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{{short description|2008 film directed by Dennis Dugan}}
{{Infobox Film
{{Infobox film
| name = You Don't Mess with the Zohan
| name = You Don't Mess with the Zohan
| image = With the zohan.jpg
| image = With the zohan.jpg
| caption = Promotional poster
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = ]
| alt = The tagline: Lather, rinse, save the world. Pictured is a man holding a hairdryer and scissors while doing the side standing splits.
| producer = ]<br>]
| director = ]
| writer = ]<br>]<br>]
| writer = {{Plain list|
| starring = ]<br>]<br>]<br>]<br>]<br>]
* ]
| music = ]
* ]
| cinematography = Michael Barrett
* ]
| editing = Tom Costain
| distributor = ]
| released = {{flagicon|USA}}], ]<br>{{Flagicon|ISR}} ] ,]<br>{{flagicon|UK}}], ]
| runtime = 113 minutes
| country = {{USA}} and {{ISR}}
| language = ], ] & ]
| budget = ]$90 million
| gross = $185,163,692 (worldwide)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=youdontmesswiththezohan.htm |title=You Don't Mess with the Zohan |accessdate=2008-06-10 |publisher=]}}</ref>
| website = http://www.youdontmesswiththezohan.com/
| amg_id = 1:413903
| imdb_id = 0960144
}} }}
| producer = {{Plain list|
'''''You Don't Mess with the Zohan''''' is a ] ] about Zohan Dvir (] : '''זוהאן דביר'''), ]'s hero and their greatest counter-terrorism ] who, after growing tired of his ], fakes his own death in order to pursue his dream: becoming a ] in ]. The story was written by ], ] and ], and was directed by ]. Sandler's production company ] produced the film, while it was distributed by ]. It was released on ], ]. UK release date is ], ].
* Adam Sandler
* ]
}}
| starring = {{Plain list|<!--Per poster billing-->
* Adam Sandler
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
}}
| cinematography = ]
| editing = Tom Costain
| music = ]
| studio = ] <br />] <br />]
| distributor = ]
| released = {{Film date|2008|6|6}}
| runtime = 113 minutes<ref name="bbfc">{{cite web |title=You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008) |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/you-dont-mess-with-the-zohan-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0zntc5mzk |publisher=] |access-date=1 February 2013 |archive-date=22 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220422121736/https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/you-dont-mess-with-the-zohan-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0zntc5mzk |url-status=live }}</ref> <!-- Only state the theatrical runtime -->
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget = $90 million<ref name="mojo"/>
| gross = $204.3 million<ref name="mojo"/>
}}
'''''You Don't Mess with the Zohan''''' is a 2008 American ] ] directed by ]; written by ], ], and ]; produced by Sandler and ]; and starring Adam Sandler, ], ], ], ], and ] with supporting roles by ], ], ], ], ], ], and Daoud Heidami.

It is the fourth film to include a collaboration of Sandler as actor and Dugan as director. The film tells the story of an Israeli ] and counter-terrorist commando who fakes his own death to pursue his dream of becoming a hairstylist in the United States while contending with a crooked businessman, a superhuman terrorist arch-rival, and the grudge of a certain taxi driver.

Produced by ], ''You Don't Mess with the Zohan'' was released by ] in the United States on June 6, 2008. Despite the film's mixed reviews, it was a box office success, grossing $204.3 million worldwide from a $90 million budget.<ref name="mojo" />


==Plot== ==Plot==
<!--per ], plot summaries should be between 400 and 700 words-->
The movie begins with Zohan (]), a ] agent, on vacation at a ] beach, attracting several women and capturing the attention of every beach-goer with his ] prowess. He cooks fish in the nude (using copious amounts of ]) for himself, his friend and several women. As he finishes cooking, an ] ] arrives, stealing him away from his presumed well-earned vacation.
Zohanele "Zohan" Dvir is an Israeli counter-terrorist commando reputed for his ] and ]. Despite his success, he is tired of ]; he dreams of leaving the military to become a hairstylist for ] in the United States, but his parents disapprove of him.


He is tasked with capturing his long-time arch-rival, Fatoush "Phantom" Hakbarah, a ] who also possesses superhuman traits. After engaging Phantom in a fight, Zohan fakes his own death and subsequently smuggles himself to ]. Phantom's supposed success in killing Zohan garners him much fame across the ], leading him to open the "Phantom Muchentuchen" restaurant chain.
During a subsequent briefing, Zohan expresses his displeasure about having his vacation cut short. After being heckled by his officer, he eventually agrees to do yet another mission of recapturing a key ] terrorist, the "Phantom" (]), who had been freed by the Israeli government in ] for a captured ] agent, plus an additional "to-be-named-later" spy. Later, as Zohan expresses his desire to leave Israel and become a ] in ], his wishes are met with laughter by his mother and his father, who had fought in Israel's ].


After arriving, Zohan immediately seeks a job at the local Paul Mitchell salon, but is turned down. Later, Zohan witnesses a traffic collision involving two motorists and a cyclist named Michael. One of the motorists starts bullying Michael and yells ] at Zohan, who promptly beats him up. Michael subsequently befriends Zohan and takes him to his apartment, where he lives with his mother Gail.
The disgruntled Zohan fakes his own death during the pursuit of the Phantom, who is tricked into believing he had killed Zohan. Zohan smuggles himself into a flight to New York City in a pet crate of two dogs named Scrappy and Coco. Changing his hairstyle into a 1980s ] Avalon style and taking "Scrappy Coco" as a new alias, he sets out to pursue his dreams in the Big Apple.


Zohan encounters a fellow Israeli immigrant, Oori. He recognizes Zohan and vows to keep his true identity a secret before bringing him to an area in ] predominantly populated by other ], including ] and ].
Initially unsuccessful in getting hired at an upscale Paul Mitchell salon (as well as an African American salon and a children's salon), Zohan's military expertise earns him a new friend, Michael (]), who gives him a place to stay. However, Michael feels uncomfortable with Zohan's sexual activities with Michael's mother, Gail (]). Zohan's passion for 1970s ] runs him into a fellow Israeli named Uri (]), a Zohan fan who is aware of Scrappy Coco's true identity but agrees to keep it a secret. Uri introduces him to a block in lower Manhattan filled with Middle Eastern Americans, who are split between a Palestinian side and an Israeli side of the street.


