You Don't Mess With the Zohan

You know how some things in life are just so shamefully gauche that you can’t help but chuckle hysterically? Well, that’s how I felt during Adam Sandler’s latest uproarious venture into the world of rollicking indecency aptly titled “You Don’t Mess With the Zohan” in which he plays an Israeli Rambo looking to begin a fresh life as a New York City hair stylist. Every bit was either insanely outlandish or just plain insane, but I have to admit that I laughed often enough to recommend it to those who enjoy the zany shenanigans of Happy Madison Productions (Sorry, I must be stuck in “Juno” mode).

The first fifteen minutes or so are basically a series of outrageous stunts designed to exemplify the sheer strength and supremacy of Zohan’s combat arsenal, so we’re given plenty of shots featuring soaring backflips and Jackie Chan-esque pugnacity that never amount to much more than a springboard to the film’s real objective. Sure, watching him catch bullets in his nostril can be a hoot, but the ill-mannered slapstick that follows can be so much more fun, don’t you think? After all, a film that credits raunch-master Judd Apatow as a screenwriter is bound to have its fair share of unapologetic vulgarity to please the diehards and the moment Zohan arrives in NYC is about the time that Apatow’s contribution makes its presence felt.

When Zohan walks into the struggling salon run by a striking Palestinian woman named Dalia (Emmanuelle Chriqui), he immediately attracts attention due to his flamboyantly unorthodox approach to pleasing his female customers. Under the pseudonym Scrappy Coco, he quickly becomes the most sought-after stylist in lower Manhattan and discovers that his feelings for Dalia must be suppressed due to his hatred for anyone of Palestinian descent. The age-old conflict over race comes up frequently throughout this picture and their attempt at faux-sentimentality toward the end is something I just couldn’t buy into. Think about it. The writers spend the entire time working off racial stereotypes and then decide to neatly wrap everything up with a ceasefire? Somehow that just didn’t work for me, but it’s a minor misfire and I forgive them.

I will say that it was refreshing to see Sandler playing something other than a loudmouth frat-boy type, because he actually creates something pretty comical with this character. His insatiable appetite for women coupled with a bizarre obsession with disco make Zohan a hilariously profane addition to The Sandman’s catalog and hopefully he comes back with something just as rowdy next time around. Is it sophisticated? Of course not, but anything else just wouldn’t be his style.

- *** out of 4