It seems I enjoyed this film more than did the other reviewers. I laughed out loud several time, something I don't do often at American films. Someone said there was no satire--but there was one really biting moment of political satire, when the angels brush off Hagar and Ishmael as Arabs who therefore do not deserve their attention. There are some clever in-jokes, though I may have missed much of the Israeli humor. Feminists have often commented on the fact that many Biblical women have no names. In the film, Lot refers to his wife as "Lot's wife." Abraham refuses to share a bowl of shellfish with God, who then gets even by banning it. I also liked the reference to the story of Solomon and the two mothers. Many people have cynically pointed out that the mother who tell Solomon not to kill the child could have fooled Solomon by reverse psychology. Here. Lot knows the story and gives the "right" answer, but it backfires. In short, what I liked best is that the film pokes fun at the Biblical story but is directed at an audience well versed in Bible. I've often said that the Bible is too great a book to be monopolized by the pious. I thought the funniest scenes were those involving God and Abraham. Behind the humor we can sense the real questions theologians have raised about God's call to Abraham.
8 Reviews
Could have been a lot worse
Nozz6 August 2010
Even in Israel, the entertainment industry is not known for piousness; so give them a Bible story as a basis for satire and you might fear you'll get back pointless and ignorant mocking. But most of the time, the humor in ZOHI SDOME shuns nihilism and springs from a long-standing Jewish view of the Bible in which none of the heroes is considered perfect and any manifestation of God is considered a specialized metaphor. Here Abraham, famous for bargaining with God over the fate of the city of Sodom, finds in God a bargainer straight from the desk of a mobile phone company or insurance agency. Lot, the righteous man in Sodom, is another in a long line of sad sacks that Dov Navon has played in his career, but the movie takes his character seriously and finds an anchor in it among the fast-flung jokes. The movie's cast comes largely from a popular Israeli TV series of skits and jokes, and the advance publicity tried nervously to attract a crowd while cautioning that this is no wide-screen version of the TV show but something else entirely. It is, and whereas the TV show strives to keep up with the nightly or at least the weekly news, ZOHI SDOME is written to be almost as funny years from now. And it probably will be, almost.
Funny, but obviously not for everyone
neilor-11 March 2024
This is Sodom made to resemble the Monty Python movies. Of course, there's no Monty Python here, and that's probably the reason for the low ratings. The action takes place in the biblical city of Sodom and tells about Lot and his family. Of course, things don't go according to the biblical story and... I won't give away what happens. There are enough funny moments in the film, playing with Jewish and the history. There are a lot of jokes, especially for a person familiar with the biblical story. The graphics are average, the effects, as far as they exist, are elementary, but the charm of the film lies elsewhere.
I see that my rating is the highest of those who have written a review and that is normal. A comedy especially about religion can never achieve the ratings of an epic religious story repeating the beliefs of believers.
I see that my rating is the highest of those who have written a review and that is normal. A comedy especially about religion can never achieve the ratings of an epic religious story repeating the beliefs of believers.
will this film survive the summer?
dromasca5 August 2010
'Zohi Sdom' which is translation means 'That's Sodom' deliberately places itself at the intersection between the very popular Israeli TV show 'Eretz Neederet' (Wonderful Country) and the big screen British Monty Python movies of historical and Biblical inspiration. The Israeli weekly shows are a local version of 'Saturday Night Live' bringing at their best some of the sharpest political, social and typological satire in a country that provides endless sources of humor and badly needs laughs to cope with a myriad of problems and conflicts that seem to be unsolvable other than in a comical fantasy. A permanent team of actors usually play all the roles in the show, in a collection of sketchers interleaved with permanent features, which were abandoned here, as was the newsreel format in the favor of the Biblical story parody. The British show was starting with the end of the 60s the source of inspiration of all other comical and satirical TV series all over the world (including the American SNL) and also pioneered the transcription to the wide screen with anthology successes that seldom have been equaled by other similar shows world-wide.
