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Adam Sandler as Zohan
Last update - 00:00 25/05/2008
'Shampoo' meets 'Munich': New Adam Sandler film stars Mossad hit man turned hairdresser
By Gilad Halpern
Tags: Mideast conflict, Israel 

Adam Sandler, the Jewish-American comedy superstar known for over-the-top films aimed at the adolescent boy demographic, has ventured into territory associated with anything but comedy: the Israeli-Arab conflict.

You Don't Mess With The Zohan, due to open in the United States on June 6, tells the story of Zohan, a Mossad hit man who is fed up with killing. He fakes his own death and flees to New York to pursue a slightly different line of work - hairstyling. Think "Shampoo" meets "Munich" meets "Happy Gilmore."

Having specialized in killing Arabs, Zohan finds, to his amazement, Jews and Arabs living side by side in relative peace. One does not have to be a comedic genius of Sandler's caliber to recognize the potential for new heights of absurdity.
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From the early production stages, Zohan was known in and around Hollywood as "the Israeli movie." Sandler sought to fend off criticism and gain the movie an air of authenticity by casting Israeli and Arab actors, even going so far as opening a casting office in Israel.

But as much as Israeli actors were rushing to audition, the response among Arab actors was far from enthusiastic. One possible explanation is that Sandler, who is known as a patron of Jewish causes, is not so popular in the Arab world.

"Adam Sandler, in the Arab and Muslim communities, is not having a good reputation," Sayed Badreya, an Egyptian-born actor who plays one of Zohan's adversaries in New York, told The New York Times.

"When it came to working with Adam, I was like, 'Eh, well, I don't know.' My prejudice was bigger than me.
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  1.   Adam Sandler --Quit Hollywood Now! 16:47  |  Davee 25/05/08
  2.   Comedic Genius? 16:50  |  TJ 25/05/08
  3.   Davee - the millions of dollars in his bank account disagree 16:59  |  Hannah 25/05/08
  4.   Adam Sandler Is Great 17:21  |  Yosemite 25/05/08
  5.   Sandler is a funny man, specially his older movies 18:12  |  anti-racist 25/05/08
  6.   to Davee 18:38  |  Michael 25/05/08
  7.   Adam Sandler is a great guy 19:04  |  Gili 25/05/08
  8.   To Hannah 20:02  |  Davee 25/05/08
  9.   Arab Actors 20:04  |  Habibi 25/05/08
  10.   Actors and their millions 20:21  |  Ted 25/05/08
  11.   Davee, your opinion has been noted 00:58  |  Hannah 26/05/08
  12.   Habibi, probably the only way they can get work.. 01:00  |  Hannah 26/05/08
  13.   #1,2 02:01  |  zohan 26/05/08
  14.   #9 Habibi, Arab Actors are busy 03:51  |  fiona 26/05/08
  15.   Habibi: A Fatwa, Perhaps? 07:06  |  Tex 26/05/08
  16.   Not Sure that I will Mess with the Zohan, but hey...why not! 07:40  |  Ira Piltz 26/05/08
  17.   Adam Sandler, gotta Love him! He is a funny guy!!! 15:16  |  Virginia 26/05/08
  18.   water boy 17:09  |  Yasir 26/05/08
  19.   As a director I worked with many Arab actors 18:30  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/05/08
  20.   fiona, there are plenty arab actors on my show in NY 18:32  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/05/08
  21.   Adam Sandlers acting 19:02  |  john williams 26/05/08
  22.   My experience working with Arab actors 21:48  |  Yaghoub 26/05/08
  23.   Arab actors, Israeli actors 07:14  |  Judy 27/05/08
  24.   Adam Sandlers always succkkked AA.... 14:17  |  Tim 02/06/08
  25.   MORE AND MORE CHOICES FOR JEWISH ROLES. 14:29  |  petra 21/06/08
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