When you've seen one film about an Israeli commando who fakes his own death in order to fulfill a lifelong dream and become a hairstylist in New York, you've seen 'em all. There are seemingly no plots too outlandish for Adam Sandler, who returns to his more absurdist roots with this role. The aforementioned premise of You Don't Mess With The Zohan is a clear indication of the level of humour Sandler, who co-wrote the script with Judd Apatow and Robert Smigle, was going for. 'The Zohan is ridiculous,' admits co-star Rob Schneider, 'so ridiculous that, I hope, everybody takes a step back and laughs together.' And while there are undoubtedly one or two laughs, people might be inclined to take more than one step back.
The Israeli Palestinian conflict is not generally considered a comedy goldmine, but that doesn't stop Sandler and Co. wading in with gags about Zohan (Sandler), Israeli's most famous counter-terrorist, proudly described as being - like Rembrandt with a grenade,'or a Hezbollah terrorist telephone helpline. The film milks middle-east racial stereotyping for all its worth, punctuating it with a running joke about the myriad uses of hummus. But, given the overriding tone of silliness, it would be rather churlish to take offence.
When we meet Zohan he's a national hero, revered by men and adored by women wherever he goes. Fun-loving and fearless, he has a penchant for being naked and catching objects in his arse. With such an introduction, few are left with any doubt about the film's unsophisticated level of wit. While clearly enjoying his status as a military icon - 'I like it pleasant. Is peaceful. No-one gets hurt' - Zohan secretly desires to trade his gun for scissors and become a hairstylist. Fearing this new career would jeopardize his heroic reputation, during the course of a fight with his nemesis, the Palestinian terrorist known as the Phantom (John Turturro), Zohan fakes his own death and heads for New York with his newly adopted name Scrappy Coco.
With no experience, his deluded dream of working for hairstyling mogul Paul Mitchell is quickly dashed, but he does find work at a somewhat less prestigious salon run by the beautiful Palestinian Dalia (Emmanuelle Chiriqui). His skills with scissors however are secondary to his skills at sexually satisfying what soon becomes a rapidly growing clientele of elderly women. But just when things are going well, Scrappy's previous existence catches up with him when he is recognized by a Palestinian cab driver Salim (Rob Schneider), who sees an opportunity to avenge Zohan for once stealing his goat.
Sandler does possess an affable charm, which often struggles to compete with some of his more annoying traits. In You Don't Mess With the Zohan, the outcome is a draw. Having clearly set out to make something silly - even though there are attempts to dispel the differences between Israelis and Palestinians -the writers and director, Dennis Dugan, can be satisfied that they succeeded. The problem is that silly isn't necessarily funny.
Kevin Murphy