Zohan attempts to land a job in a struggling salon of a Palestinian woman named Dalia (]). After first only allowing the ostentatious Zohan to sweep floors for free, she eventually allows him to be a stylist after he pleases a senior lady with a satisfactory haircut and back room sexual service. Zohan's reputation spreads instantly among the elder women of lower Manhattan, who comment that "besides the sex, he gives a pretty good haircut." Dalia's business booms, upsetting Walbridge (]), a corporate magnate who has been trying to force out all the local tenants on the block so that he may build a huge mall. Zohan brags to his colleague Claude (]) that he has a big one, which is understood as big penis, but he meant big amount of pubic hair. At Oori's suggestion, Zohan attempts to secure a job at the struggling salon of a Palestinian woman named Dalia. Because he lacks experience, she only allows Zohan to sweep the salon's floors and he will not receive any pay because her salon is facing financial difficulties. When a stylist unexpectedly quits, one of the customers asks Zohan to cut her hair, and he accepts. Zohan's reputation rapidly spreads, causing Dalia's business to prosper. Dalia makes her rent payments in full, upsetting a corporate businessman, Grant Walbridge, who has been trying to buy out all the local tenants to build a mall.


Zohan is identified by a Palestinian-American taxi driver, Salim, who recognizes him. He meets with his friends Hamdi and Nasi, convincing them to help him kill Zohan. After unsuccessfully attempting to contact ], Salim contacts Phantom in ]. He threatens to publicly disclose the truth about Zohan being alive, but Phantom makes a deal with him and prepares to find Zohan himself.
Eventually Zohan is identified by a Palestinian cab driver named Salim (]), whose goat Zohan had stolen after Salim threw his shoe at Zohan and spit in his face. Salim convinces his friends to help him exact revenge on Zohan. He rebuffs their advice to "let the professionals" take care of it because Salim wants the glory of killing Zohan for himself. He and his friends decide to build a bomb, but they are unsure how to do so. Thinking that they need "chemicals," Salim and his friends walk into a pharmacy and try to ask for liquid ]. Hearing Salim's mispronunciation, the pharmacist instead presents Salim with ]. Seeing that the Neosporin doesn't destroy Zohan's workplace, Salim reluctantly informs Phantom through a ] ]. Now a successful fastfood chain owner, Phantom then pays a visit to New York to hunt Zohan down.


Meanwhile, Zohan realizes that he has fallen in love with Dalia when he discovers that he has unexplainable ] except in her presence. However, Dalia rejects Zohan's feelings for her after he reveals he was formerly an Israeli counter-terrorist operative. Zohan decides to leave Dalia and confront the Phantom in a Hacky Sack game. His fight is cut short with sudden news of the Middle Eastern block being attacked by racist white arsonists dressed in Arabic clothing, the leader of them being played by ]. (The arsonists are hired by Walbridge to instigate an inter-ethnic riot between the Israelis and Palestinians and hopefully allow him to take over their stores more easily.) Meanwhile, Zohan has fallen in love with Dalia, but she rejects Zohan because of his military service. Zohan decides to quit, hoping to keep her safe from any inter-ethnic strife. He later confronts Phantom in a championship ] game sponsored by Walbridge. However, the confrontation is cut short when he learns that the Middle Eastern neighborhood is being attacked by unknown assailants.


As their businesses burn, Zohan calms the Israelis and the Palestinians, as both sides are blaming each other for the violence. When Phantom appears, he confronts Zohan, who refuses to fight after being deeply inspired by Dalia's pacifism. Dalia then discloses that she is Phantom's sister and convinces her brother to cooperate with Zohan against the arsonists, who are revealed to be a group of ] on Walbridge's payroll. The Phantom works with Zohan to save the block. The arsonists are defeated, and Walbridge is arrested by the police; however, the overexcited Phantom accidentally destroys all the remaining shops with his superhuman screams.
As Zohan and Phantom are working together to save the block, Dalia appears, revealing that she is the Phantom's sister &ndash; or "Fattoush" as she calls him. Zohan's personal dossier allows him to discover the arsonists' true identities as ] hired by Walbridge. Zohan and Phantom lead the united Israelis and Palestinians of the block to save their shops, defeating the rednecks, thwarting Walbridge's plans, and damaging all of the shops on the block, as well as Walbridge's female companions' breast implants, by using "The Sound" which is a combination of stereotypical Arabic rhythmic calling and stereotypical Hebrew "chhhh" sounds. The police arrive to arrest Walbridge for his crimes.


With the Israelis and the Palestinians united, the block is transformed into a collectively-owned mall, in which Zohan and Dalia realize their dream, opening a joint beauty parlor. The Phantom also fulfills his lifelong passion of opening up a shoe store. The movie ends happily as Zohan's parents approve of his new wife (Dalia) and hair salon, called "Dalohan," becoming customers themselves in a surprise visit. With the Israelis and Palestinians now working together, the block is rebuilt and transformed into a collectively-owned mall. Zohan and Dalia, having now married, open a beauty salon together. Zohan's parents visit from Israel and approve of his new job and lifestyle.


