Amber McKenna

Editor in chief

From the beginning I didn’t want to see it, but the urge of a family member and the unfortunate situation of busy theaters on a Saturday night made it happen. I can tell you that from the start, “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan,” starring Adam Sandler, was a waste of time, production efforts and $9.

Sandler poses as Zohan Dvir, an Israeli government intelligence specialist who fakes his death. He comes to New York City in an effort to escape his war-plagued country and pursue his true passion: dressing hair in over-the-top ’80s styles.

The other “theme” of the movie is that the Zohan gets it on as much as a dog in heat and with the same reckless disregard for whom he does the deed with. Some other comedy veterans such as John Turturro, Lainie Kazan, Nick Swardson and Rob Schneider, make appearances as Zohan’s family, friends and enemies.

I will say this: The message the movie tries to get across is a good one. That is, in war there is no winner, and specifically in the case of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it should end. However, middle-eastern stereotypes flourish and my once strong love for hummus has been put on hold. A strange cameo by singer Dave Matthews as a racist, redneck terrorist confirms that this movie was unnecessarily bad.

Shockingly, this movie was nominated for a Teen Choice Award. What the teens were thinking, I’m not quite sure. A friend of mine who is a hairdresser did enjoy this movie, but obviously the inside jokes of the stylist trade were lost on me.

There were a few good laughs to be had, but all in all I recommend not “messing” with the Zohan. I’m just glad I snuck into “Iron Man” afterward and got my $9 worth. Grade: D