Adam Sandler does his best to portray Zohan Dvir, a pumped-up counter-terrorist agent who hopes to escape the constant fighting in the Middle East and live a peaceful life…cutting and styling hair in New York City. Zohan finds that his past comes back to haunt him, and he’s forced to fight again, although this time with different enemies: rednecks and greedy developers.
Full-service Hair Salon
Once he leaves Israel for New York, Zohan is unable to get a stylist job at a fancy salon, so he works for free sweeping up hair at a Palestinian-owned salon in Brooklyn across the street from Israeli businesses. He pretends to be from Australia, although his heavy Middle Eastern accent blends with all the other nearby workers.
The shop’s owner, Dalia (Emmanuelle Chriqui), reluctantly accepts Zohan as an employee, although she forbids him to talk to clients with his lewd sexual comments and coarse assessments of their appearances. When one of the stylists quits, however, Zohan gets his chance and proceeds to offer the elderly female clientele foreplay-filled styling followed by a private sex session in the salon’s back room.
It doesn’t take long before Zohan develops a craving for Dalia that’s even stronger than his desire for hummus.
Adam Sandler Friends Come Along for the Ride
As usual, Sandler generously finds work for his friends in his movies. Familiar faces pop up everywhere, including Nick Swardson as a man who helps Zohan get established and find housing, only to have him seduce his lonely mother (Lainie Kazan). John Turturro appears as The Phantom, Zohan’s nemesis from his commando days, and Rob Schneider portrays an angry Palestinian cab driver who recognizes Zohan from an unpleasant encounter with a goat. In addition, Mariah Carey, John McEnroe, Kevin James, and George Takei and others have brief cameos.
Written by Sandler, Robert Smigel, and Judd Apatow, You Don’t Mess with the Zohan is directed by Dennis Dugan, who also directed Sandler (and/or friends) in the comedies I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, The Benchwarmers, Big Daddy, and Happy Gilmore. The film succeeds at giving Sandler a funny forum for strutting (and pelvic thrusting) his stuff, but fails when it over-simplifies the complex issues surrounding troubles in the Middle East.
You Don’t Mess with the Zohan
- A former special agent finds his true love is cutting hair at a women’s salon.
- Starring Adam Sandler, John Turturro, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Nick Swardson, Lainie Kazan, Ido Mosseri, Rob Schneider, Dave Matthews
- Director: Dennis Dugan
- Genre: Action Comedy
- Run Time: 113 minutes
- Rating: PG-13 (for crude and sexual content, language, and nudity)
- 2/5
For more information on Judd Apatow's romantic comedies, read John C. Riley in Walk Hard on DVD and Superbad on DVD.
Leslie C. Halpern - Leslie C. Halpern, Romantic Films/Comedies Topic Editor, authored Passionate About Their Work, Reel Romance, & Dreams on Film.
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