==Cast== ==Cast==
{{Cast listing|
*] as Zohan "Scrappy Coco" Dvir
* ] as Zohanele "Zohan" Dvir (]: זוהן דביר), a superhuman counter-terrorist who aspires to be a stylist and fakes his death to pursue his dream under the alias of "Scrappy Coco".
*] as Dalia Hakbarah
* ] as Fatoush "Phantom" Hakbarah (]: فتوش حكبرة), a superhuman terrorist and Zohan's rival, who, after Zohan's supposed death, opens a chain of kebab Muchentuchen restaurants named "Phantom Muchentuchen". He aspires to sell shoes.
*] as Fatoush "Phantom" Hakbarah
* ] as Dalia Hakbarah (]: داليا حكبرة), the owner of a hair salon who becomes Zohan's love interest and is revealed to be Phantom's sister.
*] as Michael
* ] as Michael Klayman, a tenant who invites Zohan to stay over after he saves him from a disgruntled motorist. He often disagrees with his tactics.
*] as Gail
* ] as Gail Klayman, Michael's mom whom Zohan started a sexual relationship with.
*] as Salim / Walbridge henchman <ref></ref>
* ] as Salim Yousfobdal (]: سليم يوسف عبد), a taxi driver who holds a vendetta against Zohan after he stole his goat which Salim presumes is dead. In reality, Zohan took it in as a pet.
*] as Uri
* ] as Oori Shulimson (]: אורי שולמזון), the Israeli owner of the electronics shop ] (intentionally named such because he believes it would help increase interest from shoppers) who helps Zohan pursue his dream.
*] as Claude
* ] as Grant Walbridge, a crooked businessman, Lower Manhattan landlord, and proprietor of the Walbridge Hotel who aspires to open a roller coaster mall and tries to force the tenants (Oori, Dalia, etc.) out of the land.
*] as James
* ] as Mrs. Greenhouse, a woman who goes to Dalia's salon
*] as Walbridge
* ] as James T. O'Skanlon, the ] whom Grant Walbridge hires to burn down the Israeli shops.
*] as Mrs. Greenhouse
*Sayed Badreya as Hamdi * ] as Hamdi, Salim's friend and a fellow taxi driver.
*Daoud Heidami as Nasi * Daoud Heidami as Nasi, Salim's other friend who works at a convenience stand.
* ] as Kevin, the ] member whom Zohan and Michael worked with.
*] as Yosi
* ] as Yosi, a man who works at "Going Out of Business" where he originally wanted to be a hand model until he got too comfortable at "Going Out of Business".
* ] as himself
*Dina Doron as Zohan's Mother * ] as Mrs. Dvir, Zohan's mother.
*] as Zohan's Father * ] as Mr. Dvir, Zohan's father.
* ] as an alternate version of ]. Dejoria was one of the original founders of the Paul Mitchell Salon. In this version, Paul Mitchell is still alive and opened the chain alone.
*] as Taxi Driver
* ] as Claude, a man who works at Dalia's hair salon and gets embarrassed when Zohan tries to give advice to him.
*] as himself, riding in the limo driven by Zohan
* ] as Waleed, a man who works a clothes store on the Israeli street and whom the fellow shop owners say looks "Mexican".
*] as himself sitting at the Hacky Sack tournament
* Ben Wise as Yitzhak, a fellow shop owner.
*] as herself
* Joseph Marshak as Pinchas, a fellow shop owner.
*] as himself
* ] as Aharon, a fellow shop owner.
*] as himself
* ] as Ze'ev, a man who works at "Going Out of Business".
*] as himself
* Ido Ezra as Hassan, a fellow shop owner.
*] as ]
* ] as Bashir, a fellow shop owner.
*] board member uncredited
* Roni Levi as Ephraim, a fellow shop owner.
*] as himself &ndash; uncredited
* ] as Bouncer
* Reuven Bar-Yotam as Levi, a fellow shop owner.
* Shulie Cowen as Debbie, Dalia's former stylist who quit for unknown reasons
* ] as Nadira, Dalia's salon receptionist.
* Helen Siff as Mrs. Skitzer, a customer who goes to Dalia's salon.
* Cynthia Frost as Mrs. Paulson, a customer who goes to Dalia's salon.
* Maria Zambrana as Salim's taxi passenger who gets angered due to the fact that Salim works while he drives.
}}
;Cameos
{{Cast listing|
* Rick Gifford as Philip, a man who works for Walbridge
* ] as Gray "Pancake" Kleibolt, a man who works for Walbridge
* ] as a taxi driver who first brings Zohan to NYC
* ] as a real estate agent
* ] as a doorman
* ] as a homeless man
* ] as herself, she sings that National Anthem at the Hackey Sack game.
* ] as himself
* ] as himself, he appears in an apartment that O'Skanlon was shot into.
* ] as himself, he appears in an apartment that O'Skanlon was shot into.
* ] as a pharmacist who sold Salim the Neosporin when he was trying to get liquid nitrogen from him.
* ] as himself (uncredited), he is seen as a celebrity judge at the Hackey Sack game.
* ] as a mom who is in line for the Goat Ride (uncredited)
* ] as a Goat Ride Girl (uncredited)
* ] as himself (uncredited), a client of Zohan's first job as a limo driver who ends up being the subject of speeding.
}}


==Production== ==Production==
] ]
], ], and ] wrote the first draft of the script in 2000, but the movie was put on hold after the events of ] because those involved felt that the subject would be too sensitive. During an interview, Smigel indicated that Apatow left the project after the first draft in 2000 to work on his show '']'' and that he has, for the most part, not been involved in the project since.<ref></ref> Sandler, ], and ] wrote the first draft of the script in 2000, but the movie was delayed after the events of ] because those involved felt that the subject would be too sensitive. Apatow left the project after the first draft in 2000 to work on his show '']'' and had, for the most part, not been involved in the project since.<ref>{{cite web |last=Rabin |first=Nathan |url=https://www.avclub.com/content/interview/robert_smigel |title=Interview: Robert Smigel |work=The A.V. Club |date=June 2, 2008 |access-date=2009-12-27 |archive-date=2009-01-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090113190122/http://www.avclub.com/content/interview/robert_smigel |url-status=live }}</ref> The film is based in part on the story of Nezi Arbib, an Israeli soldier who after his service moved to southern California and opened a hair salon. Sandler trained with Arbib and his brothers, also former soldiers, for two weeks to learn hairstyling and work with clients.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.10news.com/news/16498291/detail.html | title=Real-Life 'Zohan' Calls San Diego Home | work=10News.com | date=2008-06-04 | access-date=September 13, 2011}}</ref>


The movie features elements that first appeared in the ] sketches "Sabra Shopping Network" and "Sabra ]", which starred ] and were written by Robert Smigel. They originated lines such as 'Sony guts' and 'Disco, Disco, good, good'. The first is also notable for featuring one of Adam Sandler's first (uncredited) television appearances while the second featured Sandler, Schneider, Smigel and Kevin Nealon in supporting parts. The movie features elements that first appeared in the ] sketches "] Shopping Network" and "Sabra ]", which starred ] and were written by Robert Smigel. They originated lines such as 'Sony guts' and 'Disco, Disco, good, good'. The first sketch is also notable for featuring one of Adam Sandler's first uncredited television appearances while the second featured Sandler, Schneider, Smigel and Kevin Nealon in supporting parts. Robert Smigel worked with Sandler on past films including '']'', '']'', and '']'', but this was the first time in which he was credited for helping to write the script. He was an executive producer on the film which allowed him to further contribute to the movie's comedic sensibility.<ref name=Haaretz/>