The too close following of the sources of inspiration may be the cause for which the big screen movie does not really work. Although the idea is quite cool (the TV anchor in the original show is a cynical God attracting patriarch Abraham into the trap of the Holy Contract while preparing the destruction of the sin city of Sodom) and the story works better that you would expect, there are many laughs during the screening, but none is hysterical. The TV stars do in the movie of the same that they do in the TV show, just the screen is bigger, and some of them do not look as well on the big screen as in the TV box (the otherwise beautiful and talented Alma Zack for example, or Orna Banai who gets a very insignificant role and little screen time). Best are the street scenes depicting the life in Sodom, and here the references to reality nowadays work well. However, the exaggerated respect for the Monty Python formula (including the insertion of music and dances) lead to a (maybe unintended) air of detachment and diminish the acuity of the social and political comment which make the original show be interesting for the majority of its viewers.
Released at the pick of the summer season 'Zohi Sdom' will certainly be a huge hit in Israel this year. I am less convinced that it will survive as an outstanding movie beyond this summer.
The too close following of the sources of inspiration may be the cause for which the big screen movie does not really work. Although the idea is quite cool (the TV anchor in the original show is a cynical God attracting patriarch Abraham into the trap of the Holy Contract while preparing the destruction of the sin city of Sodom) and the story works better that you would expect, there are many laughs during the screening, but none is hysterical. The TV stars do in the movie of the same that they do in the TV show, just the screen is bigger, and some of them do not look as well on the big screen as in the TV box (the otherwise beautiful and talented Alma Zack for example, or Orna Banai who gets a very insignificant role and little screen time). Best are the street scenes depicting the life in Sodom, and here the references to reality nowadays work well. However, the exaggerated respect for the Monty Python formula (including the insertion of music and dances) lead to a (maybe unintended) air of detachment and diminish the acuity of the social and political comment which make the original show be interesting for the majority of its viewers.
Released at the pick of the summer season 'Zohi Sdom' will certainly be a huge hit in Israel this year. I am less convinced that it will survive as an outstanding movie beyond this summer.
Gag after tired gag
itamarscomix29 September 2011
'Zohi Sdom' is a feature film spin-off of 'Eretz Nehederet', Israel's most successful sketch comedy show for nearly a decade now; like in a National Lampoon movie, the cast of the TV show play various roles in a kinda-linear storyline.
There was a strange attempt to market 'Zohi Sdom' as a local version of Monty Python's Life of Brian. But other than the fact that it's set in biblical times, there's absolutely no similarity (other than the lead character's outfit). There's no real satire in 'Zohi Sdom'; a shame, because with a feature film the writers had the chance to make satire more biting and more universal than what they could afford to do on network television. Instead, they used that opportunity to have more sex jokes. The humor in 'Zohi Sdom' is a neverending series of gags, none of which have any bearing on the story, and most of which are anachronism gags in the level of The Flintstones (only with a lot more sex).
The movie does have a few chuckles, but the humor is so local as to never have any real impact anywhere but Israel in the early 21st century, which is a waste. It does actually have a pretty decent production, and some good actors - Assi Cohen's performance is deliciously hammy (he clearly realized how dumb the script was), and local legendary satirist/journalist Mordechai Kirschenbaum as Abraham is one of the movie's few saving graces. But ultimately it's a failed attempt, which owes all its success to marketing, and will - I believe and hope - disappear into anonymity.
There was a strange attempt to market 'Zohi Sdom' as a local version of Monty Python's Life of Brian. But other than the fact that it's set in biblical times, there's absolutely no similarity (other than the lead character's outfit). There's no real satire in 'Zohi Sdom'; a shame, because with a feature film the writers had the chance to make satire more biting and more universal than what they could afford to do on network television. Instead, they used that opportunity to have more sex jokes. The humor in 'Zohi Sdom' is a neverending series of gags, none of which have any bearing on the story, and most of which are anachronism gags in the level of The Flintstones (only with a lot more sex).
The movie does have a few chuckles, but the humor is so local as to never have any real impact anywhere but Israel in the early 21st century, which is a waste. It does actually have a pretty decent production, and some good actors - Assi Cohen's performance is deliciously hammy (he clearly realized how dumb the script was), and local legendary satirist/journalist Mordechai Kirschenbaum as Abraham is one of the movie's few saving graces. But ultimately it's a failed attempt, which owes all its success to marketing, and will - I believe and hope - disappear into anonymity.
