You Don’t Mess With The Zohan (2008)

Synopsis:

Zohan (Sandler), an Israeli commando, fakes his own death so he can pursue his dream of becoming a hairstylist in New York.

Our Thoughts:

Just like he’s done before, Adam Sandler follows up a serious performance with an over-the-top comedy. This time, he’s hitched a ride on the Judd Apatow bandwagon to star in You Don’t Mess With The Zohan, based on a script by Judd.

At first glance, this looks to be Judd’s most ridiculous movie to date…but whether or not it will be funny is as yet undecided. Judd has decided to branch out a little and try for bizarrer characters in even more bizarre circumstances, rather than just going for crude humor as his lowest common denominator. Of course, having a Middle Eastern main character is bound to ellicit at least a few low blow Osama-type references (and of course the typical gay hairdresser comments), hopefully this one will be less crude than his previous efforts.

As for Adam Sandler, well, he tends to do well in characters that are closer to normal than this superspy turned hairdresser is, so it’ll be interesting to see if he’ll be up to the task. He’s pretty good at playing the Everyman, so it will definitely be a challenge to play this character that’s about as far from Everyman as you can get.

As for the rest of the cast - including the obligatory Rob Schneider (who would be working in a fast food restaurant if it wasn’t for his friendship with Sandler) - John Turturro is the only one that really sparks our interest, as he is probably our only hope to keep this film a bit more character-driven, rather than just a comedy sketch run long.

If the Judd Apatow fanbase doesn’t get derailed too much by the upcoming Drillbit Taylor (2008), chances are they’ll turn out in droves to see You Don’t Mess With The Zohan.

As for us, think will sit this one out, and rent it eventually on DVD. In the meantime, we’ll settle for re-watching Click (2006), 50 First Dates (2003) or The Wedding Singer.