The Israeli newspaper '']'' commented that the movie was known in Hollywood circles as "the Israeli movie". ''Haaretz'' noted that while "Israeli actors were rushing to audition ," the response among ] actors was far from enthusiastic.<ref name=Haaretz>{{cite news | url = http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/986847.html | title = 'Shampoo' meets 'Munich': New Adam Sandler film stars Mossad hit man turned hairdresser | first = Gilad | last = Halpern | newspaper = ] | date = May 25, 2008 | access-date = May 26, 2008 | archive-date = January 5, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100105182737/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/986847.html | url-status = dead }}</ref> ], who played Zohan's Palestinian love interest, was raised as an Orthodox Jew.<ref name=jpod>{{cite journal
Robert Smigel worked with Sandler on past films including Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, Little Nicky, etc, but this is the first time in which he has been credited for helping to write the script. He was also an executive producer on the film which allowed him to further contribute to the movie's comedic sense.
| author = Podhoretz, John
| url = http://theweeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/015/189tihtd.asp?pg=1
| archive-url = https://archive.today/20130204074140/http://theweeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/015/189tihtd.asp?pg=1
| url-status = dead
| archive-date = February 4, 2013
| title = Pushtak to Shove: Adam Sandler attacks the Middle East
| journal = ]
| volume = 13
| issue = 38
| date = June 16, 2008
| access-date = June 13, 2008
}}</ref> The film poked fun at the popularity of ] in Israeli culture. In the movie, characters used it to brush their teeth and as a method to douse the flames of a fire,<ref name="marks">Marks, Gil (2010), ''Encyclopedia of Jewish Food'', John Wiley and Sons, pp. 269–271</ref><ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090709053345/http://www.forward.com/articles/13573/ |date=2009-07-09 }}, Rebecca Spence. '']''. June 12, 2008</ref> as well as a hair care product.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090101015706/http://www.forward.com/articles/13613/ |date=2009-01-01 }}, Daniel Treiman. ''The Forward''. June 19, 2008</ref>


==Soundtrack==
The Israeli newspaper ] commented that the movie was known in Hollywood circles as the "Israeli movie." Haaretz also noted that while "Israeli actors were rushing to audition , the response among ] actors was far from enthusiastic.<ref name=Haaretz>]' meets ']': New Adam Sandler film stars Mossad hit man turned hairdresser]</ref> (], who plays Zohan's Palestinian love interest, was born and raised an Orthodox Jew.<ref name=jpod>Podhoretz, John, , review, '']'', ], ], retrieved ], ]</ref>) One possible explanation is that Sandler, who is known as a patron of causes for Israel, is not so popular in the Arab world." Arab actor ] was quoted as saying that "Adam Sandler, in the Arab and Muslim communities, is not having a good reputation." But Sayed then noted that "When it came to working with Adam, I was like, 'Eh, well, I don't know.' My prejudice was bigger than me."<ref name=Haaretz/>
] composed the film's score, which he recorded with the Hollywood Studio Symphony at the Sony Scoring Stage in April 2008.<ref name=scoring>{{cite news | first=Dan | last=Goldwasser | url=http://www.scoringsessions.com/news/134 | title=Rupert Gregson-Williams scores ''You Don't Mess with the Zohan'' | publisher=ScoringSessions.com | date=2008-04-20 | access-date=2008-04-20 | archive-date=2008-04-24 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080424233126/http://www.scoringsessions.com/news/134/ | url-status=live }}</ref> The soundtrack contains many songs in ], mostly by the popular Israeli band ], the ] duo ], and ]. The film features "]" by ], "] (Angel City Remix)" by ], the ] songs "]" and "]", the ] song ] and ] songs "]" and "]".


The soundtrack contains (near the end) music re-arranged for the movie by ], based on the song "Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Aaja" from the ] movie '']'' (1982) starring ].
==Cultural context==


==Reception==
Scattered amid the more puerile humor of the film are some "good and unexpectedly sophisticated jokes" revolving around Israel-Arab conflicts in the Middle East, according to critic ]. One joke involves the frequent trading of prisoners from Israel with prisoners held by Arab states or groups, another is about preparations for future fighting even as peace talks are ongoing. Some material is taken from Israeli culture, including a running joke about ] and a supposedly Israeli orange soda called "Fizzy Bubblech". The Zohan character is a ''pushtak'' &mdash; a stereotypical figure of "punk" in Israel, mostly in the 1970s and 1980s, and the equivalent of a ] in the United States. "The classic pushtak saunters down a Tel Aviv street with a pack of cigarettes rolled up inside his T-shirt sleeve," according to Podhoretz. "He believes he is God's gift to the world, especially to the ladies, and he takes himself with the utmost seriousness even as others laugh at him."<ref name=jpod/>
] gives ''You Don't Mess with the Zohan'' a score of 37% based on 190 reviews. The site's consensus is that the film "features intermittent laughs, and will please Sandler diehards, but after a while the leaky premise wears thin."<ref>{{cite web |title=You Don't Mess With the Zohan (2008) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/you_dont_mess_with_the_zohan |website=] |date=6 June 2008 |access-date=1 April 2020 |archive-date=28 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200628055242/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/you_dont_mess_with_the_zohan |url-status=live }}</ref> ] gives the film a rating of 54 out of 100, based on 37 reviews—indicating mixed or average reviews.<ref>{{Metacritic film|title=You Don't Mess with the Zohan}}</ref> Audiences polled by ] gave the film a grade B− on scale of A to F.<ref>{{cite magazine |first1=Joshua |last1=Rich |title='Kung Fu Panda' kicks up a big win |url=https://ew.com/article/2008/06/10/kung-fu-panda-kicks-big-win/ |magazine=] |date=June 10, 2008 |quote=a disappointing B- CinemaScore grade from an audience that was nearly three-fifths male}}</ref>


], in '']'', wrote that the movie has a "mess" of a plot and features, "as usual for Sandler, plenty of dumb humor of the sort that gives dumb humor a bad name, but that delights his 14-year-old-boy fan base." But the film also has an "unusual" amount of "tantalizing comic ideas" so that "every 10 minutes or so, it makes you explode with laughter."<ref name="jpod" /> '']'' gave the movie a C+ grade, calling it "another 'mess' from Sandler" which is, unlike ], a "]".<ref>{{cite magazine
Sandler researched the role and took inspiration from real-life 'Zohan' characters the Arbib brothers; Nezi, Shaoul and Shalom Arbib. The brothers are former Israeli soldiers and hairstylists. Nezi Arbib runs Shampoo Too in ], and Shaoul and Shalom Arbib continue to run Shampoo, the brothers' original salon in ].<ref>KGTV Channel 10 on real-life Zohan Nezi Arbib</ref>
| url = https://ew.com/article/2008/06/20/you-dont-mess-zohan/
| title = Movie Review: You Don't Mess With the Zohan (2008)
| first = Lisa
| last = Schwarzbaum
| date = June 13, 2008
| issue = 997
| magazine = ]
}}</ref>


