User reviews

Why do I listen to what's top 3 on Netflix!!! There's always an Adam Sandler film in the top ten. For good reason I suppose, he's very likeable, and produces a certain kind of film.

I was in the mood for watching a film, which didn't need me to think or use my brain in any way, shape or form, this did the job, I laughed at the sheer nonsense.

Under normal circumstances, I probably wouldn't watch it, but after a tough day, it made me laugh, and made me switch off.

It's awful, and I will never be able to unsee Sandler's butt, but I chuckled the whole way through it. 7/10.

While I've never been a -huge- fan of Adam Sandler's films, I have watched them and laughed throughout most of them. I'm the type of guy who enjoys some slapstick, some raunchy humor, and a lot of zanyness.

I went into Zohan not expecting anything but pure frivolous humor. You don't go into films like this with any expectations, and I think that's where a lot of the reviewers prior to myself went wrong. They went in expecting to see an evolution of Sandler's humor, and while I would say that Zohan raised the bar a tad, it's still Adam Sandler. Yes, it's going to have a corny ending, a lot of physical humor, and a healthy dose of humor aimed at the more intelligent in the crowd as well.

Overall, I couldn't stop giggling, laughing, and chuckling throughout most of the film. After a long streak of not seeing any humor films, I thought it was the perfect thing to bring me back to comedies. The last few years, especially, have been incredibly lackluster in regards to comedies (if that's what evolution of the genre is, count me out, by the way), and I found Zohan refreshing.

I think another thing a lot of the other reviewers missed, is that the film in no way expected to take itself seriously. The only serious moments were cheesy, predictable, and ultimately corny, which is irony in itself and only contributed to my bemused chuckling. Yes, a lot of the humor bordered on racial stereotyping, there were a lot of over-the-top accents and allusions to the Middle East, so if you're the type to get touchy about that, feel free to skip. I found it to be a rather hilarious joke on the seriousness that everybody applies to the stereotyping. The stereotyping is, actually, rather fair and towards the end even shows plenty of "good stereotyping" (as accurate as stereotyping ever is, which is to say, rarely).

Really, the film laughs at itself. Are there some bum moments? Certainly, but it seems that's been the case for almost every film I've seen in the last few years, but it was grand seeing the cast and crew not try to make this the 'next great comedy' and just have a buttload of fun.

And if the cast and crew are laughing at themselves (which you can clearly feel through the screen), you can't help but laugh with them.

If you want to spend an hour or two snickering and have an open mind, give Zohan a shot. Don't expect an evolution of comedy. Don't expect the bar to be raised, because that's not what this film was trying to do. It was trying to be ridiculous and make people utter that ever so fantastic groaning-giggle followed by the heart chuckle.

Don't let the other critics fool you, they've probably forgotten the meaning of the word 'satire'.

Look folks, this is ADAM SANDLER we're talking about here. Yes, this is the same stuff that he was doing ten years ago with "The Waterboy." Yes, this is the same company that brought us "Happy Gilmore" and "Click." And yes, while I have aged a bit since I could appreciate the his silliness, there is still a part of me that enjoys the goofy fun that Adam Sandler likes to put on screen. I knew very well coming in to the 7:45 showing of "You Don't Mess with the Zohan" that this was going to be crazy. And sure enough, it was. But you know what, I liked it, my friend liked it, quite a few people in the audience liked it, it was a good time had.

Adam Sandler loves to put himself in ridiculous situations. In "Gilmore," he was a hockey nut with a hidden talent for golf. In "Mr. Deeds," he became a billionaire overnight. This guy has played football (twice), gone on fifty first dates, paused and sped up his life, and married Kevin James. Now, he's an Isreali counter-terrorist with a fetish for cutting hair. Oh, and he loves making sexual remarks as much as Borat does. Sound familiar? Thought it did.

So how does the humor compare to previous Sandler features? Well, it's unfocused. Part of the problem is that three writers with different mentalities are writing the script. The silliness comes from Sandler, the raunchy stuff comes from Apatow, and everything else comes from Smigel. Although I found myself laughing at quite a few parts (particularly when the Zohan was on the job as a soldier), there were also a lot of parts where I was thinking to myself "Come on. Another shot of the crotch?" (Or butt, or some other sexual reference) All of these various ingredients have been thrown in together, and the end result is, let's face it, uneven.

