YOU DON'T MESS
WITH THE ZOHAN
Year: 2008
USA & UK: Columbia Pictures
Cast: Adam Sandler, John Turturro, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Nick Swardson, Lainie Kazan, Rob Schneider, Dave Matthews, Michael Buffer, Charlotte Rae, Ido Mosseri, Sayed Badreya, Daoud Heidami, Kevin Nealon, Robert Smigel, Dina Doronne
Director: Dennis Dugan
Country: USA
USA & UK: 113 mins
USA Rated: PG-13 for crude and sexual content throughout, language and nudity
UK Certificate: 12A contains frequent moderate sex references and one use of strong language
USA Release Date: 6 June 2008
UK Release Date: 15 August 2008
Synopsis
Israeli commando Zohan Dvir (Adam Sandler) - known throughout his country as The Zohan - is his country's most famous counter-terrorist. Highly skilled, seemingly indestructible, The Zohan is equally adept with the ladies as he is with taking out his enemies, including his nemesis, the Palestinian terrorist Phantom (John Turturro). But The Zohan has a secret... though he loves his country, he is tired of all the fighting, and he longs for an opportunity to make a break from the army and express his creativity by becoming a hairstylist. However, as long as he fights terrorism, The Zohan's dream is impossible.
The Zohan gets his chance when Phantom resurfaces. Instead of taking him out, The Zohan fakes his own death and escapes, stowing away on a plane to New York with only a dream and the clothes on his back in a cargo container with two dogs, Scrappy and Coco.
The Zohan's first stop is the Paul Mitchell salon, where he takes on his cover identity: "Scrappy Coco." "Scrappy" expects to be hired but is mocked for his outdated ways. However, The Zohan is not to be stopped in his quest to make the world silky smooth.
After being rejected by salon after salon, The Zohan visits Israeli immigrant Oori (Ido Mosseri), who he happened to bump into, at his electronics store. He is shocked to see that in this neighborhood, Israelis and Palestinians live side-by-side in relative peace. Oori knows just the place for The Zohan to get his foot in the door...a relatively run-down salon with an older clientele. There's just one catch: it's on the Arab side of the street.
At first, The Zohan is hesitant - he came here to get away from the fighting, but can he actually work for a Palestinian? The salon's owner, Dalia (Emmanuelle Chriqui), has her own reservations - after all, "Scrappy Coco" has no experience cutting hair...
Though The Zohan wants to put his life of counter-terrorism behind him, he quickly finds that it is not so easy to escape one's roots. As enemies old and new try to take him out, they will all come to learn the same thing: you don't mess with the Zohan.