On the positive side, '']'' called the film to be a "laff scuffle".<ref>{{cite magazine
The film is the second major Hollywood studio release in 3 years to feature an Israeli protagonist, the other being the Israeli assassins in ]'s film '']'', who hunted down and killed the men believed to responsible for killing Israeli athletes at the ] ], according to Podhoretz. (Before that there was ]'s character in the 1960 film '']''.) Israeli characters in Hollywood films are more often villains, including hit men in '']'', a lascivious wife of an arms dealer in '']'', bodyguards for a Jewish gangster's gay son in '']'', and murderous Zionist conspirators in both '']'' and '']''.<ref name=jpod/>.
| url = http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1812186,00.html
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080608004708/http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1812186,00.html
| url-status = dead
| archive-date = June 8, 2008
| title = Zohan: Laff Scuffle, Not Laff Riot
| first = Richard
| last = Schickel
| magazine = ]
| date = June 5, 2008
}}</ref> ] of the '']'' gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, and called it "a mighty hymn of and to vulgarity, and either you enjoy it, or you don't." Ebert admitted "I found myself enjoying it a surprising amount of the time, even though I was thoroughly ashamed of myself."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ebert |first=Roger |date=June 5, 2008 |title=Yes, but can hummus defeat Kryptonite? |author-link=Roger Ebert |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/you-dont-mess-with-the-zohan-2008 |access-date=2020-12-29 |publisher=RogerEbert.com |work=] |archive-date=2021-01-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108222421/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/you-dont-mess-with-the-zohan-2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> David Edelstein of '']'' went as far as to say "Adam Sandler is mesmerizing".<ref>{{cite journal
| url = https://nymag.com/movies/reviews/47552/
| title = Israeli Stud, Aspiring Hairdresser
| first = David
| last = Edelstein
| author-link = David Edelstein
| journal = ]
| date = June 5, 2008
| access-date = April 28, 2020
| archive-date = April 7, 2020
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200407101417/https://nymag.com/movies/reviews/47552/
| url-status = live
}}</ref> ] of '']'' said it was "the finest ] action-hairdressing sex comedy I have ever seen."<ref>{{cite news
| url = http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/06/06/movies/06zoha.html
| title = Watch Out, He's Packing a Blow-Dryer
| author = A.O. Scott
| author-link = A.O. Scott
| newspaper = ]
| date = June 6, 2008
| access-date = August 19, 2010
| archive-date = April 30, 2010
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100430081334/http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/06/06/movies/06zoha.html
| url-status = live
}}</ref>


===Box office===
The film features actors of both Arab and non-Arab descent playing Arabs. ] comedian ] plays a bit part as a Palestinian-American, whereas ]-] ] plays Salim Husaamdiyaa, a Palestinian American who recognizes Zohan in New York. The movie begins with comments from Zohan dismissing his Palestinian adversaries' complaints that Israel encroached on Palestinian lands, but moves toward a conciliatory tone where Palestinian and Israeli-American characters say they don't want to fight any more.
''You Don't Mess with the Zohan'' grossed $38 million on its opening weekend, ranked second behind '']''. {{As of|2008|9|7|df=US}}, it reached a US tally of $100 million. The film grossed $204.3 million worldwide.<ref name="mojo">{{cite web |title=You Don't Mess With the Zohan |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=youdontmesswiththezohan.htm |publisher=] |access-date=February 24, 2018 |archive-date=March 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180313233323/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=youdontmesswiththezohan.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>


==Home media {{Anchor|DVD}}==
Numerous times throughout the film, a conversation among Israelis and Palestinians who live on Zohan's street begins with some sort of accusation against one or the other, but the animosity ends up becoming more mundane - for example, a Palestinian accuses the Israelis of spraying anti-Arab graffiti on his shop, but the argument eventually transforms into a joint discussion on their preferences regarding politician's wives.
The film was released on DVD on October 7, 2008, with a 2-disc unrated edition, a single-disc unrated edition, and a theatrical edition, as well as a ] edition and ] for ]. It has sold over 1.2 million DVD units gathering revenue of $26 million.<ref name="numbers">{{cite web |title=You Don't Mess With the Zohan (2008) - Financial Information |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/You-Don-t-Mess-With-the-Zohan |website=] |access-date=2021-12-02 |archive-date=2021-12-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202003452/https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/You-Don-t-Mess-With-the-Zohan |url-status=live }}</ref>

The movie also addresses stereotypes held by Americans regarding Middle Easterners and Arabs in particular. Zohan is mistaken for an Arab by an angry commuter, who tells him to "get back to his pretzel stand". A traditionally clad and bearded Palestinian (Bashir) complains that all Arabs have been stereotyped as terrorists, but a fellow Arab points out that even he wouldn't get on the same plane as Nasser due to his appearance. Similarly, one of the Israelis complains to the Arabs that "people don't like us, because we look like you!"

Despite (or because of) this conciliatory and humorous take on the ], as well as much sexual humor, the film has been banned in Arab states.<ref>http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117990666.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&nid=2564</ref>

==Soundtrack==
The score to the film was composed by ]. He recorded his score with the Hollywood Studio Symphony at the Sony Scoring Stage in April 2008.<ref name=scoring>{{cite news | author=Dan Goldwasser | url=http://www.scoringsessions.com/news/134 | title=Rupert Gregson-Williams scores ''You Don't Mess with the Zohan'' | publisher=ScoringSessions.com | date=] | accessdate=2008-04-20 }}</ref> The soundtrack contains many songs in ], mostly by the popular Israeli band ], the ] duo ] and ].

