June 15, 2008
RUTHERFORD ON FILM: 'You Don't Mess with the Zohan'
Stylist Parody Stumbles with Kinks and Knots, But Gentle Instills Social Commentary
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Entertainment Editor
Like the advertising states, expect a cluttered concoction when you take your seat at Adam Sandler’s , “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan.” What’s close to dull cutting scissors --- exactly how this Sandler crew cut parody comes to suffocating from too many kinks and knots before shaking off excess dandruff and falling into place.
Adam Sandler stretches outside his usual comedic range as the multi faceted, screwed up Israeli counter terrorism agent, Zohan, a quasi counter intelligence super-hero/kung fu master burnt out on bustin heads and dodging bullets. He yearns to let his fingers sensually shampoo the soapy manes of over the hill ladies seeking a silky smooth do’s and scalp rejuvenation.
Utterly awash in improbability, “Mess With the Zohan” often dances erratically, hampered by splintered perspectives. Sandler flakes from a sandy sensual beach bum to indifferent bionic spy of a thousand contortions and reflexes allowing him to leap from tall structures and land feet first with no broken bones. But, the story crosses a forbidden line, farcical plot on or not, it skips the prerequisite origin for his extraordinary gifts, be they swatting Palestinians or snipping follicles with such precision.
Similar to a hair style that brings out your face’s structure, “Zohan” has a layer of imagination that thrives mostly as an afterthought. Soaked with assorted raunchiness for the sake of raunchiness, you have to ignore most of these mocking intimacy. The tips Sandler bestows upon prudish old ladies work and those bits that shrivel and shrink include the repeated allusions to the nature of what’s inside his trunks.
f you care to abandon the cheap sexual shock gags. you appreciate the sleek social satire so outlandishly spiked that you laugh at the ethnicity barriers rather than scream insensitivity. Skirting (temporarily) direct terrorist threats, “Zohan” gently mocks the Hezbollah and Hamas, whether their battle started from a goat or a mistossed sandal. The multiracial neighborhoods of New York score perfectly for setting a small scale rivalry between enemies who admit they are tired of war.
Sandler plays Zohan a little too over the top, especially for the rapid mood changes which the character faces. I’d purchase his razor sharp hair styling blades, but his exaggerated kung-fu superman persona breaks the suspension of disbelief barrier on more than one occasion.
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RUTHERFORD ON FILM: 'You Don't Mess with the Zohan'
Stylist Parody Stumbles with Kinks and Knots, But Gentle Instills Social Commentary
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Entertainment Editor
Like the advertising states, expect a cluttered concoction when you take your seat at Adam Sandler’s , “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan.” What’s close to dull cutting scissors --- exactly how this Sandler crew cut parody comes to suffocating from too many kinks and knots before shaking off excess dandruff and falling into place.
Adam Sandler stretches outside his usual comedic range as the multi faceted, screwed up Israeli counter terrorism agent, Zohan, a quasi counter intelligence super-hero/kung fu master burnt out on bustin heads and dodging bullets. He yearns to let his fingers sensually shampoo the soapy manes of over the hill ladies seeking a silky smooth do’s and scalp rejuvenation.
Utterly awash in improbability, “Mess With the Zohan” often dances erratically, hampered by splintered perspectives. Sandler flakes from a sandy sensual beach bum to indifferent bionic spy of a thousand contortions and reflexes allowing him to leap from tall structures and land feet first with no broken bones. But, the story crosses a forbidden line, farcical plot on or not, it skips the prerequisite origin for his extraordinary gifts, be they swatting Palestinians or snipping follicles with such precision.
Similar to a hair style that brings out your face’s structure, “Zohan” has a layer of imagination that thrives mostly as an afterthought. Soaked with assorted raunchiness for the sake of raunchiness, you have to ignore most of these mocking intimacy. The tips Sandler bestows upon prudish old ladies work and those bits that shrivel and shrink include the repeated allusions to the nature of what’s inside his trunks.
f you care to abandon the cheap sexual shock gags. you appreciate the sleek social satire so outlandishly spiked that you laugh at the ethnicity barriers rather than scream insensitivity. Skirting (temporarily) direct terrorist threats, “Zohan” gently mocks the Hezbollah and Hamas, whether their battle started from a goat or a mistossed sandal. The multiracial neighborhoods of New York score perfectly for setting a small scale rivalry between enemies who admit they are tired of war.
Sandler plays Zohan a little too over the top, especially for the rapid mood changes which the character faces. I’d purchase his razor sharp hair styling blades, but his exaggerated kung-fu superman persona breaks the suspension of disbelief barrier on more than one occasion.
out of
E-mail HNN Yahoo Google
Make HNN Your Homepage (IE Users Only)
