You Don’t Mess With The Zohan: Tastefully Tasteless
Devang Ghia reviews Dennis Dugan’s 2008 release You Don’t Mess With The Zohan
You Don’t Mess With The Zohan (2008)
And this one is more funny than otherwise. Sandler plays an Israeli secret agent blessed with powers of a superhero. He can catch bullets with his nostril and leap on and off buildings like flea in full form. But beneath all this lies a secret desire to be a hairdresser. His parents laugh at him when he expresses his wish, but soon enough he stages an escape from public eye and ends up in America where he finds work at a Palestinian saloon. There are more jokes on the Israel - Palestinian conflict than you can count. Surely, there must be some radical group in Israel who will object to the screening of this film for some quick publicity.
I must narrate more of the story because the most interesting part is yet to come. As he struggles to find an opportunity to work as a full time hairdresser, his natural talent of being a stud comes to his rescue. And it’s not chicks who have the hots for him but geriatric women who are offered much more than a styling. And this part is not hinted at in a subtle fashion, but played out as graphically as possible while staying within a PG-13 rating. After messing around with their hair, Sandler dutifully escorts his eager patronesses to the room at the back of the saloon for some additional service with a smile. Could be shocking for the refined viewer, I found it to be hilarious.
Then there is the parallel story about Sandler’s nemesis, a Palestinian secret agent / super hero, played by a miscast John Turturro. Like I said, plenty of Israeli - Palestinian humour. Throughout the film, Sandler speaks with a weird accent, supposed to be Middle-Eastern, passed off as Australian - Nepalese, but is actually a comic actor’s impersonation of an Israeli. He may not be the best at physical comedy but his brand of humour has its own bit of charm.
For a film so over the top, Zohan is actually quite a decent effort. No matter how hard you may try to find faults with it, you have to agree that you did succumb to the funny on at least a couple of occasions, if not more. And that ought to be good enough for anyone.
My Rating: 
Watch Don’t Mess With The Zohan trailer:
Your Rating
(1 votes, average: 3 out of 5)
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Hi Devang, I may not have the luck to watch this film but loved reading your review. I must say, you make me curious enough about the Palestinian and Israeli joke that I might decide otherwise.
cheers!
If my review can incite even 1 person to watch a film, i think i have succeeded.