==Critical reception==
The film's critical reception was negative. As of ], ], ] reports that 33% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 138 reviews&mdash;with the consensus that the film "features intermittent laughs, and will please Sandler diehards, but after awhile the leaky premise wears thin."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10008759-you_don/ |title=You Don't Mess with the Zohan |accessdate=2008-06-10 |publisher=]}}</ref> ] reported the film had an average score of 54 out of 100, based on 35 reviews&mdash;indicating mixed or average reviews.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/youdontmesswiththezohan |title=You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008): Reviews |accessdate=2008-06-06 |publisher=]}}</ref>

], in '']'', wrote that the movie has a "mess" of a plot and features, "as usual for Sandler, plenty of dumb humor of the sort that gives dumb humor a bad name, but that delights his 14-year-old-boy fan base". But the film also has an "unusual" amount of "tantalizing comic ideas" so that "every 10 minutes or so, it makes you explode with laughter."<ref name=jpod/>

On the positive side, '']'' claimed the film to be a "laugh riot", and ] of the '']'' gave the film 3 out of 4 stars. David Edelstein of '']'' went as far as to say "Adam Sandler is mesmerizing" and A.O Scott of'' ]'' said it was "the finest post-Zionist action-hairdressing sex comedy I have ever seen". '']'' gave the movie a C+ grade, calling it "another 'mess' from Sandler" which is, unlike ], a "circus that never flies".<ref></ref>

==Box office==
''You Don't Mess with the Zohan'' went on to gross $38 million on its opening weekend, ranked second behind '']''.<ref></ref> As of September 7, 2008, it has reached a domestic tally of $100,018,837, continuing Sandler's streak of making over $100 million at the domestic box office for a mainstream comedy, though it is his lowest domestic tally for that genre since '']''.

==DVD / Blu-Ray Release==
]The film will be available October 7, 2008 featuring a 2-disc unrated edition, a single-disc unrated edition, a theatrical edition, a blu-ray edition, and will be available on UMD for PSP.


==References== ==References==
{{reflist}} {{Reflist}}


==External links== ==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
*
*{{imdb title|id=0960144|title=You Don't Mess with the Zohan}} * {{IMDb title|0960144}}
*{{rotten-tomatoes|id=10008759-you_don|title=You Don't Mess with the Zohan}}
*{{metacritic film|id=youdontmesswiththezohan|title=You Don't Mess with the Zohan}}
*{{mojo title|id=youdontmesswiththezohan|title=You Don't Mess with the Zohan}}
*{{amg movie|id=1:413903|title=You Don't Mess with the Zohan}}
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{{Adam Sandler}}
{{Dennis Dugan}} {{Dennis Dugan}}

{{Judd Apatow}} {{Judd Apatow}}
{{Happy Madison Productions}}
{{Portal bar|Film|United States|Comedy|Judaism|Islam|2000s}}


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Latest revision as of 00:06, 26 December 2024

2008 film directed by Dennis Dugan
You Don't Mess with the Zohan
The tagline: Lather, rinse, save the world. Pictured is a man holding a hairdryer and scissors while doing the side standing splits.Theatrical release poster
Directed byDennis Dugan
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMichael Barrett
Edited byTom Costain
Music byRupert Gregson-Williams
Production
companies		Columbia Pictures
Relativity Media
Happy Madison Productions
Distributed bySony Pictures Releasing
Release date
  • June 6, 2008 (2008-06-06)
Running time113 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$90 million
Box office$204.3 million

You Don't Mess with the Zohan is a 2008 American satirical action comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan; written by Adam Sandler, Robert Smigel, and Judd Apatow; produced by Sandler and Jack Giarraputo; and starring Adam Sandler, John Turturro, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Nick Swardson, Lainie Kazan, and Rob Schneider with supporting roles by Kevin Nealon, Ido Mosseri, Dave Matthews, Michael Buffer, Charlotte Rae, Sayed Badreya, and Daoud Heidami.

It is the fourth film to include a collaboration of Sandler as actor and Dugan as director. The film tells the story of an Israeli super soldier and counter-terrorist commando who fakes his own death to pursue his dream of becoming a hairstylist in the United States while contending with a crooked businessman, a superhuman terrorist arch-rival, and the grudge of a certain taxi driver.

Produced by Happy Madison Productions, You Don't Mess with the Zohan was released by Columbia Pictures in the United States on June 6, 2008. Despite the film's mixed reviews, it was a box office success, grossing $204.3 million worldwide from a $90 million budget.

Plot

Zohanele "Zohan" Dvir is an Israeli counter-terrorist commando reputed for his promiscuity and superhuman traits. Despite his success, he is tired of Israel's everlasting conflict; he dreams of leaving the military to become a hairstylist for John Paul Mitchell Systems in the United States, but his parents disapprove of him.

He is tasked with capturing his long-time arch-rival, Fatoush "Phantom" Hakbarah, a Palestinian militant who also possesses superhuman traits. After engaging Phantom in a fight, Zohan fakes his own death and subsequently smuggles himself to New York City. Phantom's supposed success in killing Zohan garners him much fame across the Arab world, leading him to open the "Phantom Muchentuchen" restaurant chain.

After arriving, Zohan immediately seeks a job at the local Paul Mitchell salon, but is turned down. Later, Zohan witnesses a traffic collision involving two motorists and a cyclist named Michael. One of the motorists starts bullying Michael and yells anti-Arab slurs at Zohan, who promptly beats him up. Michael subsequently befriends Zohan and takes him to his apartment, where he lives with his mother Gail.

Zohan encounters a fellow Israeli immigrant, Oori. He recognizes Zohan and vows to keep his true identity a secret before bringing him to an area in Lower Manhattan predominantly populated by other Middle Eastern immigrants, including Israeli Americans and Palestinian Americans.

At Oori's suggestion, Zohan attempts to secure a job at the struggling salon of a Palestinian woman named Dalia. Because he lacks experience, she only allows Zohan to sweep the salon's floors and he will not receive any pay because her salon is facing financial difficulties. When a stylist unexpectedly quits, one of the customers asks Zohan to cut her hair, and he accepts. Zohan's reputation rapidly spreads, causing Dalia's business to prosper. Dalia makes her rent payments in full, upsetting a corporate businessman, Grant Walbridge, who has been trying to buy out all the local tenants to build a mall.

Zohan is identified by a Palestinian-American taxi driver, Salim, who recognizes him. He meets with his friends Hamdi and Nasi, convincing them to help him kill Zohan. After unsuccessfully attempting to contact Hezbollah, Salim contacts Phantom in Amman, Jordan. He threatens to publicly disclose the truth about Zohan being alive, but Phantom makes a deal with him and prepares to find Zohan himself.

Meanwhile, Zohan has fallen in love with Dalia, but she rejects Zohan because of his military service. Zohan decides to quit, hoping to keep her safe from any inter-ethnic strife. He later confronts Phantom in a championship Hacky Sack game sponsored by Walbridge. However, the confrontation is cut short when he learns that the Middle Eastern neighborhood is being attacked by unknown assailants.

