The Hebrew Hammer

I saw the *star* of this movie on The Daily Show, and thought I might tune in (the movie premiered on Comedy Central, Then went into theaters). Oh Vey!

This makes "Shakes the Clown" look like "Citizen Kane"! Avoid, avoid, avoid at all costs. Not one laugh, not even a grin. This movie will make your face come out in pimples and your eyes burst like the last remants of "Raiders". I can't even think of a worse movie, be it "Manos" or "Ishtar". As the Pythons beckoned, run away, run away! Why did anyone green light this unless they used their own money? The horror is that there is not ONE good line, not ONE good joke, and only ONE bad thing...the making of this movie.

I feel that, if made properly, this would have been hilarious. As it is, I need a new pancreas for retching so loud. Damn anyone involved in this travesty.

If you laugh, you'll have to watch it again. This movie makes Mel Brook's 'Blazing Saddles' and other productions seem like serious and refined drama. If you cannot restrain your laughter, you will miss hearing the next line and have to watch it again. It is one of the most irreverent, politically incorrect, well produced and directed film in this genre I have ever seen...definitely not for kids, but then they wouldn't understand the jokes anyway...probably ruin it for you with their persistent questions. If you are Jewish, this film will rank among the best comedies you have ever watched. If you are not Jewish, this film will rank among the second best comedies you have ever watched...so check your lineage before you rate this film

If I had my eyes closed at the opening, I might have though that I was hearing Isaac Hayes introducing Shaft. What I got, however, was the Jewish version of Shaft - The Hebrew Hammer.

It plays like a blaxploitation film of the seventies, but it's purpose is to slam every Jewish stereotype they can. They added a lot of Black stereotypes as well, as the Hammer joined with the Kwanzaa League to defeat the evil Santa that was trying to wipe out Hanukkah.

Adam Goldberg was good as the Hammer, and Mario Van Peebles as his Black partner. Andy Dick as Santa's son, not so much. Nora Dunn was perfect as the Hammer's mother.

The concept is good, the performances are good, but this film is too uneven to be great. Writer/director Jonathan Kesselman should've watched the much better blaxploitation parody "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka!" a few times and thought harder about *why* it's a good parody. Even then, that film, too, could have been improved.

When you do satire, you get the best results when you stick pretty closely to your target. The funniest moments in "The Hebrew Hammer" are those in which it really mirrors blaxploitation films. When it degenerates into really broad parody, lame social commentary, and random jokes about Jewish stereotypes, it goes downhill quickly.

That's too bad, because the principle cast really does do an excellent job. The villains are weaker than the heroes -- conceptually and by performance -- but I can't really blame the actors (much as I might be tempted to blame Andy Dick) because the villains are *too* over-the-top just as they're written.

Satire works as comedy because it keeps moving back and forth over the line of plausibility -- or, at least, the line of genre convention. "The Hebrew Hammer" has many good moments but, in the end, it strays too far, too often. There's about thirty minutes of really good material in there.

The Hebrew Hammer, the toughest Jew in the hood, singlehandedly (but with the support of the entire Jewish League and some black brothers) saves Hanukkah from the new evil and racist Santa. A lot of Jewish self deprecation and cliches, some of them are really funny, but overall it all felt kind of bland. I don't know, you probably have to be Jewish to get the jokes or something. To me it all felt just really racist without being funny most of the time.