Skip to main content

You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008)

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

You Don't Mess with the Zohan. Feature film. (2008, 113 mins) IMDB

...What do the pro-Israeli folks think of a movie like this?...

I

'm not a big fan of Adam Sandler and I was reluctant to watch the film, but I did and to my surprise I laughed a number of times. It's funnier than his usual outings and this film has his usual fair. Gays are always a target and this film is no exception.

As the movie started, I watched as he played an Israeli Jew and since he's Jewish, I thought, oh no, another propaganda film. It'll be one sided, but it's not. The whole issue of Jews and Arabs fighting plays a central role in the film, but for comic effect--especially once the film moves to NYC. It's a bit like Spielberg's MUNICH with it's message: stop the fighting. You guys are all crazy with your non-stop fighting and revenge.

There's a main narrative for our hero combined with a love story. The love story is easy. He's Jewish. She's Arabic. They split when she finds out he's Jewish, but of course they get back together.

At the start of the movie, we learn he's a superhero type working for the Israeli Military. He fights terrorists. We see him fighting terrorists with a touch of action, action that is comic book style. For example, he catches bullets with his hands and with his teeth. It's a bit like Bug Bunny putting his finger in the barrel of a shotgun. The gun goes off. Bugs is unharmed. The barrel has wrapped back and exploded on the shooter.

Anyway, he doesn't want to be a commando anymore, it's senseless killing with no end, what he really wants to do is be a hairstylist in NYC. When he tells people, they laugh. They think he's a fagala, but that's what he wants. Since he can't leave on his own, he fakes his death and flies off to NYC. And Act II starts.

Enter a struggle to find a place to work. Enter a Crocodile Dundee moment. Enter an Arab woman running a hair saloon where he gets a job sweeping up hair and the first time they meet we know they are meant for each other. Enter a street with Arabs on one side selling electronics and humus and Jews on the other side. No fighting going on here.

Enter both Jewish and Arab immigrants who know his real identity as the superhero for Israel fighting terrorists.

Yes, there's some sort of narrative for him plus the love story. Plus immigrant Arabs who want to get him, but they are as useful as a beached whale.

And if there wasn't enough conflict and characters, this film is loaded with characters, there's a Donald Trump type wanting to raze the building where our sweet Arab woman is running her saloon. I have no idea why they threw that in except to make fun of stuffed-shirt types.

Silly and absurd. A touch sappy. Ridiculous and absurd. Occasionally funny, even Rob Schneider. It's not the greatest or funniest comedy you'll see, but it's not the worse. And yes I did laugh and I didn't regret having watch it although some may question my sanity for making a public declaration on my web site.

Posted 2009/02/10 at 20h13ET in Movie Commentary.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Piece of the Action (1977)

Saturday, March 7, 2009 A Piece of the Action. Feature film. (1977, 135 mins) IMDB ... Who would you have over for dinner? Sidney Poitier or Bill Cosby. ... A PIECE OF THE ACTION is the third film starring Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier. Poitier also directed the films. (And yes, I would be fascinating to have both them sitting around a table for dinner.) We're in Chicago and I love the setup for this film. It's clever, fun and interesting. It starts during the dark of night. Crosby is a cat burglar robbing a vault in a bank. He's by himself, all the tools he needs, and doesn't speak a word of dialogue for at least the first twenty minutes of the film. It must have been killing him. His robbery goes off successfully. (It includes a jump from a six or seven story window. There was a similar scene in their earlier films.) When the cops arrive during the daylight, they haven't a clue and we catch a glimpse of James Earl Jones as a detect...
Post a Comment
Read more

If Only We Could Agree

Monday, June 11, 2012 ... have you been accused of misspelling a word you know is correct ... S usanne O’Leary wrote an interesting article on her experience with the variations of the English language in different countries. You know the obvious ones like colour with or without a “u” but less obvious ones like travelled versus traveled. Growing up in Sweden she learnt English in school—the UK variation. In publishing her books, she read reviews where she was criticized for improper spelling. False accusations as it turns out. While I write tire and cozy, it’s not incorrect to write tyre or cosy. Same language. Both accepted. Just different. You can read her write-up here along with the numerous comments posted by readers. I found it interesting, but that’s me. As a Canadian I deal with this issue everyday. I feel her pain when she’s criticized for something based on ignorance. No fun. I was told by a boss that “data are” isn’t correct. It should be “data is.” Read...
2 comments
Read more

No Reservations (2007)

Saturday, May 2, 2009 No Reservations. Feature film. (2007, 104 mins) IMDB ... I so much wanted to like this film but couldn't ... T his film had two things I like a great deal: romance and cooking, but they didn't come together for me in this film. I think I know why. The female lead doesn't strike me as a romantic leading lady. That's just me. I also found the story line stale and uninteresting. Our hero lives in NYC working at a fine dining restaurant where she is the chef and dictator. Everything about her life is about cooking. Nothing else seems to matter. No children. No relationships. Then her life is kicked apart. Her sister and niece travel to visit her but before they arrive, there's an accident. The mother dies and little Zoe has to live with her aunt. Our hero struggles to include a new person into her life but what follows is so predictable as to be boring. To add even more complications to our hero's life, her sous...
Post a Comment
Read more