As their businesses burn, Zohan calms the Israelis and the Palestinians, as both sides are blaming each other for the violence. When Phantom appears, he confronts Zohan, who refuses to fight after being deeply inspired by Dalia's pacifism. Dalia then discloses that she is Phantom's sister and convinces her brother to cooperate with Zohan against the arsonists, who are revealed to be a group of white supremacists on Walbridge's payroll. The Phantom works with Zohan to save the block. The arsonists are defeated, and Walbridge is arrested by the police; however, the overexcited Phantom accidentally destroys all the remaining shops with his superhuman screams.

With the Israelis and Palestinians now working together, the block is rebuilt and transformed into a collectively-owned mall. Zohan and Dalia, having now married, open a beauty salon together. Zohan's parents visit from Israel and approve of his new job and lifestyle.

Cast

  • Adam Sandler as Zohanele "Zohan" Dvir (Hebrew: זוהן דביר), a superhuman counter-terrorist who aspires to be a stylist and fakes his death to pursue his dream under the alias of "Scrappy Coco".
  • John Turturro as Fatoush "Phantom" Hakbarah (Arabic: فتوش حكبرة), a superhuman terrorist and Zohan's rival, who, after Zohan's supposed death, opens a chain of kebab Muchentuchen restaurants named "Phantom Muchentuchen". He aspires to sell shoes.
  • Emmanuelle Chriqui as Dalia Hakbarah (Arabic: داليا حكبرة), the owner of a hair salon who becomes Zohan's love interest and is revealed to be Phantom's sister.
  • Nick Swardson as Michael Klayman, a tenant who invites Zohan to stay over after he saves him from a disgruntled motorist. He often disagrees with his tactics.
  • Lainie Kazan as Gail Klayman, Michael's mom whom Zohan started a sexual relationship with.
  • Rob Schneider as Salim Yousfobdal (Arabic: سليم يوسف عبد), a taxi driver who holds a vendetta against Zohan after he stole his goat which Salim presumes is dead. In reality, Zohan took it in as a pet.
  • Ido Mosseri as Oori Shulimson (Hebrew: אורי שולמזון), the Israeli owner of the electronics shop "Going Out of Business" (intentionally named such because he believes it would help increase interest from shoppers) who helps Zohan pursue his dream.
  • Michael Buffer as Grant Walbridge, a crooked businessman, Lower Manhattan landlord, and proprietor of the Walbridge Hotel who aspires to open a roller coaster mall and tries to force the tenants (Oori, Dalia, etc.) out of the land.
  • Charlotte Rae as Mrs. Greenhouse, a woman who goes to Dalia's salon
  • Dave Matthews as James T. O'Skanlon, the white supremacist whom Grant Walbridge hires to burn down the Israeli shops.
  • Sayed Badreya as Hamdi, Salim's friend and a fellow taxi driver.
  • Daoud Heidami as Nasi, Salim's other friend who works at a convenience stand.
  • Kevin Nealon as Kevin, the community watch member whom Zohan and Michael worked with.
  • Robert Smigel as Yosi, a man who works at "Going Out of Business" where he originally wanted to be a hand model until he got too comfortable at "Going Out of Business".
  • Dina Doronne as Mrs. Dvir, Zohan's mother.
  • Shelley Berman as Mr. Dvir, Zohan's father.
  • John Paul DeJoria as an alternate version of Paul Mitchell. Dejoria was one of the original founders of the Paul Mitchell Salon. In this version, Paul Mitchell is still alive and opened the chain alone.
  • Alec Mapa as Claude, a man who works at Dalia's hair salon and gets embarrassed when Zohan tries to give advice to him.
  • Ahmed Ahmed as Waleed, a man who works a clothes store on the Israeli street and whom the fellow shop owners say looks "Mexican".
  • Ben Wise as Yitzhak, a fellow shop owner.
  • Joseph Marshak as Pinchas, a fellow shop owner.
  • Guri Weinberg as Aharon, a fellow shop owner.
  • Danny A. Abeckaser as Ze'ev, a man who works at "Going Out of Business".
  • Ido Ezra as Hassan, a fellow shop owner.
  • Mousa Kraish as Bashir, a fellow shop owner.
  • Roni Levi as Ephraim, a fellow shop owner.
  • Mike Iorio as Bouncer
  • Reuven Bar-Yotam as Levi, a fellow shop owner.
  • Shulie Cowen as Debbie, Dalia's former stylist who quit for unknown reasons
  • Maysoon Zayid as Nadira, Dalia's salon receptionist.
  • Helen Siff as Mrs. Skitzer, a customer who goes to Dalia's salon.
  • Cynthia Frost as Mrs. Paulson, a customer who goes to Dalia's salon.
  • Maria Zambrana as Salim's taxi passenger who gets angered due to the fact that Salim works while he drives.
Cameos
  • Rick Gifford as Philip, a man who works for Walbridge
  • Barry Livingston as Gray "Pancake" Kleibolt, a man who works for Walbridge
  • Chris Rock as a taxi driver who first brings Zohan to NYC
  • Daniel Browning Smith as a real estate agent
  • Tyler Spindel as a doorman
  • Dennis Dugan as a homeless man
  • Mariah Carey as herself, she sings that National Anthem at the Hackey Sack game.
  • John McEnroe as himself
  • George Takei as himself, he appears in an apartment that O'Skanlon was shot into.
  • Bruce Vilanch as himself, he appears in an apartment that O'Skanlon was shot into.
  • Edmund Lyndeck as a pharmacist who sold Salim the Neosporin when he was trying to get liquid nitrogen from him.
  • Kevin James as himself (uncredited), he is seen as a celebrity judge at the Hackey Sack game.
  • Jackie Sandler as a mom who is in line for the Goat Ride (uncredited)
  • Sadie Sandler as a Goat Ride Girl (uncredited)
  • Henry Winkler as himself (uncredited), a client of Zohan's first job as a limo driver who ends up being the subject of speeding.

Production

Filming of one of the scenes while in Mexico

Sandler, Robert Smigel, and Judd Apatow wrote the first draft of the script in 2000, but the movie was delayed after the events of 9/11 because those involved felt that the subject would be too sensitive. Apatow left the project after the first draft in 2000 to work on his show Undeclared and had, for the most part, not been involved in the project since. The film is based in part on the story of Nezi Arbib, an Israeli soldier who after his service moved to southern California and opened a hair salon. Sandler trained with Arbib and his brothers, also former soldiers, for two weeks to learn hairstyling and work with clients.

