RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / You Don't Mess With The Zohan
You Don't Mess With The Zohan

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
Bookmark and Share

You Don't Mess With The Zohan (2008)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
36 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:177

Fresh:64

Rotten:113

Average Rating:4.6/10

Consensus: You Don't Mess With the Zohan features intermittent laughs, and will please Sandler diehards, but after awhile the leaky premise wears thin.

Runtime: 1 hr 57 mins

Genre: Comedies

US Box Office: $100,018,837

Synopsis: Dennis Dugan (BIG DADDY, HAPPY GILMORE) directs this comedy co-written by Adam Sandler, Judd Apatow, and Robert Smigel. Disco- and hummus-loving Zohan (Sandler) is the Israeli army's best weapon.... Dennis Dugan (BIG DADDY, HAPPY GILMORE) directs this comedy co-written by Adam Sandler, Judd Apatow, and Robert Smigel. Disco- and hummus-loving Zohan (Sandler) is the Israeli army's best weapon. He can single-handedly take out terrorists and swim like a dolphin, and still find time to charm the ladies. But this lethal weapon is tired of fighting Palestinian terrorists like the Phantom (John Turturro). He has bigger dreams: he wants to cut and style hair. Unfortunately, once Zohan arrives in New York City with a new look straight out of the 1980s and an assumed identity after faking his own death, his lack of experience gets him laughed out of salon after salon. Finally, Dalia (Emmanuelle Chriqui), a Palestinian salon owner, gives him a shot, and the older patrons love him. But just as Zohan is hitting his stride, Salim, a Palestinian New York City cabbie (Rob Schneider) recognizes him, and suddenly the Zohan's dream is in jeopardy. To confuse matters more, there is a Trump-like developer (Michael Buffer) who is trying to clear out the Manhattan neighborhood where Israelis and Palestinians peacefully coexist in order to build a mall. A bulked-up Sandler is amusing as Zohan, and this is Schneider's best performance in years. Despite the extreme stereotyping, there is an underlying message about the futility of war and fact that people really are, after all, just people. The film is peppered with brief appearances from a menagerie of celebrities, including Chris Rock, Dave Matthews, Charlotte Rae, Kevin James, John McEnroe, Mariah Carey, George Takei, and Bruce Vilanch. Lainie Kazan and Nick Swardson also star in this film as a mother and son who befriend the new immigrant. [More]

Starring: Adam Sandler, John Turturro, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Nick Swardson

Starring: Adam Sandler, John Turturro, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Nick Swardson, Lainie Kazan, Rob Schneider

Director: Dennis Dugan

Director: Dennis Dugan
Screenwriter: Robert Smigel, Adam Sandler, Judd Apatow
Producer: Adam Sandler, Jack Giarraputo
Composer: Rupert Gregson-Williams
Studio: Sony Pictures Entertainment

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
  • Trailer
    >
    Trailer #2
    >
    Interview Featurette
    >
    RT Review Revue Mini - Zohan
    >
1 - 4 of 4

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Reviews for You Don't Mess With The Zohan

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
61 - 80 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Director Dennis Dugan knows his way around shin-whacking slapstick, and Sandler is mesmerizing.

Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
06/09/08
David Edelstein
David Edelstein
New York Magazine

'I just want to make people silky smooth,' cried Adam in the kind of Israeli accent which suggests that Israel borders France.

Full Review Source: MovieJuice! | comment Comment
06/09/08
Mark Ramsey
Mark Ramsey
MovieJuice!

...nearly two hours of mind numbing junk.

Full Review Source: Houston Community Newspapers | comment Comment
06/09/08
Gary Brown
Gary Brown
Houston Community Newspapers

Were there laughs to be had? Sure, but even a "Dorf on Golf" videotape has its moments.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
06/09/08
Pete Vonder Haar
Pete Vonder Haar
Film Threat

Zohan might have made a relatively entertaining series of regular sketches on SNL but can't sustain a nearly two-hour running time

Full Review Source: Movie Retriever | comment Comment
06/08/08
Brian Tallerico
Brian Tallerico
Movie Retriever

Judd Apatow continues his quest to kill comedy with coarse, low class, low-intellect rubbish like this, which can turn you mind to porridge if you sit through it.

Full Review Source: tonymedley.com | comment Comment
06/08/08
Tony Medley
Tony Medley
tonymedley.com

Hopes are dashed for the screenwriting contribution of Judd Apatow to elevate Adam Sandler as a poor man's Groucho Marx...

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
06/08/08
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

A silky smooth, subversively silly political satire.

Full Review Source: SSG Syndicate | comment Comment
06/08/08
Susan Granger
Susan Granger
SSG Syndicate

You Don't Mess with the Zohan is cacophonous and competitive comedy, more exhausting than fun.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
06/08/08
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters

Adam Sandler takes on terrorism as Israeli agent-turned-hair stylist in raunchy shock comedy.

Full Review Source: Leader Newspapers, New Jersey | comment Comment
06/08/08
Kam Williams
Kam Williams
Leader Newspapers, New Jersey

The racial stereotypes that emerge in this film are as over the top and potentially offensive as Eli Wallach's Tuco in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. But what redeems the film to some degree is its general good naturedness...

Full Review Source: KPBS.org | comment Comment
06/08/08
Beth Accomando
Beth Accomando
KPBS.org

Amid the silliness, the boorishness and the vulgarity is a certain warmness and sweetness.

Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope | comment Comment
06/07/08
Robert Roten
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope

opens with a close-up of [Zohan's] bulging crotch and remains in that territory, in every sense, for the 113 minutes that it violates the screen

Full Review Source: Killer Movie Reviews | comment Comment
06/07/08
Andrea Chase
Andrea Chase
Killer Movie Reviews

So I smelled it, smelled it, smelled it and took it - and you know, I thought it was pretty good.

Full Review Source: Seacoast Newspapers (NH/Maine) | comment Comment
06/07/08
Gina Carbone
Gina Carbone
Seacoast Newspapers (NH/Maine)

Although this film could've been hilarious, almost every scene ends up as crude or just plain silly. But Adam Sandler looks terrific as Zohan!

Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment Comment
06/07/08
Betty Jo Tucker
Betty Jo Tucker
ReelTalk Movie Reviews

Don't mess with audiences, Sandler. Yet another bum movie from the actor that so steeped in stereotypes, it's nauseating.

Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment Comment
06/07/08
Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)

For as stupid as it is, part of its problem is that it really isn't stupid enough.

Full Review Source: Film School Rejects | comment Comment
06/07/08
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
Film School Rejects

It's a difficult feat to manage irony without antecedent, so rather than opt for knowing caricature -- like, say, Adam Goldberg's The Hebrew Hammer -- Zohan mostly opts for empty farce: topical humor for people unfamiliar with the topic.

Full Review Source: New Republic | comment Comment
06/06/08
Christopher Orr
Christopher Orr
New Republic

[A]voids that pitfall that brings down this genre of nutty comedy far more often than not: there's nothing meanspirited about it. It's crude in many ways... but it's never vulgar, and in fact it's often strikingly sweet.

Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
06/06/08
MaryAnn Johanson
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher

This is one of those movie ideas that leaves you wondering what other ideas, exactly, were rejected in favor of this one, on the grounds of being too lame.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
06/06/08
Moira MacDonald
Moira MacDonald
Seattle Times
 
 
61 - 80 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
all

Latest News for You Don't Mess With The Zohan

October 05, 2008: This counter-terrorism satire is its own worst enemy. Especially whenever Sandler's whining geek turned combo swaggering assassin hair stylist's too-much-information bulging prosthetic crotch pops up. Opens in new window
More...

August 19, 2008: Arab Censors Mess With The Zohan Opens in new window
In a move that will leave some American filmgoers seething with jealousy, censors in Egypt, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates have banned Adam Sandler's You Don't Mess With... More...

August 16, 2008: NewFilmReview: This counter-terrorism satire is its own worst enemy. Especially whenever Sandler's whining geek turned combo swaggering assassin hair stylist's too-much-information bulging prosthetic crotch pops up. Opens in new window
More...

July 13, 2008: Box Office Guru Wrapup: Moody Superheroes Rule the Box Office
Hellboy II: The Golden Army nudges Hancock out of first place while Murphy debuts as the summer's biggest flop. More...

See All

More DVDs

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
18% 18% New in Town
23% 23% Push
43% 43% Fragments

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Ban Them All!

Ban Them All!

10 Most Controversial Movies

Looking Nine

Looking Nine

Hot new images from the upcoming musical

New Avatar action

New Avatar action

Watch an exclusive chase clip from the film

Wild Things!

Wild Things!

Win tickets to the wild rumpus of 2009

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • First Iron Man 2 Poster Released Source: Yahoo! Movies
38
  • Ryan Reynolds Talks Green Lantern Source: MTV
5
  • Paul Greengrass Quits Fourth Bourne Source: The Playlist
12
  • Tobey Maguire Talks Brothers, Spider-Man 4 Source: Boston Globe
30
  • Nimrod Antal Talks Predators Source: ComingSoon.net
17
  • Weekly Ketchup: Zombieland 2 in 3D?
84
  • First Look (Sort Of) at New Nightmare's Freddy Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com
24
  • First Look at Shrek Forever After Source: USA Today
48
  • Woody Harrelson Will Battle Zombies in 3-D Source: Moviehole
26
  • Natalie Portman Says Kat Denning Is in Thor Source: MTV
34
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Friday Harvest: The Road, Avatar, and more!
96
  • Ban Them All! 10 Infamously Controversial Movies
90
  • 5 Facts About The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
88
  • Critics Consensus: Flee From Ninja Assassin
47
  • Weekly Ketchup: Zombieland 2 in 3D?
28
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Vampires and Football Break Thanksgiving Records
28
  • Five Favorite Films With Zombieland Director Ruben Fleischer
24
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Terminator Salvation and a Smithsonian Battle
13
  • Duncan Jones Reteams With Kevin Spacey
5
  • Total Recall: Children's Book Adaptations
3
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
11
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
21
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • RT on DVD: Wassup, Bruno
3
  • Scott Hicks Talks The Boys Are Back
0
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Richard Kelly chats about The Box
2
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
22
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • You Don't Mess With The Zohan at Rotten Tomatoes
  • You Don't Mess With The Zohan at IGN

Fresh Links

Featured
Animated Oscar?
Animated Oscar? External Link

Hollywood.com ponders whether or not an animated film could win Best Picture.

Wes Anderson on Fox
Wes Anderson on Fox External Link

The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox

Dressing Wonderland
Dressing Wonderland External Link

Tim Burton's costume designer talks to Movieline about her long collaboration with the filmmaker and Johnny Depp.

Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Twitter
Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Twitter External Link

Get all the latest movie updates, reviews, interviews and features here.

Competitions
Win 9 tickets
Win 9 tickets External Link

20 double passes to win to the new animated film, produced by Tim Burton.

Win Wild Things Tickets
Win Wild Things Tickets External Link

Free double passes to join Spike Jonze's wild rumpus.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.