Yesterday, I saw Adam Sandler's new movie, "You Don't Mess with the Zohan." I was laughing so much that when I tried to stop myself from laughing or tried to suppress it that I've hurt my neck a bit (but heal-able nothing that a little rest from laughing can fix). If you're worried about injuring your neck, don't fret, there are times when the joke goes flat or insider jokes from the culture are used (not funny when you have to think about it in order to understand it).
the movie is about an Israeli soldier, Zohan (Adam Sandler), who is tired of fighting in the war. He fakes his own death and escapes to America (New York City) to follow his dream of being a hair-dresser for Paul Mitchell. This movie pokes fun at current issues such as immigration, terrorism, politics, israeli and palestinian conflict, and more...
(academic theory tidbit about laughing- laughing induced by incongruency [misunderstandings/randomness], ambivalence, and taboo in Zohan. Examples of:
incongruency- word and context do not match, typical to foreigners who do not know a lot of vocabulary
ambivalence- happy for Zohan that he'll be achieving his dream, sad for him that he has to do it incognito
taboo- sexual innuendos- hinted promiscuity of senior citizens, booty snapshots...)
go watch the movie and give it a try, and tell me what you think...
Posted by Michael Diezmos at June 7, 2008 5:21 PM