Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Mild
- irreverent
- vulgar
- absurd
- comedy marathon
- casual group viewing
What critics said
Critics found intermittent laughs and inventive comic ideas in the vulgar action-hairdressing premise, but generally considered the plot messy and overextended.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The plot places an Israeli former Mossad agent and Palestinian characters in a comic treatment of the Israeli Palestinian conflict.
Zohan fakes his death, moves to New York, and hides his espionage background while pursuing hairdressing.
Zohan's elite-agent persona, physical prowess, and hairdressing ambitions are presented through outsized action and vulgar gag comedy.
The New York salon brings Israeli, Palestinian, and other immigrant characters into recurring professional and personal interaction.
Films like You Don't Mess with the Zohan, and why
The Naked Gun
broad parody humor, exaggerated action heroics, and a deliberately vulgar comic tone
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
fish out of water comedy, cultural satire, and an absurd undercover identity
Tropic Thunder
action parody, broad physical comedy, and an unconventional romantic subplot
Movie Details
- Director
- Dennis Dugan
- Release Date
- 2008-06-05
- Runtime
- 113 min
- Rating
- 5.7 / 10 (4189)
Cast
- Adam Sandler
- Emmanuelle Chriqui
- John Turturro
- Nick Swardson
- Lainie Kazan
- Rob Schneider
- Kevin Nealon
- Mariah Carey
- Yamit Sol
- Adria Tennor
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is You Don't Mess with the Zohan about?
- A legendary Israeli operative reinvents himself as a flamboyant New York hairstylist, only to find that old enemies and cultural tensions follow him into his dream career.
- What is You Don't Mess with the Zohan like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of You Don't Mess with the Zohan as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as simple.
- Is You Don't Mess with the Zohan violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in You Don't Mess with the Zohan as mild.
- What did critics think of You Don't Mess with the Zohan?
- Critics found intermittent laughs and inventive comic ideas in the vulgar action-hairdressing premise, but generally considered the plot messy and overextended.
- Which films are like You Don't Mess with the Zohan?
- Films with a similar feel include The Naked Gun, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, and Tropic Thunder.
- How long is You Don't Mess with the Zohan?
- You Don't Mess with the Zohan runs 113 minutes.
- Where can I watch You Don't Mess with the Zohan?
- In United States, You Don't Mess with the Zohan streams on Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel.