Occasional laughs in this good-hearted Israeli Biblical spoof
Turfseer14 May 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Caught this Israeli Biblical spoof at the 25th Annual Israel Film Festival. It's in the tradition of Monty Python's farcical "Life of Brian" but here the focus is on an 'Old Testament' tale, the story of Lot. The story is filled with many anachronistic elements. We begin with God who is dressed like an insurance salesman carrying a briefcase which doubles as a TV monitor and a device capable of causing a nuclear -like explosion (the briefcase features an LCD timer, connoting the hours and minutes to Sodom's eventual destruction). God pays a visit to Abraham who he demands accept the offer to become the founder of the new one-God Jewish religion. Abraham bargains with God, insisting that he must save the city of Sodom's only righteous man, Lot. God sends two goofy motorcycle driving security agents to Sodom in order to extricate Lot before the city blows up.
We meet Lot who's a lottery ticket vendor in the central marketplace. His goal is to sell enough tickets to open up a community center. The evil Mayor of Sodom wants to clear out all the vendors so he can have real estate developers build fancy condos at the location. When Lot is brought before the Mayor and he refuses to give up his booth, he pricks Lot's big toe and then 'tortures' him by dumping him continuously in salt water. Soon, the Mayor gets wind of God's plan and decides to switch places with Lot, hoping that when God's security people find him at Lot's house, he'll be the one who is saved when the city is destroyed.
In the mix is Tal Friedman, a male actor who plays Lot's wife. She's a one joke character who wants to revive her singing career (we get to view snatches of her inept music video from her 'younger' days) and she's later set upon by Sodomites when she attempts to belt out the tune at her daughter's wedding to Prince Ninveh, the Mayor's lovestruck elder son. Ninveh's comic claim to fame is that he's lactose intolerant and he goes to great lengths to win the heart of Lot's daughter who is often seen singing mawkish Israeli pop tunes.
I can't say that there are really any 'laugh out loud' moments in 'This is Sodom', but there are a few amusing bits. For example, God flips through TV shows on his briefcase, cuddled up next to a goat. One of the shows is an American Idol takeoff featuring a contest for Israel's top eunuch. Another amusing scene which features more black humor than straight out farce, is when Lot's wife attempts to select a 'human sacrifice' for her daughter's upcoming wedding. The store salesman tries to dissuade her from selecting various candidates, primarily because they either take too long or too short a time to burn to death. Lot's wife ends up selecting the God's newly imprisoned security people who are then escorted through the city encased in plastic wrap.
Not all of the bits are that funny including one of the security guard's obsession in filming a documentary of their travails. In the end, 'This is Sodom' scores points not as much for the humor but its irreverence and generally being good-natured. Instead of God actually destroying Sodom, he merely causes a big fireworks display (although we're led to believe that a nuclear-like explosion has taken place). Even better is that our good guy hero Lot survives and becomes the permanent mayor of Sodom. The bad guy Mayor along with Lot's wife get to leave the city (before the mock explosion) and of course Lot's wife can't resist turning back and looking at the explosion despite being explicitly ordered not to by God. Instead of turning into a pillar of salt, a large rock formation breaks off and squishes her. The evil Mayor begs to be taken in at Abraham's door and the Patriarch tells him there's always room for more applicants in the tribe. The final exterior shot of Abraham's tent implies that the Mayor undergoes the pain of circumcision so that his wish not to be left alone in the desert, is fulfilled.
The main object of 'This is Sodom's' satire is pop culture, exemplified by the TV shows and music video takeoffs interspersed throughout the narrative. Those who are enamored more with slapstick type farce and straight out black humor, 'This is Sodom' will probably be your thing. For those looking for a deeper satiric, political edge, you might come away a bit disappointed.
We meet Lot who's a lottery ticket vendor in the central marketplace. His goal is to sell enough tickets to open up a community center. The evil Mayor of Sodom wants to clear out all the vendors so he can have real estate developers build fancy condos at the location. When Lot is brought before the Mayor and he refuses to give up his booth, he pricks Lot's big toe and then 'tortures' him by dumping him continuously in salt water. Soon, the Mayor gets wind of God's plan and decides to switch places with Lot, hoping that when God's security people find him at Lot's house, he'll be the one who is saved when the city is destroyed.
