[DVD Review (R1)] YOU DON’T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN
To say that You Don’t Mess With The Zohan (here-on-in known plainly as Zohan) is a marked improvement for Adam Sandler is not really any sort of compliment is it? I mean, it would be harder to bring your dick away clean of STDs after sex with Paris Hilton then it would be to make stuff that was worse then I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry. And this is from the guy that gave a very, very lenient pass to that film in his review of it!
Sandler is a guy who I have a great deal of time for (check out my “ode” to him by clicking right here) but my patience is wearing thin. Outside of the sublime Punch Drunk Love, the last decent studio comedy he made was back in 2004 with 50 First Dates – although I will give over-generous passes to both Click and The Longest Yard.
Something seems to have hit Sandler in that he must realise he’s losing his core fanbase (and he’s never had the critics on his side anyway!) because with Zohan he’s surrounded himself with the strongest “security blanket” you could possibly imagine:
He’s teamed up with comedy “Golden God” Judd Apatow and Robert Smiegel, one of Saturday Night Live’s best writers of old, to create the script. He’s brought Dennis Dugan back in to direct (obviously choosing to ignore the fact that he’s responsible for some truly atrocious comedies – namely Chuck and Larry and The Benchwarmers – in favour of remembering that he also helmed two of “The Sandman’s” biggest hits, Happy Gilmore and Big Daddy) and surrounded himself with all his favourite players (Jon Tutturo, Rob Schneider, Nick Swardson, Kevin Nealon etc. etc.) and celebrity cameos (Mariah Carey shows up and pokes rather good fun at herself it has to be said!) and… it’s all very fail-safe stuff really!
It’s most definitely the funniest film Sandler has made in a long time. But again, just take a look at the guy’s filmography over at the IMDB, that ain’t hard! This is definitely more Happy Gilmore or Billy Madison then it is Mr Deeds or Anger Management though. It’s not up there with those former examples though. No, it’s too erratic for that. And boy do I mean erratic!
This film – and I have only watched it in its ‘extended edition’ form – bounces from hysterical to painfully unamusing, touching on everything in between, and back again, then down again and up again (see above left). If this was an EKG monitor and a doctor saw this, he’d think that the person strapped up to it was about to peak out and go tap on the pearly gates!
Zohan is the high concept tale of a Mossad agent (Sandler), who fakes his death so he can re-emerge in New York City as a hair stylist. He becomes a neighbourhood sensation by romancing his elderly clients and giving them “special services” in the back room. However, he is eventually recognised by Palestinians working illegally as taxi drivers, who call The Phantom (Jon Turturro) out of retirement in order to assassinate him.
Kudos to the film for not being as trite on the subject matter of Israel vs Palestine as you might think. I mean, there’s no arched satire or deep and meaningful lessons to be learnt here. It’s a friggin studio comedy about an assassin turned hairdresser who fucks pensioners as part of the service. Come on, now? But it is a hell of a lot more measured, pointed and intelligent when dealing with this subject matter then you’d think.
The films real problem is that it is just so damn cluttered. It is wall to wall jokes, with a huge varying degree of quality as I said. It has subplots that are coming and going to the point it will make you dizzy. It has a main plot that borders on the nonsensical. It starts and stops then starts again with the introducing of this lazy “evil property developers” plot strand (with Michael “Let’s Get Ready To Rumble” Buffer taking the lead as Wanbridge, the mastermind behind the plot!). It’s got a fuckin bog standard love-story of Romeo and Juliet stylings in there too, and more side characters on top all vying for attention.
This film makes the orgies in the movie Shortbus look like two old people making sweet, gentle love. It will make you dizzy trying to keep tabs on everything.
But it is most definitely worth a punt. There’s some truly cringeworthy unfunny moments in here, I’m warning you now, but they’re constantly sandwiched in amongst some truly hysterical bits of comedy. Welcome back Mr Sandler sir. Now, just try and hang out in the company of Mr Smiegel and Mr Apatow more often!*
* Sandler has the co-lead role in Apatow’s next directorial outing, Funny People, alongside Eric Bana.
6 Responses to “[DVD Review (R1)] YOU DON’T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN”
I really cannot stand him anymore. I used to find him funny, but around the time of Mr. Deeds, I started to become annoyed by him. Now, I avoid his films like the plague.
I used to adore the guy. Flat out. When you read LIVE FROM NEW YORK you get to see what a struggle it was for him just to find himself and garner screentime on SNL and the talent and self-belief that that took. Oh, and being smart enough to partner himself with the strongest writing duo on the show!
When everyone was mocking BULLETPROOF (and it isn’t a particularly strong movie!), I kept saying that Sandler had “something” and he just needed a shot! And he’s delivered some bloody brilliant comedies!
The thing is though, with HAPPY GILMORE, BILLY MADISON, THE WATERBOY, THE WEDDING SINGER etc. he created a screen template that genuinely worked for him. He moved away from it before audiences were tired of it, and then brought it back (MR DEEDS and ANGER MANAGEMENT) without any real enthusiasm!
Like Will Ferrell, who I also adore, I have been burnt by Sandler a hell of a lot. CHUCK AND LARRY anyone? But I stand by him. I cannot really explain why. I like him as a person and that always translates, like Ferrell, up on screen!
He’s testing my patience, it has to be said, as BEDTIME STORIES looks a whole heap of awful. I just hope ZOHAN is a return to form for his particular production outlet!
Bedtime Stories looks like Click 2.
Only with Russell Brand *shudder*
Oh, then I’m REALLY not seeing it!
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