Tagline: Lather. Rinse. Save the world.
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, leading him to cry himself to sleep at night over images from the 1987 Paul Mitchell style book he keeps hidden in his bedroom.
The Zohan gets his chance when Phantom resurfaces. Instead of taking him out, The Zohan fakes his own death and escapes, leading a delighted Phantom to believe that he has finally offed The Zohan. Stowing away on a plane to New York with only a dream and the clothes on his back, The Zohan hides out 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 “Scrappy” expects to be hired but is mocked for his outdated ways.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 defending the meek Michael (Nick Swardson) following a traffic accident, The Zohan finds a place to stay – upstairs from Michael and his mother, Gail (Lainie Kazan), in their Brooklyn apartment.
Production Information
The idea for Zohan, a kick-ass Israeli soldier who gives up the counter-terrorism game in order to pursue his dream of being a hairdresser, first came to Adam Sandler many years ago, and he immediately saw the best way to develop the character into a screenplay. He would work with two good friends: his fellow “Saturday Night Live” alumnus (and original head writer for Conan O’Brien and creator of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog and “TV Funhouse”) Robert Smigel, and his onetime roommate (and now comedy heavyweight) Judd Apatow.
You Don’t Mess with the Zohan represents familiar ground for the writers. “My interest in writing about Israelis started at ‘Saturday Night Live,’” says Smigel, who was a sketch writer on the show for a number of years. “Oddly enough, the very first sketch that Adam was ever in was ‘The Sabra Shopping Network,’ a sketch I wrote about Israelis.”
You Don’t Mess with the Zohan also represents a return to Sandler’s roots – playing an outlandish, wild, broadly drawn character, as he did both on “SNL” and early in his film career. “Adam’s audience has gotten used to seeing him play characters closer to himself,” adds Smigel. “But even though Zohan can do no-arm pushups, he’s still goofy and vulnerable like Adam.”
According to director Dennis Dugan, You Don’t Mess with the Zohan pits The Zohan against an equally large and imposing opposite, who happens to be a terrorist: The Phantom, played by John Turturro. “Ali and Frazier, the Celtics and the Lakers, the Yankees and Boston, The Zohan and Phantom,” says Dugan. “It’s the fiercest rivalry.”
Though its basis is one of the most vexing problems on the world stage, the filmmakers’ primary goal was to bring the comedy. Still, Rob Schneider, a near-and-dear member of the Happy Madison family who joins the cast as Salim, a Palestinian cab driver, says that it’s possible that comedy is the only way to approach an unapproachable problem. “Comedy brings people together,” he says. “The Zohan is ridiculous – so ridiculous that, I hope, everybody takes a step back and laughs together.”
The film also features a host of hilarious cameos from friends old and new. Dave Matthews – of his eponymous band – and Kevin James reunite with Sandler after taking on cameo and starring roles, respectively, in I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry. Michael Buffer, the “Let’s Get Ready to Rumble” announcer, takes on a featured role in the film. And Mariah Carey, the best-selling female artist of all time, who earlier this year made history with the most #1 singles by a solo artist, appears as herself (and the idol of both Israeli and Arab fans). Carey’s song “I’ll Be Lovin’ U Long Time,” the third single from her album “E=MC2,” is also featured in the film.
But the cameos don’t stop there. Among other surprises, the film also features Kevin Nealon, John McEnroe, Charlotte Rae, who was Mrs. Garrett on ‘The Facts of Life,’ and Academy president Sid Ganis. “We may not get any Oscar nominations now, only because Sid has to appear neutral,” says Smigel.
Melding the serious and the ridiculous is director Dennis Dugan, who has previously helmed the Sandler hits Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy, and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, as well as the Happy Madison project The Benchwarmers, in addition to many other films and television programs.
“My job is to tee up the ball so that Sandler can smack it,” Dugan says. “We have a similar sensibility. I try to get his vision for the film and I work with all the departments to figure out the best way to facilitate it. Now that we’ve done five movies together, I know what he wants; it’s easier to know than to try to predict.”
“When I was 12, I didn’t have half as much energy as Dennis Dugan has now,” Smigel says. “He’s unbelievable. He shared a secret with me that it’s deliberate – he knows that if he drags, everyone.”
Casting the Film
When Adam Sandler decided to take on the role of the Zohan, he committed himself to the role. “Sandler worked very, very, very hard. He worked out with a Navy SEAL for four months,” says Smigel. “Lifting weights, running miles, doing sit-ups, no snacks. I’ve never seen him happier.”
Sandler also worked on his Israeli accent. He had help from the script supervisor Ronit Ravich-Boss, who hails from Israel. She assisted Sandler with pronunciation and word usage. In addition, she was a helpful person to have around. “Sometimes, Adam would ask Ronit if she knew the Hebrew word for something,” Dugan says. “If it was a word that sounded funny to us, Adam would use it.”