The movie features elements that first appeared in the SNL sketches "Sabra Shopping Network" and "Sabra Price Is Right", which starred Tom Hanks and were written by Robert Smigel. They originated lines such as 'Sony guts' and 'Disco, Disco, good, good'. The first sketch is also notable for featuring one of Adam Sandler's first uncredited television appearances while the second featured Sandler, Schneider, Smigel and Kevin Nealon in supporting parts. Robert Smigel worked with Sandler on past films including Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, and Little Nicky, but this was the first time in which he was credited for helping to write the script. He was an executive producer on the film which allowed him to further contribute to the movie's comedic sensibility.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz commented that the movie was known in Hollywood circles as "the Israeli movie". Haaretz noted that while "Israeli actors were rushing to audition ," the response among Arab actors was far from enthusiastic. Emmanuelle Chriqui, who played Zohan's Palestinian love interest, was raised as an Orthodox Jew. The film poked fun at the popularity of hummus in Israeli culture. In the movie, characters used it to brush their teeth and as a method to douse the flames of a fire, as well as a hair care product.

Soundtrack

Rupert Gregson-Williams composed the film's score, which he recorded with the Hollywood Studio Symphony at the Sony Scoring Stage in April 2008. The soundtrack contains many songs in Hebrew, mostly by the popular Israeli band Hadag Nahash, the psychedelic trance duo Infected Mushroom, and Dana International. The film features "Strip" by Adam Ant, "Look on the Floor (Hypnotic Tango) (Angel City Remix)" by Bananarama, the Ace of Base songs "Hallo Hallo" and "Beautiful Life", the Rockwell song Somebody's Watching Me and Mariah Carey songs "Fantasy" and "I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time".

The soundtrack contains (near the end) music re-arranged for the movie by Julius Dobos, based on the song "Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Aaja" from the Bollywood movie Disco Dancer (1982) starring Mithun Chakraborty.

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes gives You Don't Mess with the Zohan a score of 37% based on 190 reviews. The site's consensus is that the film "features intermittent laughs, and will please Sandler diehards, but after a while the leaky premise wears thin." Metacritic gives the film a rating of 54 out of 100, based on 37 reviews—indicating mixed or average reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade B− on scale of A to F.

John Podhoretz, in The Weekly Standard, wrote that the movie has a "mess" of a plot and features, "as usual for Sandler, plenty of dumb humor of the sort that gives dumb humor a bad name, but that delights his 14-year-old-boy fan base." But the film also has an "unusual" amount of "tantalizing comic ideas" so that "every 10 minutes or so, it makes you explode with laughter." Entertainment Weekly gave the movie a C+ grade, calling it "another 'mess' from Sandler" which is, unlike Monty Python, a "circus that never flies".

On the positive side, Time called the film to be a "laff scuffle". Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, and called it "a mighty hymn of and to vulgarity, and either you enjoy it, or you don't." Ebert admitted "I found myself enjoying it a surprising amount of the time, even though I was thoroughly ashamed of myself." David Edelstein of New York Magazine went as far as to say "Adam Sandler is mesmerizing". A.O. Scott of The New York Times said it was "the finest post-Zionist action-hairdressing sex comedy I have ever seen."

Box office

You Don't Mess with the Zohan grossed $38 million on its opening weekend, ranked second behind Kung Fu Panda. As of September 7, 2008, it reached a US tally of $100 million. The film grossed $204.3 million worldwide.

Home media

The film was released on DVD on October 7, 2008, with a 2-disc unrated edition, a single-disc unrated edition, and a theatrical edition, as well as a Blu-ray edition and UMD for PSP. It has sold over 1.2 million DVD units gathering revenue of $26 million.

References

  1. "You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008)". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 22 April 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  2. ^ "You Don't Mess With the Zohan". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on March 13, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  3. Rabin, Nathan (June 2, 2008). "Interview: Robert Smigel". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 2009-01-13. Retrieved 2009-12-27.
  4. "Real-Life 'Zohan' Calls San Diego Home". 10News.com. 2008-06-04. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
  5. ^ Halpern, Gilad (May 25, 2008). "'Shampoo' meets 'Munich': New Adam Sandler film stars Mossad hit man turned hairdresser". Haaretz. Archived from the original on January 5, 2010. Retrieved May 26, 2008.
  6. ^ Podhoretz, John (June 16, 2008). "Pushtak to Shove: Adam Sandler attacks the Middle East". The Weekly Standard. 13 (38). Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved June 13, 2008.
  7. Marks, Gil (2010), Encyclopedia of Jewish Food, John Wiley and Sons, pp. 269–271
  8. ‘Zohan’ Film Styles a New Israeli Hero Archived 2009-07-09 at the Wayback Machine, Rebecca Spence. The Forward. June 12, 2008
  9. The Commentator: Is Adam Sandler Our Greatest Jewish Mind? Archived 2009-01-01 at the Wayback Machine, Daniel Treiman. The Forward. June 19, 2008
  10. Goldwasser, Dan (2008-04-20). "Rupert Gregson-Williams scores You Don't Mess with the Zohan". ScoringSessions.com. Archived from the original on 2008-04-24. Retrieved 2008-04-20.
  11. "You Don't Mess With the Zohan (2008)". Rotten Tomatoes. 6 June 2008. Archived from the original on 28 June 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  12. You Don't Mess with the Zohan at Metacritic Edit this at Wikidata
  13. Rich, Joshua (June 10, 2008). "'Kung Fu Panda' kicks up a big win". Entertainment Weekly. a disappointing B- CinemaScore grade from an audience that was nearly three-fifths male
  14. Schwarzbaum, Lisa (June 13, 2008). "Movie Review: You Don't Mess With the Zohan (2008)". Entertainment Weekly. No. 997.
  15. Schickel, Richard (June 5, 2008). "Zohan: Laff Scuffle, Not Laff Riot". Time. Archived from the original on June 8, 2008.
  16. Ebert, Roger (June 5, 2008). "Yes, but can hummus defeat Kryptonite?". Chicago Sun-Times. RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on 2021-01-08. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  17. Edelstein, David (June 5, 2008). "Israeli Stud, Aspiring Hairdresser". New York Magazine. Archived from the original on April 7, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  18. A.O. Scott (June 6, 2008). "Watch Out, He's Packing a Blow-Dryer". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 30, 2010. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
  19. "You Don't Mess With the Zohan (2008) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Archived from the original on 2021-12-02. Retrieved 2021-12-02.

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