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With the advent of things like YouTube and the proliferation of comedy groups in the last 10 years, a simple “fish out of water” action comedy is much more difficult to do than ever before because of the amount of humor needed. The first Austin Powers worked in the 1990s because the jokes involving a 1960s British Spy in modern American pretty much wrote themselves. The standard has been raised immensely; a film like Hot Rod last year would’ve been a brilliant comedy if it was released in 1995. In 2007, it’s a second-tier comedy to films like Knocked Up and Superbad. The same feeling you get for that film you feel after watching You Don’t Mess with the Zohan. It would’ve felt a bit fresher in the 1990s, when Adam Sandler was starting out, as opposed to now in mid-career. It’s a funny film, and Sandler continue to push himself by going for different parts as opposed to his usual “screaming guy” routine, but in light of recent comedies it doesn’t compare.
Sandler stars as the titular character Zohan, a Mossad agent who is one part James Bond and one part Arnold Schwarzenegger. Zohan is Israel’s go to guy when bad guys need to be killed; the film opens with an electric action sequence worthy of a good 80s action film. Zohan is sick of the fighting and wants to pursue his passion: hair. His dream is to work at the Paul Mitchell Hair Salon, but his family laughs at his pursuits. Finding a way to fake his death in a fight with his arch-nemesis, the Phantom (John Turturro), Zohan relocates to NYC in pursuit of his hair-cutting dream. Taking the name of Scrappy CoCo, ostensibly after the two Sheepdogs whose crate he stayed in as he hitched an airplane ride, Zohan arrives in New York and the film focuses on his pursuit of hair-cutting excellence while dealing with extended Palestinian-Israeli relations in New York.
Purely as a farce, Zohan is a salute to the sort of improbable action films that had the same “fish out of water” concepts in the 1980s. It’s amusing to think of a ripped Adam Sandler trying to cut hair, but in the context of what he’s trying to do it’s no more eye-rolling than Arnold Schwarzenegger as a school teacher. It works because it’s so over the top that it can’t be taken seriously. There are plenty of easy jokes made based on the hairdresser concept alone to make it entertaining; Sandler, as always, goes for the easy joke more often than not. It’s his forte and he’s made a good living, as well as several good films, doing it. The Sandler comedy is low-brow and not too intellectually stimulating, but that’s the purpose of watching his kind of film. It allows you to laugh at the stupid things of life, as opposed to looking for some grander comedic statement.
Zohan, however, for all its good doesn’t feel like a modern comedy. As a parody of films like Kindergarten Cop it would’ve been more appropriate in 1993 as opposed to 2008. The film doesn’t do as much with the concept as it could’ve, instead relying on the usual sorts of bodily function and toilet humor that have made Sandler millions over the years. It relies on the setup more than the execution, as the easy joke is often made at the expense of the better joke. This would’ve been fine 10-20 years ago, but unfortunately comedy has changed somewhat.
In the last several years, the art of the comedy has changed drastically. You Don’t Mess with the Zohan is a comedy that aims low and manages to hit the mark. We expect more now and Sandler has given us more of the same. It’s still a funny movie, but not where he ought to be career-wise.
Presented in a Dolby Digital surround with a widescreen presentation, You don’t mess with the Zohan has a terrific transfer to DVD. This is a colorful film and the transfer reflects it.
Disc One::
Deleted Scenes are included, but don’t add much back into the film. There is an interesting scene between The Phantom (John Turturro) and John McEnroe, but it isn’t anything special.
There’s a series of Featurettes about the film, 10 in all,, that go through various aspects of the film. There’s plenty of information regarding the actors’ feelings towards one another (everyone was wonderful) and their motivation behind the film’s premise. They do have some interesting footage of Sandler doing some of his own stunts, including wirework, as well as an interesting piece on Dave Matthews and his participation in the film. Each piece runs some time, and there’s an interesting piece where they use a robot for comic gags that were “taken out” of the film. With Sandler’s voice behind it, it’s unbelievably funny and an interesting distraction from the seriousness of the over pieces.
Commentary track with Adam Sandler, Robert Smigel, Rob Schneider and Nick Swardson, as well as a Commentary with Director Dennis Dugan
Disc Two:
More Featurettes are included, with one focusing on that Sandler had 14 stunt doubles Three others are news-styled pieces relating to the film, with a final one focusing on Robert Smigel’s theory that all Israeli men are super horny.
Previews for Pineapple Express, Kabluey, Balls out: Gary the Tennis Coach, This Christmas, The Perfect Holiday, Open Season 2, Casino Royale, So I Married an Axe Murderer, 50 First Dates, Click, Big Daddy, Anger Management and Mr. Deeds
There’s a Digital Copy of the film you can download to your computer.
Mike Myers and Adam Sandler would release films that seemed dated even before they were released — Sandler’s arrives on DVD a bit before his other big release, Bedtime Stories, comes into theatres. You Don’t Mess with the Zohan is a nice throwback to Sandler’s origins as a low-brow comedian but isn’t the sort of work you’d expect from him at this point.
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Sony presents You Don’t Mess with the Zohan . Directed by Dennis Dugan. Starring Adam Sandler, John Turturro, Nick Swardson. Written by Judd Apatow, Adam Sandler and Robert Smigel. Running time: 113 minutes. Rated PG-13. Released on DVD: October 7, 2008. Available at Amazon.com.
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