Another Sandler adviser was Eytan Ben-David, who – in life-imitates-art fashion – is a former Israeli army soldier who now works in a hair salon in Los Angeles. Ben-David met with Sandler and gave him tips on how a hairdresser acts, how to hold the scissors, and hairdresser lingo.
That said, bringing The Zohan to life wasn’t all hairspray and conditioner. Sandler also got into fantastic shape to play the counter-terrorism agent. The other key adviser to Sandler was stunt coordinator Scott Rogers, veteran of Spider-Man 2 and 3 and Sky High. As Dugan explains, Scott would be in charge of showing off The Zohan’s extraordinary abilities. “We wanted to make all the stunts look as fresh and as original as possible,” says Dugan. “We didn’t want the stunts to be comedic, Jackie Chan-style stunts, but real, brutal, scary, and as terrifying as possible – and wherever possible, to show the Zohan doing it.”
Smigel says he knows what really attracted Sandler to the part. “I think he wanted to get it done while he was still young enough to look reasonably good with his shirt off,” he says.
Rob Schneider, who has been a loyal part of Sandler’s films from the very beginning, adds, “Adam really did his research, but he found something that was very approachable. I don’t think anybody in the world could have played this part except Adam Sandler. There’s a real joy to his performance – you get to see him having the time of his life.”
John Turturro says, “I’m always happy to have the opportunity to work with Adam and the Happy Madison guys. Adam goes out of his way to make sure everybody is happy and that the set is a good place to work. Plus, it’s nice to cut loose and have some fun.”
Turturro, who previously starred opposite Sandler in Mr. Deeds and Anger Management, plays Phantom. Turturro explains, “Phantom is Zohan’s antagonist. He calls me a terrorist, but he sees himself as the freedom fighter for the Arabic side against Zohan and the Israeli side.”
After the big battle in which Zohan fakes his own death, Phantom – who thinks he’s finally offed his nemesis – celebrates his success… but as Turturro explains, that’s not the end of Phantom’s story. “Zohan is faking his death, but little does he realize that Phantom also has his own dreams of not fighting anymore. If Zohan is the Jewish James Bond, Phantom is an Arabic Eminem. He has gold teeth, he always wears shades, and he has his own chain of Muchentuchen restaurants. Basically – and ironically for a guy named Phantom – he’s living off his fame not only as a freedom fighter of the people, but as the man who got the Zohan.”
To research his role and work on his accent, Turturro called on a friend. “I’ve had a chance to read up and I’ve had a couple of the Arab actors help me with the accent. I have a good friend, Tony Shalhoub, whose family is from Lebanon. He’s always introducing me to a lot of the things that go on in that part of the world that are not really seen. This might be a silly comedy, but it’s still an opportunity to learn something new.”
Bringing Israelis and Arabs Together
A movie about an Israeli soldier and a Palestinian terrorist coming together? It’s not as crazy as it sounds, says director Dennis Dugan. “The people living in conflict in the Middle East are the same people living in one neighborhood in New York – except that while there may be rivalries in Gaza, they don’t hate each other in Brooklyn. Everybody just gets along,” he notes. “They treat each other more as people than as rival factions. You Don’t Mess with the Zohan is a comedic way of sort of getting at the West Side Story aspect of life.”
Amazingly enough, Smigel notes, the story of the movie was reflected on the set. “One of the great things on the set – and we didn’t do this intentionally – was that we had many scenes that involved all the Arab guys and the Israeli guys in the same scene, meaning they were all called to the set together,” says Smigel. “Everyone would be eating lunch together. They had a lot of passionate discussions, but it was very friendly, very healthy, very open-minded. It was really cool to see – some of the guys have said to me that it’s the most they’ve every talked to an Arab or an Israeli before.”
One key to bringing You Don’t Mess with the Zohan to the screen was to hire the best and funniest actors from Israel and the Arab world to bring to life the supporting roles. “We have an entire squad of people – not just the usual suspects from Happy Madison,” says Dugan. “We went from Israel to Palestine to New York to Anaheim, all over Los Angeles, to find people from the Middle East – Israelis and Arabs alike – to be in the movie. I think we read every SAG and non-SAG acting aspirant for this movie. With 175 roles in the movie, we had to do that.”
“Toward the end of the shoot, I heard from some of the actors that they’d grown up hating or mistrusting all Israelis or all Arabs – until they came here,” Smigel adds. “They actually said the shoot was a life-altering experience. Even though we make the point in the movie, I think it was a shock to everyone to see how much they all had in common. Look, it’s not like we think we’re solving anything with this film; we just wanted to be funny. But even for me, as a Jew, it was very interesting to feel as close to the Arabs on the set as I did to the Israelis.”
To play Oori, who becomes Zohan’s guide to all things American, the filmmakers found Ido Mosseri, who has been an actor in his native Israel since he was eight years old. “I’ve always dreamt about Hollywood, but it was something I didn’t think would really happen. Being in an American movie with Adam Sandler is more than a dream for me.”