But though the movie may have lacked focus, I couldn't help but have fun with it. You see, unlike "Mr. Deeds" (which I found boring and lame), this film goes whole hog. Sandler and the cast surrounding him do almost everything in their power to make a joke out of something. These guys aren't sleepwalking through their roles, to the contrary, they're having a great time putting on a show. It's contagious. About halfway through the movie, I began to realize the reason I was having fun with the "Zohan" was because this movie essentially gives out an open invitation to enjoy the silliness that was being presented. By the end of the movie, Sandler had done the most outrageous acts I had seen him do since "Happy Gilmore." And frankly, I think I prefer Sandler when he just tries everything.

Fans of Sandler will most likely enjoy this one, non-fans should pass. For what it's worth, "You Don't Mess with the Zohan" is a good continuation of the act Sandler has put on for us for over a decade now. Worth a Saturday matinée.

The critics are out in full force and tearing this movie a new one. I can understand some of the criticism, it's a brainless comedy chop full of cliché jokes, stereotypes, crude toilet humor, so it's to be expected that it's going to receive a lot of negativity.

With that said, that's exactly why I loved this movie so much. I'm a movie buff, have over 2,000 DVDs in my collection. I love virtually every movie genre there is. So, I knew full well what I was getting myself into before I paid my ten dollars and a Coke the size of Zohan's crotch.

What I loved about this movie so much, was that the jokes never stopped coming. I've watched all of Sandlers movies, many of them have long breaks of nothing much to get in stitches about. Sandler is the type of actor that I look to for this sort of humor. When you're having a bad day and want to watch a brainless, popcorn flick that will most likely have you cracking up virtually the entire movie, then I suggest you see this movie as soon as possible.

This is another reason why I love Sandler so much. He's not afraid to push the envelope to garner a laugh. He knows he's capable of doing a more serious role and have success. I know how good he was in Punch-Drunk Love and Reign Over Me, but he's very versatile and I can't complain about an actor with that quality.

I gave this a 7 out of 10, I'm not afraid to admit that I liked the Zohan.., and I certainly wouldn't mess with him!

Zohan Dvir is a legendary Mossad agent known for his unique skills and indestructible nature but, unlike his current violent job, Zohan's dream is to become a hairdresser and bless the world with the gift of silky-soft and styled hair. He seems destined to never know this dream though, until he decides to fake his own death during a battle with Palestinian freedom fighter/terrorist The Phantom. One smuggled flight later, Zohan arrives in New York to take up a position at the salon of Paul Mitchell but finds that he cannot just walk into this world of styling and washing. Refusing to work in an electric store, Zohan finds work as a cleaner in a small salon run by a Palestinian woman, where he waits his chance to prove his skills.

The unusual title and setting for the characters were enough to make me forget that, ultimately, what I was about to watch was nothing more than an Adam Sandler comedy. You see, mostly, when you come to a Sandler comedy you know what you are going to get and have a feel for whether or not it is your type of thing. Now the quality of his films may vary but generally what he does and how he does it in most films is pretty constant. However, Mossad agents who wish to pursue a dream of hairdressing in the US is not one of his usual themes and somehow I thought this might be more than just an Adam Sandler comedy as I have experienced them in the past.

The film itself didn't allow me to sit in this misconception for very long as from the very start we find ourselves with physical comedy and jokes reliant totally on body parts and sex organs. This continues with ongoing humour drawn from a young man having intercourse with elderly women on a frighteningly regular basis. Of course if I still hadn't worked it out, then what really reminds me where I am is that the entire film is silly beyond belief but yet also still finds time for a stunning young woman to fall for the main character no matter how arrogant/stupid/unlikable he is - a persistent thread in Sandler films. So, knowing what you are getting into is important but, once there, what does Zohan do for the casual viewer - ie not the audience member who puts Sandler as #1 on the list of all time comedians but rather someone who sees him as, at best, a man who can turn his juvenile comedy into a guilty pleasure. Well, Zohan is not really that funny a film but it just about has enough wild humour and creativity to it to make it quite fun. I was not laughing out loud that often but it did have plenty of amusing moments that made me not hate it - which was a possibility. What helps it is that it throws itself totally into how nonsensical it all is and never really attempts to step away from it, thus maintaining the tone that is knowingly silly and makes it possible for the audience to accept this and not unfairly expect anything more.

Of course this does not make it brilliant by any means and the film is still only silly fun and not a hilarious comedy that is accessible to all. Sandler himself throws himself into his role and his accent even if he still has the same crude material as ever. The fact that he makes fun of the Israel/Palestine situation is a move that gives his material a "different" feel but it is essentially a different doorway to the same material. He plays up the silly aspect but of more help is a wonderfully daft Turturro, Schneider and others, who get easy laughs without the need to progress plot. As she did in "In The Mix", Chriqui concentrates on being light and sexy – not that easy with her accent but she does her basic requirement.