In the mix is Tal Friedman, a male actor who plays Lot's wife. She's a one joke character who wants to revive her singing career (we get to view snatches of her inept music video from her 'younger' days) and she's later set upon by Sodomites when she attempts to belt out the tune at her daughter's wedding to Prince Ninveh, the Mayor's lovestruck elder son. Ninveh's comic claim to fame is that he's lactose intolerant and he goes to great lengths to win the heart of Lot's daughter who is often seen singing mawkish Israeli pop tunes.
I can't say that there are really any 'laugh out loud' moments in 'This is Sodom', but there are a few amusing bits. For example, God flips through TV shows on his briefcase, cuddled up next to a goat. One of the shows is an American Idol takeoff featuring a contest for Israel's top eunuch. Another amusing scene which features more black humor than straight out farce, is when Lot's wife attempts to select a 'human sacrifice' for her daughter's upcoming wedding. The store salesman tries to dissuade her from selecting various candidates, primarily because they either take too long or too short a time to burn to death. Lot's wife ends up selecting the God's newly imprisoned security people who are then escorted through the city encased in plastic wrap.
Not all of the bits are that funny including one of the security guard's obsession in filming a documentary of their travails. In the end, 'This is Sodom' scores points not as much for the humor but its irreverence and generally being good-natured. Instead of God actually destroying Sodom, he merely causes a big fireworks display (although we're led to believe that a nuclear-like explosion has taken place). Even better is that our good guy hero Lot survives and becomes the permanent mayor of Sodom. The bad guy Mayor along with Lot's wife get to leave the city (before the mock explosion) and of course Lot's wife can't resist turning back and looking at the explosion despite being explicitly ordered not to by God. Instead of turning into a pillar of salt, a large rock formation breaks off and squishes her. The evil Mayor begs to be taken in at Abraham's door and the Patriarch tells him there's always room for more applicants in the tribe. The final exterior shot of Abraham's tent implies that the Mayor undergoes the pain of circumcision so that his wish not to be left alone in the desert, is fulfilled.
The main object of 'This is Sodom's' satire is pop culture, exemplified by the TV shows and music video takeoffs interspersed throughout the narrative. Those who are enamored more with slapstick type farce and straight out black humor, 'This is Sodom' will probably be your thing. For those looking for a deeper satiric, political edge, you might come away a bit disappointed.
Just a spin off of a TV show
Mendelovich28 August 2010
You know The Simpsons, so they made a movie. Was the movie better than the series? No way. This is the case here, but add lack of funds as a "bonus" and you receive a yawning experience. The movie cannot carry itself. It is just an expansion of a gag, usually no longer than 5 minutes. The movie was done for the summer, that is no shame, but it could have been written better. The main characters lack development, and the plot goes nowhere. But worst of all is the absolute lack of visual effects, so needed in a movie revolving around the destruction of Sodom. I say if you don't have the money to make the necessary visual effects, don't do the movie. Set it up in a place where there is no need for expensive effects. The foreign audience won't be able to watch this movie, because it is absolutely out of context for those unfamiliar with the TV series, which this movie is based on.The Israeli audience, such as myself, was allured to the theaters by the aggressive promotion and a high anticipation. Disappointment was the outcome, unfortunately.
Chgo POV: Knee-Slapping Fun
films4214 September 2011
To Harry: Maybe it was funnier for me, stuck here in the Chicago diaspora without knowing anything about the TV version. I truly enjoyed all the silly stuff for its own sake, & for the rest of the day, every time I snuggled up to hubby & sang the sugar-sweet "Ha Echad," we both cracked up.
Dov Navon and Tal Friedman (who were so funny together in "The Schwartz Dynasty") have wonderful chemistry again as "Mr and Mrs Lot;" sad-sack Navon providing the perfect counter-weight as Friedman flies ever-higher over the top. You're probably right in suggesting that I missed some of the "local jokes," but I think anyone with a Jewish funny-bone will know more than enough.
Dov Navon and Tal Friedman (who were so funny together in "The Schwartz Dynasty") have wonderful chemistry again as "Mr and Mrs Lot;" sad-sack Navon providing the perfect counter-weight as Friedman flies ever-higher over the top. You're probably right in suggesting that I missed some of the "local jokes," but I think anyone with a Jewish funny-bone will know more than enough.
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