baja for Tel Aviv; All-American Redneck; From Guns to Scissors; News on 3: Missing Goat; News on 3: Who is The Zohan?; News on 3: It's Very Good; The Robot; Getting Sticky; and Laughing is Contagious (a gag reel with all the fuck beeped). And, of course, no extras collection is complete without deleted scenes, and here we get 15 of the suckers. Plus there are trailers for Hancock, Step Brothers, The House Bunny and Casino Royale.