Review by Brian Tallerico

More than anything else, You Don't Mess With the Zohan is proof that Adam Sandler can get anything he want green-lit. Seriously, can you think of another actor who could go to a studio with the story of an Israeli soldier who wants to be a hairdresser, with a horrible title like You Don't Mess With the Zohan, and not get thrown out on their ass? Sandler is arguably the most bulletproof actor in Hollywood with a string of comedy hits that is truly remarkable, especially when you consider how many of them are nearly laugh-free. I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, Little Nicky, 50 First Dates, Anger Management, and more range from "just bad" to "cinematic torture." Sandler has shown true skill in films like Punch-Drunk Love and even Spanglish (which, don't get me wrong, is as bad as his "goofy" comedies, but at least it showed some effort), but he's made a fortune doing his man-child routine in films that just feel like extended SNL sketches. His latest, You Don't Mess With the Zohan, is certainly far from his worst film, but it doesn't have the life or the creative energy that was on display in his SNL days or even his first two films - Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore - which are still his best.

Sandler stars as the title character, a legendary Israeli soldier who dreams of putting down the grenades and picking up the clippers. When a fight with his Palestinian nemesis, The Phantom (John Turturro), gives him an opportunity to fake his own death and move to NYC to chase his hair dye dreams, he grabs it. Zohan finds himself in one of those great melting-pot Big Apple communities where bitter enemies like Israelis and Palestinians live and work across the street from one another. After failing to work with his idol, Paul Mitchell, Zohan, hiding his identity and pretending to be Australian, goes to work for a Palestinian-run hair salon headed by the adorable Dalia (Emmanuelle Chriqui). Meanwhile, he's moved in with an awkward man (Nick Swardson) that he saved from a fight after he was hit while riding his bike. Zohan becomes a huge hit with the old ladies that patron the shop after he offers a little something extra with his cut and colors - a quickie in the back room. But he soon learns that he can only get it up for one girl and he might even be able to bring about Middle Eastern peace in the process. Subplots involving a corporation trying to destroy the ethnic communities in NYC, a taxi driver (Rob Schneider) who shares a past with the Zohan, and the return of The Phantom fill the final act of this way-too-long and only occasionally funny comedy.

The reason Sandler comedies drive critics nuts is simple - they're lazy. There's so little effort to do anything creative beyond the concept, and we feel you should get more than an extended sketch for your hard-earned dollar. Having said that, Zohan actually displays a little more effort than a lot of Sandler's filmography and has moments of cartoon-y creativity that elevate it above total disasters like Little Nicky and Chuck and Larry. And it only rarely descends into anything remotely serious, so it avoids the treacle of films like 50 First Dates and Big Daddy. When it does, mostly in the zero-chemistry romance between Sandler and Chriqui, it's a total failure, but there is some physical comedy that's more inspired than the entirety of Sandler's recent output. Even with those few slapstick-driven laughs, it’s impossible to change the fact that Zohan might have made a relatively entertaining series of regular sketches on SNL but can't sustain a nearly two-hour running time. On the incredibly lowered expectations scale of Sandler comedies, it's far from the worst, but it's still a marvel that the most powerful man in comedy can continue to put so little creative energy into a film and sell it to not just a movie studio but also the American public.

Rating: ONE AND A HALF BONES

Release Date: June 6th, 2008

Rating: PG-13

Starring: Adam Sandler, Emmanuelle Chriqui, John Turturro, Nick Swardson, and Rob Schneider

Director: Dennis Dugan

Writers: Adam Sandler & Robert Smigel & Judd Apatow