Zohan looks like it will be a daring and imaginative comedy but, beyond the basic design of the film the material is pretty much what you would expect from an Adam Sandler film in so much as it is crude, silly and aimed at a teenage market. It is silly and if you are in the mode it is quite fun but if you are looking for anything more than that then you'll be disappointed. An usual Adam Sandler film, but still very much an Adam Sandler film.

This movie starts off as being so overwhelmingly stupid, that it makes you laugh. And it goes on for the duration of the movie. Special effects and stuff are clearly not that good but that is what is making me laugh for a large part of the movie.

In the end, this is a movie good enough to entertain you and bring a big smile on your face.

If your expectations are high going into movies like this, then please, do yourself a favor and never watch a movie again. This is an Adam Sandler movie and we all know what he's like and what type of humor we're going to expect.....and this movie is no different.

I wanted to laugh, and this movie did just that for me and more! Being from Israel, I found his jokes funny and very witty. I don't know if none-Israeli's would find half the jokes funny though.

The movie tried to delve into the whole Israeli-Arab conflict, but it doesn't go deep enough to make much of a point.

See the movie if you wanna laugh, A lot, but don't see it if your looking for a an Oscar movie night.

This movie makes me laugh every single time I watch it. I am very much into the "Slapstick" type of comedy and this movie fits it like a glove. I Have always loved Adam Sandler movies because you always know you will be entertained. I can honestly say that there wasn't a point where I was watching this movie when I didn't laugh. If you love comedy WATCH THIS MOVIE you will not be disappointed. I really don't get why this movie has such a low rating. if you are looking for movies with deeper meanings and mind-blowing plots then by all means find a different movie.

BUT....

If you want to sit back, relax and laugh until you physically cant anymore then you've found your movie. Enjoy ;)

I can't believe the amount of people slagging off this movie. If you didn't want to see what you saw, why did you go see it?

I think some people have their genres confused when they start talking about 'shedding light on conflict' blah blah. What the hell? It's an Adam Sandler movie not Schindler's list.

It's not the greatest flick there ever was, but it did give me a great laugh! So what if the humor is silly? Most of his movies have an ample dosage of silly that I for one thoroughly appreciate!

I think Don't Mess with the Zohan is best seen knowing nothing about it and having no expectations. Therefore I'm not going to tell you the whole story aside from the ending like so many people. It's not about the story anyway.

In short, to those that appreciate humor of the Adam Sandler/Will Ferrel brand.

Get into it!

--Also for the ladies, Adam Sandler looks so very HOT in this!

I've been a fan of Adam Sandler for much of my life. . . all the way back to his SNL and 'Airheads' days. I've seen him go through many phases, from some great films like 'Punch-Drunk Love,' 'Reign Over Me,' and 'Big Daddy' to some of his lower-end films like 'Eight Crazy Nights' and 'Little Nicky.'

'You Don't Mess With the Zohan' is not one of his best films, but it's still enjoyable. Personally, I'd place it along the comedic quality of 'Billy Madison'. . . contains mostly sight gags and juvenile humour. But, c'mon. . . sometimes that's what we need. Our world is going to Hell, so shouldn't we have some relief from the pain and torment we must witness on a daily basis? No. It's not a great film. But it's funny and stupid and entertaining. And that's the reason to see it. . . don't expect a comedic masterpiece like 'His Girl Friday' or 'Forrest Gump.' Expect what the film actually as and accept it as such. . . if it's not for you, then it wasn't MEANT for you.

Final verdict: 6.5/10.

While it has some funny moments. It has a lot less.

It's one of those movies that would have been great in 1998. But falls short in 2008. Its just the same gimmick that has been done by 'Happy Madison Productions'.

Reminds me of: Chuck and Larry, Strange Wilderness, The Benchwarmers, Dickie Roberts, 50 first dates, Etc.

It's just well.....for lack of a better word. Stupid. It might have you grabbing your sides in 98', but when you watch it, its somewhat like, "OK, let me guess, Rob Schneider is going to pop up and say something dumb with a 'pause for laughter' moment?" Yup.

Is Sandler going to do a stupid voice the whole movie and end on a 'touching theme'?. Yup.

Acting is good, I will give it that. However, if you have seen any Adam Sandler movie, then you won't be surprised with his acting choices. Same choices, different accent.

Nothing against Sandler, his movies were great.......in 98'

I'd wait for DVD,...if that.

