It's a clear fact at this point that Adam Sandler, despite having clear talents for acting and comedy, is popular by his comedies that are known to be either offensive or just straight up bad either due to bad humour or just being somewhat of a vanity project for the comedian. Despite this, I think everyone has at least one movie that they enjoy from the actor aside from "Uncut Gems" and although there are a few films I actually get some laughs of, his best is perhaps his most offensive and ambitious comedy to date. Zohan Dvir is an Israeli Commando that can't be beaten in combat against the Palestinians while being a popular and womanizing local celebrity in his country. While it seems like a great life, Zohan has grown fed up with the never-ending conflict between the two countries and dreams to travel to the U.S and become a hairstylist, despite his parent's judgement and assumption that he's gay. After faking his death by his Palestinian rival, Phantom, he manages to live his dream, albeit in a small-run salon owned by a Palestinian woman named Dalia. Despite her judgements in regards to Zohan's skills and eccentric personality, she does get won over by the reputation he gives to the salon and his charm. However, Zohan's dream might be ruined once local Palestinian residents learn about Zohan's status and attempt to contact Phantom to finish the job. If you think that this is all the story offers, you'd be wrong. From a side-plot regarding an racist landowner trying to kick the Middle Eastern tenets out of the neighbourhood, to Zohan staying with a dude that does nothing in the story, to the blossoming romance between Zohan and Dalia, to Zohan's sexual appetite to his clients who are older woman, there's a lot that happens in the story and it's honestly an issue, since some plot elements and scenes just feel plopped in all of a sudden and elements such as his friendship with the American that lets him stay over at his place and sleeps with his mother bloats the movie as a result. Despite the overflowing amount of story elements and scenarios, I think the premise and comedic exploration of the conflict between the Jews and the Arabs actually works, both because it hits home for my background and that it just makes the joke about how the two are similar and that the real enemy are the right-wing trash and racist businessman. Honestly, I'm kind of glad that the film exists, because quite frankly there's no way a major studio will ever greenlight a movie with this political agenda and viewpoint can come out during this time. Speaking of jokes, the film is also very funny in that it hits the over-the-top zany nature you'd come to expect of Sandler's productions while also having some dark comedy sprinkled in. In fact, the film really pushes the PG-13 rating with all of the swearing, ass, and sexual activity that occurs in a film that acts so juvenile at times it seems like it was a family film. Whether it's just the meta of how this is very much a vanity project to make Sandler look like a womanizing badass or the racial stereotypes that he depicts Middle Eastern people of, the majority of jokes actually work when you're in a mood to laugh.
Sandler as Zohan is both a blessing and a curse at times, despite him being authentically Jewish. On the one hand, it's so in your face that Sandler chose to play this part just to get hot girls to fawn at him while being this unstoppable fighting machine. On the other hand, Sandler knows exactly that people will think this way and will make Zohan both ridiculed at and too over-the-top and gross that only Sandler would be able to play the lead. I think that if the film were made by someone else, it could really shine at being more serious or balanced in tone and comedy, but considering that it is a Sandler film, it's just the right amount of vanity and charm. John Turturro as the Arabic terrorist known as "Phantom" is fantastic as always in chewing up the scenery and just having fun. Phantom is just an enjoyable rival to Zohan with Turturro being quite convincing as the Palestinian egomaniac. Emmanuelle Chriqui as Dalia looks great for the part and works as the grounded individual who has to deal with the energetic Zohan, but it doesn't makes sense to cast a Jewish actress to play a Palestinian woman, especially considering the political background the film surrounds itself in. Nick Swardson as Micheal, Zohan's roommate and new friend in New York, is good in playing this guy that has to deal with living with Zohan constantly sleeping with his mother, but I feel that he's extremely underused in the film. Last to mention in the main cast would be Rob Schneider as Salim, a Palestinian taxi driver who discovers Zohan being alive and well in New York. Regardless of Schneider's reputation both as an actor who is known for playing stereotypical portrayals of whatever ethnicity and his controversial political views, I actually liked Schneider in this role due to the tone and comedic nature of the film. The side characters are too many to list and mention, but I will say that all of their performances were just the right level of over-the-top and grounded to not overtake Zohan or Phantom. From Micheal's supportive mother, Zohan's various Israeli friends in the city, Salim's Palestinian friends who try to expose Zohan, the gay co-worker that Zohan is oblivious towards, the aforementioned racist businessman and his hired rednecks, the clients of Dalia's salon who lust for Zohan, and the various cameos from well-known celebrities and Sandler's longtime SNL friends, the side cast really helps add to the film and can be enjoyable just enough that they don't overtake the film or the lead characters. One thing to mention of course is that the film is obviously poking fun at a lot of people, specifically the Jews, Arabs, right-wings, and even a few jokes at homosexuals. If you find yourself offended by these portrayals, this clearly isn't the film for you. But if you can clearly take the otherwise harmless jokes and performances, it shouldn't be a problem for people, especially for the aforementioned Jews and Arabs as they are actually handled with a sense of irony and humour that it doesn't overly criticize both sides.
