You Don’t Mess With the Zohan
You’ll get a a few irreverent laughs from Sandler’s attempt to confront crisis with comedy
reviewed by Mark Burns
The heart of Middle East conflict has never appeared so stupid. Which is both good and bad.
Zohan (Adam Sandler: I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry) is a superstar Mossad commando. Think Chuck Norris meets Leslie Nielsen meets Superman meets Menudo. Though Israel adores him for his antiterrorist kick-assery, he’d much rather ditch the senseless violence to pursue his true passion: making the world “sexy smooth” through hairstyling. So he ditches the Holy Land and Palestinian arch-nemesis The Phantom (John Turturro: Transformers) for a jet to New York City. On arriving, Zohan discovers a blended neighborhood and learns to step across the divide to meet Palestinians in friendship as he pursues his life’s passion. But happiness may be forfeit as his past catches up.
The ensuing nonsense revels in the high stupidity of Sandler’s more typical comedy. Surprisingly, though, this film strives to exceed the scope of its slapstick to humanize both sides of the Israel/Palestine conflict and trumpet the cause of peace.
Impatience with the conflict takes center stage as Sandler tackles the crisis and its players with strikingly direct lampoon. Israel is portrayed as the place where outdated American cool goes to die; an Israeli officer guilts Zohan into assignment by woefully promising high collateral damage otherwise; The Phantom is a hip-hop-lite folk hero who cashes in on his fame in a most American way; and the clash of societies is boiled down to a farcical grudge match full of Heroes-meets-slapstick impossibilities. Stateside, intolerant rednecks are locked in the crosshairs. Occasionally the gags and action are punctuated with flashes of topical banter on larger issue.
It all smacks of relevance, and almost seems subversively smart. Then Adam Sandler catches a Hakky Sak with his butt.
Sandler’s root humor is still overacted slapstick that feeds on stupidity. He succeeds most handily in defining Zohan and in the movie’s early Mediterranean scenes. But early potential can’t carry the whole. The movie flounders once Zohan lands stateside. Here, overreliance on running gags renders humor repetitive, especially as concerns the hero’s utterly selfless libido. Supporting characters essential to the humor just don’t click; even The Phantom proves a bit flat. And many promising jokes fail to ring funny as story shambles along through waning inspiration.
The simplified plot makes sense, but veteran Sandler director Dennis Dugan (I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry; Happy Gilmore) has little discipline for making the telling coherent. Dueling arcs prevent one another from becoming prominent: Minor Palestinian expat Salim (Rob Schneider, recently the Asian minister in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry) guns after Zohan for revenge and fame. Meanwhile, that “Let’s Get Ready to <trrrademark>” guy moonlights as a WASP developer who likes to yell a lot (his only talent) and tries to orchestrate the downfall of Zohan’s adoptive neighborhood. Both hold promise, but neither is explored effectively enough to direct the story or to mine humor.
Sandler et al. get kudos for confronting crisis with comedy and offering a hopeful perspective on the struggle. Perhaps this flick will improve with fresh perception, like Men in Tights and Zoolander when released on video. At first blush, though, it’s only good for a few irreverent laughs.
Fair • PG-13 • 113 min.
3:10 to Yuma – Mark Burns
Amble in to check this one out; it’s probably the best Western since Unforgiven.
One dusty loser rides for redemption in this smart Western.
Arizona rancher Dan Evans (Christian Bale) is down on his luck, squeezed by drought and a merciless land grabber. Worse, he’s missing a decent bit of one leg and can’t get a drink of respect even within his struggling family. Chance pops him out of his dusty rut, though, when notorious outlaw Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) storms through on a heist.
Wade missteps his way into handcuffs, and Evans stumbles into joining the posse meant to bring him to justice. More specifically, Evans wrangles a deal with a Pinkerton to earn $200 for helping deliver the outlaw to a distant railroad town and putting him on the 3:10 train to Yuma. Being the Old West, it’ll be a hard-won reward as they try to stay ahead of Wade’s vengeful gang, dodge gunslingers and survive the charismatic monster they’re delivering as human cargo.
Following the lead of Clint Eastwood’s moody Unforgiven, director James Mangold’s Yuma (adapted from Elmore Leonard’s short story) runs deep for its moralistic wrestling match along the muddied boundary of good and evil. Evans’ pride is almost as dead as his land, and this quest is his cure for the sad parch of his soul as much as it is for the cash. A strict sense of morality leads him stubbornly forward along the promised quest.
Wade, strangely honorable in his own right, wavers from near-decency to ferocity as a wild-card captive trying to veer Evans to his own cause. Complementing this wrestle of codes is a patchwork of others’ tainted motives and spotty truths, giving strength to the story by multiplying the shades of gray.
The tale proves a good yarn, delivering a character-rich Old West drama that considers one man’s struggle to reclaim his honor. Though the price, especially in hindsight, might seem a little ridiculous. Cold assessment might liken Evans’ introspective self-therapy to Dr. Phil with a body count.
Predictability creeps in now and then, and the ending comes into sight a bit early. These are minor blemishes, however, as the tale proves in whole to be a smart, fresh take on the Western quest.
While falling in step behind destiny, Yuma never delves so deep into introspection as to approach the deep pondering of Jim Jarmusch’s Dead Man (a poetic gem). Bright action prevents this film from getting lost in its own head. Heels dig in for a brilliant start with an armored stagecoach heist. Gunslinging, occasionally tarted up with deft gun-twirling, proves exciting and peppers the film regularly enough to keep the pace brisk. Violence teeters toward savagery from time to time, but gore is minimal and the camera refrains from any torturous lingering.
Character delivers this film; Pinkertons and railroaders and lawmen and outlaws comprise a flavorful stew of personalities. Bale realizes Evans’ dichotomy with just the right mix of weakness and resolve, while Crowe enlivens Wade with healthy doses of charisma and viciousness. Threatening to steal the villain spotlight, though, is outlaw Charlie Prince (Ben Foster, Angel in X-Men: The Last Stand). Wade’s lieutenant is menacing as a smart, cold, deadly ferocious quick-draw boasting particularly nimble gunplay. At the opposite end, Evans’ teen son William (Logan Lerman) provides a nice counterpoint of wide-eyed innocence.
All plays out amid striking hues of Arizona scrub and genuine-looking setwork absorbed by skillful cinematography emphasizing grit over pop. The soundtrack has enough twang to stay country while lending itself to the overall classiness of the production.
There are just enough hiccups in the film to dissuade claims of greatness, but this film is easily library-worthy and deserves to be seen on the big screen. It’s probably the best Western since Unforgiven and, as a Western quest piece, ranks right up there with Lonesome Dove.
Consider it good, plus superlatives, and amble in to check this one out.
Good western • R • 117 min.