Don't mess with You Don't Mess with the Zohan. Released in 2008 by director Dennis Dugan, who's helmed a slew of other Adam Sandler-led films from Happy Gilmore to Jack and Jill, You Don't Mess with the Zohan starred Sandler in one of his most bizarre roles. In the over-the-top comedy, Sandler plays Zohan Dvir, an Israeli counter-terrorist with superhuman abilities who fakes his death in order to pursue a new life as a hairstylist in the United States. The film was a box office success, though it fell flat with its reviews, landing with a score of 37% rotten at Rotten Tomatoes.
But You Don't Mess with the Zohan gets a glowing review from Jennifer Aniston, with whom Sandler has co-starred in three films: the 2011 rom-com Just Go with It, 2019's comedy mystery Murder Mystery, and the upcoming sequel to the latter, Murder Mystery 2. In a new conversation with the Washington Post, Aniston addresses Sandler's body of work, praising the actor for how well he can do both comedy and drama. She also names You Don't Mess with the Zohan in particular as one of the "funniest" movies from Sandler. The comment came after first noting how much she laughed at Sandler rhyming "deli" with "Arthur Fonzarelli" his his iconic tune "The Chanuka Song."
“I mean, you couldn’t keep a straight face,” Aniston said of the song. “And personally, I think [You Don’t Mess with the] Zohan is one of the funniest movies and then he has Uncut Gems. It’s very rare for actors to be able to hit it out of the park in every genre.”
Adam Sandler's Newest Comedy Effort Reunites Him With Jennifer Aniston
The interview comes shortly before the release of the newest movie to star both Sandler and Aniston. They've reunited at Netflix for Murder Mystery 2, reprising their roles as a married couple investigating an all-new murder mystery. While the original was also met with mixed reviews, it pulled in very high viewership on Netflix. It also won Best Comedy at the People's Choice Awards with Sandler and Aniston both nominated for their acting.
Murder Mystery 2 is set to be released on Netflix on March 31, 2023. You can watch the trailer for the sequel below. Meanwhile, if you want to revisit You Don't Mess with the Zohan, you can do so for free, as the Aniston-appreciated comedy is currently streaming on the free streaming platform Tubi TV.