What has happened to Adam Sandler? Billy Madison is one of my all-time favorite comedies, the romance-inclined Wedding Singer is fantastic, and his forays into serious fare—Punch-Drunk Love and Reign Over Me—have shown the talent hidden beneath the 5-year old trapped in a 40-year old body routine. As far as his production company's new work goes, in my opinion, a lot is left to be desired. Sadly, You Don't Mess with the Zohan does nothing to alleviate those feelings. Yes the trailer looked absolutely horrible, but I still held hope that something would click and give me an enjoyable experience once again. Don't get me wrong, I definitely laughed throughout, it's just that those laughs were more out of embarrassment for those on screen and because if I didn't chuckle at the asinine events, I would have needed to walk out from boredom. It appears that the Judd Apatow name means zilch when attached to a film he does not deem important enough to direct himself. This one is marginally better than Walk Hard, his last script helper, but not by much.

The concept at hand has some potential. With an utterly preposterous sub-plot involving Sandler's Israeli Mossad agent faking his death in a fight with the leading Palestinean terrorist in the Middle East so that he can come to America and live his dream of being a hairstylist, you won't be thinking anything will be learned by watching. However, there are some moments that shed some criticism to the fight in the Middle East over land and religion as well as bringing up issues of compromise and acceptance for success in the US. As one Israeli says, he has just as hard a time fitting in as the Arabs…because Americans confuse him as one. These two sides look similar, speak similar, and hold a large amount of national pride, containing a lot more in common than the war would like to admit. Leave it to Sandler and company to lambaste these moments with absurdity and broad humor, sending up the issue while also shining light on it although in a very dumbed down manner. Would I have liked more of this and less sexual innuendo? I don't really think it would have helped any.

Right from the start we are shown what to expect—physical humor, sight gags, and obnoxiously drawn out sequences that start out funny yet finally fall flat. If the craziness leaves any mark it's the fact that Sandler got in pretty good shape for this role. Did he do so because of the script, or did he write it all to show off? Unnecessarily gratuitous shots of his backside, complete with fish and hacky sacks finding their way there, only made me hope that some real comedy was coming soon. Instead what we get is an abundance of Hummus, horrible fake accents (I need to believe these were purposely bad, especially Chris Rock's), and as many allusions to Sandler's Scrappy Coco satisfying the elderly clientele he cuts hair for as possible. There are some surprises, such as the truth to what is in his shorts as well as the plethora of cameos straight from left field (Dave Matthews?!), but for the most part, it is a completely obvious string of random events tied together with a thin plot line that really is secondary to the set-pieces and toilet humor.

While the sex jokes got old really fast—how many times can he hump the women and spray water suggestively before our smiles turn to yawns—the ethnic ones had a bit more life. Hummus as a universal food aside, I did find the random disco moments and Mariah Carey t-shirts humorous for the most part and the faulty Hezbollah phone line is priceless. Rob Schneider and John Turturro are over-the-top hams as always, actually a positive thing, never taking the roles seriously. Even Sandler, for what it's worth, plays the part well. The racial stereotypes definitely trump anything on display throughout; the writers involved holding nothing back and having no shame at all. And Emmanuelle Chriqui is absolutely gorgeous and likable, playing a similar role to her part on "Entourage," with the addition of a bad accent.

After all the headshaking and prayers for the film to either get better or just end, it is the supporting cast that leaves the only real indelible mark. The surprise cameos are just too many to mention and for the most part successful across the board. While the Zohan is a one-note joke beaten to death, those surrounding him attempt to infuse a little variety. Unfortunately the final result reminds me more of a recent Saturday Night Live skit, containing a funny premise and then killing it by not knowing when to stop while ahead. Even after seeing the foot fight in the trailers, the actual scene was still pretty hilarious. But what do the filmmakers do? Oh yes, they use the gimmick a few more times, including a sad, extended sequence in a fight scene at the end concerning new shoes, squeezing any laughter that might have still remained out way too early.

OK, I'll try to have no spoilers, yet explain thoroughly. First off, be prepared for a ridiculous movie here. My intention for the night was to go see one of the box office hits. My kid wanted to see this flick, so there I was. I am not a "Naked Gun" type of fan. Ten minutes into the flick I was ready to walk out and see if I could sneak into one of the 'better' films ... then something happened. Adam Sandler is what happened. I found myself pulled into the film. There is a key turning point early on where the film changes (trust me, you'll know what I mean, but it's still a ridiculous film all the way through). The first 10 - 15 minutes I was simply watching a dumb movie ... a waste of money, yet it was the beginning that helped pull me in ... don't miss the beginning. If you want realism then you don't want this film. If you want Adam Sandler, you don't want to miss it, but give him a chance! OK, after becoming absorbed, first into his character, then into the overall plot of the film, I began to step back and realize what they are doing here. This is about immigration, this is about racism, this is about people from many cultures together in one country trying to live and make a living together. Underneath all the silliness, the film has plenty of real meaning. I will re-iterate here, the film is stupid ... so stupid you break out laughing. The film is quite dirty for a PG-13. Is that really what it was? I loved the dirty jokes. I loved Adam Sandler. When the movie was ending I was wishing it was longer. I found myself wanting more. I was not sorry one bit I chose Adam Sandler over a trash collector. I give it a 7.

