You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Dennis Dugan

Writers (WGA):

Adam Sandler (written by) &
Robert Smigel (written by) ...

Release Date:

6 June 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Lather. Rinse. Save the world.

Plot:

An Israeli Special Forces Soldier fakes his death so he can re-emerge in New York City as a hair stylist.

Plot Keywords:

Palestinian | Soldier | Israeli | New York City | Landlord

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Adam Sandler	...	Zohan Dvir
John Turturro	...	The Phantom / Fartoshi
Emmanuelle Chriqui	...	Dahlia
Nick Swardson	...	Michael
Lainie Kazan	...	Gail
Ido Mosseri	...	Oori
Rob Schneider	...	Salim
Dave Matthews	...	James
Michael Buffer	...	Walbridge
Charlotte Rae	...	Mrs. Greenhouse
Keana Texeira	...	Rock-throwing Girl
Sayed Badreya	...	Hamdi
Daoud Heidami	...	Nasi
Kevin Nealon	...	Kevin
Robert Smigel	...	Yosi

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content throughout, language and nudity.

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Hebrew

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Australia:M | Singapore:NC-16 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #44058) | Ireland:15A | UK:12A | Sweden:11 | Finland:K-13 | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Netherlands:12 | South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Germany:6 | Hong Kong:IIB | Malaysia:U | Portugal:M/12 | Norway:11 | Argentina:16 | India:A (cinema release) | Peru:14 | Austria:12 | Denmark:7 | Iceland:10

Filming Locations:

Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Happy Madison Productions

Trivia:

Co-writer Robert Smigel revealed that the movie was mostly written in the year 2000, but it was delayed after 9/11 due to the terrorist themes in the film.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Zohan is attempting to find Phantom and throws one of his goons off of the banister, you can see the ropes that are attached to him as he falls.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Danny: You don't mess with the Zohan!

Movie Connections:

References Lethal Weapon (1987)

Soundtrack:

I Can't Wait

At some point, people must learn to just sit back and enjoy a film

I've been a fan of Adam Sandler for much of my life. . . all the way back to his SNL and 'Airheads' days. I've seen him go through many phases, from some great films like 'Punch-Drunk Love,' 'Reign Over Me,' and 'Big Daddy' to some of his lower-end films like 'Eight Crazy Nights' and 'Little Nicky.'

'You Don't Mess With the Zohan' is not one of his best films, but it's still enjoyable. Personally, I'd place it along the comedic quality of 'Billy Madison'. . . contains mostly sight gags and juvenile humour. But, c'mon. . . sometimes that's what we need. Our world is going to Hell, so shouldn't we have some relief from the pain and torment we must witness on a daily basis? No. It's not a great film. But it's funny and stupid and entertaining. And that's the reason to see it. . . don't expect a comedic masterpiece like 'His Girl Friday' or 'Forrest Gump.' Expect what the film actually as and accept it as such. . . if it's not for you, then it wasn't MEANT for you.

Final verdict: 6.5/10.