Dennis Dugan is known for directing a ton of comedies starring Sandler and considering their reputation and style, what you see is what you get. Dugan is by no means a bad director, but it's very paint-by-the-numbers for comedy filmmaking. The issue is that all of Dugan's films look the same and have little to no style. It's just the typically bright, almost saturated yet muted look and tone you'd come to expect for not just Sandler comedies, but a large portion of the comedy genre as a whole. The cinematography by Micheal Barrett is also flat and uninspired for the most part, aside from the few action sequences being a bit more flashy to look at. Despite the film costing $90 million, it still looks fairly cheap and standard. The score by Rupert-Gregson Williams is completely forgettable as it's just typical Middle Eastern-sounding music or generic comedy beats you'd come to expect. However, the licensed soundtrack is really good as it not only contains some recognizable songs such as Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me" and Mariah Carey's "Fantasy", but a large selection of the film uses songs from Israeli artists and bands that give the movie a distinct identity in the music compared to the usual Sandler comedy. The last thing to mention would be the action sequences and the accompanied effects. Considering that this is a comedy, the action is not meant to be taken seriously, considering that Zohan and Phantom apparently have wacky powers and durability with no reason as to why. Sandler is also not an actor known for his physique and stunts, so the action either makes Zohan incredibly fast, beat people up with his green-screened-in feet or even resorting to having a stunt double during a long parkour tracking shot. Aside from the first action sequence where Zohan is tracking Phantom and the aforementioned parkour scene, the action is not very exciting, since it's mainly a comedy first. As for the effects, well it can be pretty bad at times with the worst effect being Zohan green-screened so he can fall on his feet behind Phantom. It's laughably cheesy and poorly done, but it's sort of adds to the charm and the overall humour that comes from the film being a Sandler vanity project to the point that he can't do simple stunts.
"You Don't Mess With The Zohan" is perhaps Sandler's best comedy by far, which is saying a lot given his reputation and other projects. It has its issues to be sure with a bloated story, questionable casting decisions, some characters having limited screen-time despite their story and comedy potential, Barrett's bland camerawork, Williams's unmemorable score, the action is underwhelming aside from the first sequence, Dugan's average comedy directing, and the film clearly one of Sandler's most offensive in regards to the stereotypes and subject matter. However, these problems don't harm what good the film has. From the fun premise, clever, if silly, commentary on the tension between the Israelis and Palestinians, the comedic moments and lines hitting the right spot majority of the time, Sandler as Zohan being just the right balance of self-indulgent vanity and charisma, Turturro as Phantom being perhaps the best character in the movie due to the actor's charm, the side characters are quite enjoyable and performed by the various actors and actresses, the soundtrack as a whole is one of the best in a Sandler film due to the various songs and contributions by Israeli artists, and the effects being so obviously fake that it's unapologetically comedic. The enjoyment to be had really depends on your viewpoints of both Sandler and the subject matter he is parodying. If you can't stand Sandler or find the film offensive, you have the right to hate it for what it is. But, if you can give the infamous comedian the benefit of the doubt and you love offensive and dark humour, there's a lot you can get out of this Sandler comedy.
Verdict: 6/10. Above-average comedy, but a fantastic Sandler comedy. Watch if you enjoy his humour or if you want a lighthearted and over-the-top depiction of the Israeli and Arabic conflict.
No comments:
Post a Comment