You Don't Mess With the Zohan and Nanooush

You Don't Mess with the Zohan

Writers (WGA):

Adam Sandler &
Robert Smigel

Director:

Dennis Dugan

I don't like Adam Sandler or long, nonsensical movie titles. I also cringe when I see former SNL actors launching films based on one-joke characters a la Corky Romano (you can probably list thirteen more). For all those reasons, I would not be someone who you would expect to mess with the Zohan. However, there was something oddly intriguing about a counter-terrorist with a penchant for hummus and hairstyling.
And guess what? It worked. The pacing, the ethnic flavor, the Mariah Carey...I was laughing, out loud, at Adam Sandler. I was able to look beyond Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy, The Waterboy, and the other films I aggressively avoided to see a seasoned comedian developing a new culturally relevant persona. Sure he borrows from the Ben Stiller/Vince Vaughn Dodgeball team and yes, you can spot Judd Apatow's handiwork, but it comes down to Sandler's special tahini seasoning. He has grown up. The teenage boy who laughs at paraplegics and imagines penguins in the bathtub is ready to commit.

Middle eastern counter terrorism hairstylist comedies go well with Nanooush wraps and mint iced tea.