There are a number of lists on the internet and elsewhere to catalogue the worst films ever made. This film is guaranteed to join many if not all of those lists. It is the worst Adam Sandler film I've ever seen ... and I actually LIKE Adam Sandler films. However, it may serve one purpose ... to bring Israelis and Palestinians together in joint hatred of the cartoonish way their cultures are depicted. Who knows. If they start hating the same things, there might be hope for peace. Anyway, that's where the 1 star in my review came from.

Other than that, there's not much to say about this film. Here's hoping that Mr. Sandler moves on to much better film projects.

From a comedic angle its pretty much flawless, if you like Will Ferrals work or Happy Madison's previous flicks nothing would be stopping you from watching this.

Sure its brainless, stupid and immature, but its a lot of fun and few movies can pull of the crap Sandler does and make it funny.

If your some how offended by this movie, fair enough, but most of the jokes are aimed at everyone and anyone who will bother to laugh at them.

Now on to the films weakest points.

Plot, Accents and some parts of the humor, but i am not going to elaborate on that because if your cynical enough i am sure that you can find many more things wrong with the film and the world Truth is, you really cant mess with this movie, a solid comedy and one of Sandlers funniest in my opinion.

Expect to see the rest of the Madison pack, Fonze, Rob and the rest of the gang.

Also i will add this movie has a excellent musical score which sets the pace very well and is quite funny to boot.

Indeed turn your brain off and prepare to see 95% of Adams body, heh someones been hitting the gym, doesn't suit him :P

I read over the reviews from other IMDb users and am surprised how many mentioned that this film is "racist" or "insensitive". It begs the question: Are people going into to ADAM SANDLER films searching for serious or deep social and political commentary? This movie is a comedy and it stars Adam Sandler if you walk into that theater expecting anything except a stupid-funny movie then you need to instead leave the theater to go home and hit yourself in the face with a rock, after all it can't do more damage to your brain.

In the most simple of terms this movie stars Adam Sandler if you do not find him and his over the top antics funny then I would delicately suggest that you do not see his movies as I understand they are not for everyone. To preempt any whining from people saying that "Other Adam Sandler films made me laugh but this one was not the same" let me remind you that the movie you just saw was called You Don't Mess with the Zohan NOT Happy Gilmore. If you walked into this theater expecting to see Happy Gilmore then again let me remind you that you can actually buy Happy Gilmore on DVD and also there is a rock at home for your face. NEWSFLASH! Movies do have differences from one another and thank heavens they do or the only Adam Sandler movie we would ever have is Happy Gilmore recycled over and over.

Finally and perhaps most important of all this movie was never intended to somehow explain or even explore the difficult and tense situation in the Middle East it was not even necessarily supposed to poke fun at it. This movie was supposed to make you laugh. If you laughed and had a good time then who cares? Everyone in the theater with me was laughing through the movie and having a good time. That is what I look for in a comedy so thumbs up Sandler for a fun night out.

LOL The people here giving one and shouting it's a stupid movie and they walked out and stuff really need to have their head examined. ;) Jesus people, it's just a comedy movie not a Shakespere play! It's supposed to be dumb and light and fun, and that's right the way it is. If that's not what you wanted then why on earth diod you go watch it?! I admit that as an Israeli I found it even more funny I guess than someone in other countries. Those here who think this movie offends Israelis are really off by a mile, it's good and fun comedy and believe me you can't offend Israelis with fun and comedy. Though I bet Muslims banned it in their countries. LOL Overall a fun movie with good laughs. Worth to watch. :)

I'll keep it plain and simple, the movie is terrible on every conceivable level. The writing is atrocious. The acting is appalling. The direction is misguided. The cinematography is pretty good. Oh, I guess I was wrong about failure on every level. I stand corrected. I love raunchy comedy (Kevin Smith movies are some of my favorites!); I love stupid, cornball, physical comedy (Can't beat the Stooges!); & I love satire (The Pythons and Mel Brooks are great!). I hate this piece of garbage film! It has no redeeming features. No laughs to speak of, no wonderful performances to remember, and no point worth making. All that being said, there's probably a sequel already on the way! Save your money and your time; Don't Mess With This Mess.