“It was a great acting school for me to watch Adam work,” he says. “He’s so kind and giving, and he’s a very fun man to be with – he’s like a child sometimes. It’s important to love what you do and I can see all the time how Adam loves his work – and how he enjoys it and how much he wants everyone else to feel the same way.”
“I’m always happy for the opportunity to work with Arab actors,” Mosseri adds. “On the Zohan set, I think the first time the Arab and the Israeli actors met each other, I think we immediately became friends – we have a lot in common. Each of us comes from his own place and his own opinions and his own background. The most important thing that we were sitting together and listening to each other and wanting to learn about the other. So I felt privileged that we had the opportunity to play together, to talk together, to get to know each other. We became real friends.”
About Mosseri, Smigel says, “When I was writing the Israeli characters as horndogs, I worried if it was too much of a stereotype. Fortunately, Ido fulfilled all my dreams. At one point on the set he was raving about Tel Aviv, the scene there, and how I had to visit. Then he paused and asked me if I was married, and I said yes. He said, ‘Well… maybe you don’t need.”
About the Production
You Don’t Mess with the Zohan reunites many key production personnel. The film marks production designer Perry Andelin Blake’s tenth Happy Madison production and costume designer Ellen Lutter’s ninth film with the team. Editor Tom Costain previously served as assistant editor of many Sandler productions. Cinematographer Michael Barrett joins the team for the first time.
Blake says that all departments, as well as input from Dugan and Sandler, are key to determining the look of the film. “Dennis Dugan and Adam Sandler are heavily involved. As we do some photo shops – playing with design for specific locations – we also work with Ellen to share pictures of the locations and the colors we’re going to use. She’s always done a ton of research – on Zohan, she showed us the uniforms for the Israeli army and the clothes an average Palestinian might wear. We take from her the colors that she feels are right, and we coalesce everything into one design concept.”
Although most of the film was shot in New York and Los Angeles, Dugan and a small crew shot a few scenes on a Tel Aviv beach. “The beginning of the movie takes place in Tel Aviv in the summer, so I went there and worked with an all-Israeli crew and got some shots of the very crowded beach in Tel Aviv. For some other shots from the same scene, we filmed on a beach in Mexico. In Israel, there is a very distinctive orange umbrella that is put out by an ice cream company – those umbrellas are all over the beach. We got those umbrellas and shipped about a hundred or so down to Mexico.”
One part of production that was unusual for a Happy Madison production were the many, many stunts required to bring the world’s greatest Israeli counter-terrorist to the screen. “Just like a Bourne or Spider-Man, where we play the stunts straight, we played them pretty straight in Zohan,” says Rogers. “We tried to give Sandler a foundation he could leap from: his Zohan is stronger, faster, and more capable than any human being, but he’s not a superhero.”
Rogers admits that that part – pushing Zohan just beyond the boundaries of human possibility – was the best part. “We played him 10 percent beyond what a human could actually do,” he says. “It gave us the freedom to make him bigger than life and to get real creative. The swimming scene where he swims down the Phantom, who’s on a jet ski, was just an extraordinary opportunity to do some pretty fun stuff. We play it straight, but then you know in the context of what’s going on, it’s a very funny stunt and a very funny scene.
“When we first were talking about the scene, I pitched that he would swim like a dolphin,” he continues. “They loved it, but were skeptical that we could pull it off. We had to find the right boat and the right equipment, and then, we went to the swim facility at USC and found the right swimmer, Meir Hasbani, a guy on the Israeli national team, believe it or not. We cruised along the water at 18 miles per hour, flying him on wires, and then we started porpoising him through the water. It actually came together fairly easily.” So easily, in fact, that Sandler wasn’t about to let the opportunity slip by without trying the rig himself – and soon the star was swimming like a dolphin through the blue sea of La Paz.
“Of course Zohan can do anything – he isn’t limited to running fast or martial arts or swimming; he does everything,” Rogers notes. “Whatever the circumstance demanded, we looked for the best possible person for that specific talent. We brought in free runners to jump from building to building. We had gymnasts to do some of the floor routines on the chair. We had dancers for the disco scenes and we had the swimmers for the water scenes. Those were just some of the stunt people. I’ve never heard of anybody having this many doubles for one character; it’s almost ridiculous, but at the same time, it’s very funny.”
Production notes provided by Columbia Pictures.
You Don’t Mess with the Zohan
Starring: Adam Sandler, Alex Luria, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Lainie Kazan, Rob Schneider, Sayed Badreya, Shelley Berman
Directed by: Dennis Dugan
Screenplay by: Adam Sandler, Judd Apatow, Robert Smigel
Release Date: June 6th, 2008
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for crude and sexual content, language, nudity.
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Box Office Totals
Domestic: $100,018,837 (54.0%)
Foreign: $85,144,855 (46.0%)
Total: $185,163,692 (Worldwide)