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'You Don't Mess With the Zohan'

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BY RAFER GUZMÁN | rafer.guzman@newsday.com

June 6, 2008

(3 STARS) (PG-13)

PLOT An Israeli commando escapes to Manhattan with dreams of becoming a hairstylist.

CAST Adam Sandler, John Turturro and a slew of surprising bit-players.

LENGTH 1:53

PLAYING AT Area theaters.

BOTTOM LINE Crude, idiotic, ridiculous - in other words, flat-out hilarious, and Sandler's funniest film in years.

With blood spilling in Gaza, Hamas stockpiling weapons and Hezbollah still simmering in Lebanon, is this really the time for an Adam Sandler comedy about Israeli-Arab tensions?

It is now. In "You Don't Mess With the Zohan," Sandler disco-dances his way through some of the touchiest territory in politics, triggering a minefield of improvised explosive devices that blow up like so many coconut-cream pies. With its equal-opportunity buffoonery, demented slapstick and what must be the longest-running hummus joke in film history, "Zohan" is not just a side-splitting comedy, it's very nearly a brilliant comedy - a rude, crude update of the Marx Brothers' anti-war classic "Duck Soup."

How does Sandler get away with it? His Israeli character, Zohan, is a macho parody, a superhuman commando who can kick terrorists through walls, stop bullets with his nostrils and catch a fish with his cheeks (the other ones). But Zohan has a soft side: Secretly, he dreams of trading his Uzi for a pair of hairdresser's shears. Early in the film, he fakes his death and escapes to New York, hoping to trade his violent life for one that's "silky smooth."

There is a plot - a beautiful girl (Emmanuelle Chriqui), a face from Zohan's past ( Rob Schneider as a grudgeful Palestinian cabbie) and a mad villain (John Turturro, in full-flowered insanity). But the film is basically a string of nonstop sight gags whipped up by Sandler and co-writers Robert Smigel and Judd Apatow. The script may seem like total anarchy (game of "hacky-cat," anyone?), but it's also a satirical balancing act: There's some skill in getting laughs out of rock-slinging Palestinian children. Director Dennis Dugan (Sandler's "Happy Gilmore") attacks the material in screwball style, using old tricks like stop-motion and fake limbs for maximum ridiculousness.

At two hours, "Zohan" eventually runs out of steam, but by then you'll have witnessed something remarkable: An Adam Sandler comedy that promotes Middle East peace. And right to the end, those hummus jokes are still funny.

STAR BUCKS

Sandler's hits

How will the potentially controversial "Zohan" fare at the box office? Here's a list of some of Sandler's top-grossing films:

Big Daddy (1999) - Sandler showed a softer side in this parent-themed comedy. $163,479,795.

The Waterboy (1998) - This seemingly slim one-joker became a surprise hit. $161,487,252.

The Longest Yard (2005) - A remake of the old Burt Reynolds cult favorite. $158,115,031.

Click (2006) - Who'd have thought a comedy about an all-powerful remote control would be so successful? $137,355,633.

Anger Management (2003) - Jack Nicholson's star-power helped make this a big earner. $135,645,823.

Source: Domestic grosses from BoxOfficeMojo .com