The Movie
Combine the Jewish jokes of Jackie Mason, Fran Drescher and Mel Brooks, and you probably still couldn't touch the amount of Semitic comedy content in The Hebrew Hammer. Quantity rarely equals quality though. A silly comic adventure in the tradition of I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, the film parodies Blaxsplotation classics like Shaft, changing the put-upon minority from blacks to Jews. Where as "Cleopatra Schwartz" (in The Kentucky Fried Movie) worked, mining some of the same area, its strength being its short length, the feature-long Hammer can't keep the gag going long enough to make it from titles to credits without disappointing at times.

Adam Goldberg (Saving Private Ryan) plays Mordechai, the anti-hero the "Chood" needs to keep the gentiles at bay. Thanks to a stereotypical Jewish mom (Nora Dunn, "SNL") and a rift with the Jewish Justice League (headed by Peter Coyote, in a very against-type role), he's a mensch without a country. But when Santa's son Damien (Andy Dick) takes over the family business, with an eye on destroying Chanukah, the Hammer's people need a hero. Particularly one handy with a handgun. Goldberg is perfect as the street-wise vigilante loaded with guilt and the ability to read from right to left, a funny hero with just enough heft to actually be believed (sort of).

The rest of the cast is just as good, from young Mordechai (Grant Rosenmeyer, "Oliver Beene") to love-interest Esther Bloomenbergansteinthal (Judy Greer, "Arrested Development") to Kwanzaa Liberation Front Leader Mohammed Ali Paula Abdul Rahiem (Mario Van Peebles.) But as good as they are, when Goldberg isn't on-screen, it's Dick and his sidekick Tiny Tim (Sean Whalen, Never Been Kissed) who carry the film with their dysfunctional villain couple. Dick goes nuts in his role as a psychopathic Santa, and because of that freedom, his character creates some of the best moments in the film. Greer, as the sexy girl playing to all the stereotypes, is excellent as well opposite Goldberg.

First-time director Jonathan Kesselman has certainly studied the ancient texts in making this movie, namely the books of Zucker and Abrams. The influence of films like Airplane! are everywhere, including tons of sight gags all over the film. Some of them work, but some don't quite accomplish their goals. Even Airplane! didn't bat 1.000, though. That this film never takes itself serious is why it works, when it does. Unfortunately, the jokes become labored and repetitive over time, as the Blaxsplotation parody genre has nearly been sucked dry. For example, the certification joke at the Jewish Justice League was done better in Undercover Brother making this seem overdone by comparison. The only things making this fresh are the Jewish religion and the actors, and they can only do so much.

Curiously, this movie was shown on Comedy Central before it made it to theatres. The version seen on TV was heavily edited, and this DVD is uncensored. Apparently part of the broadcast deal was DVD releasing as well, as this disc is part of their library now.

The DVD
Packaged in a keepcase, The Hebrew Hammer is presented in widescreen on one DVD. From static widescreen menus with animated transitions, viewers can choose from scene selections, bonus features, audio options and a play movie choice. The audio option is a bit misleading, as the only option is whether to have the commentary track on or off.

The Quality
The 2.35:1 video on this DVD looks beautiful. The skintones are near-perfect, the details are sharp as a knife and even the black-and-white section looks terrific. There are plenty of specific lighting themes used to achieve a certain look, and this disc does these colors right. For a low-budget independent, this film looks tremendous, averaging nearly 7 Mpbs . Hell, even for a big-budget flick this would be a damn good presentation. The audio, mixed in 5.1 Dolby Surround, is very active at times, particularly during the film's climax, and has an overall quality mix. The music, which, as a mix of '70s funk and klezmer music, is quite witty in and of itself, is crystal, staying quite separate from the dialogue and sound effects.

The Extras
Accessible from the Audio Set-Up menu is the biggest extra, a screen-specific commentary track featuring Goldberg, Kesselman, his brother and producer Josh, and their mother Sandra. The guys seems to be having fun hanging out and talking about the making of the movie. One can't help but feel that the moments with the Kesselmans' mother are a bit staged to create the Jewish-mom scenario on the track, but she does kick in some info on yiddish terms and Judaism. There's a decent amount of background provided to go along with a fun BS session. In a nice touch, Kesselman's original college short film, The Hebrew Hammer, is included in all its black-and-white full-screen glory. The short has a considerably smaller sense of humor, but many of the concepts are carried over in the feature film, though in a much different way (see Hammer's snorting for an example.) Whoever saw promise in this movie has some impressive foresight.

A reel of deleted scenes shows some of the sex jokes and plot cut from the movie, though the edits make sense in the end. The gag reel, though short, is considerably more enjoyable, especially for the takes of Esther and her personal passion play. A lengthy 22-page set of text cast and crew bios wraps up the Hebrew content, while four DVD previews (the same commercials from the start of the disc) and four Comedy Central Quickies clips put a cap on the extra features.

The Bottom Line
With most parodies, the concept is funny for a while, but there's rarely enough material to carry through any entire feature-length film. That's why we have shows like "Saturday Night Live." The Hebrew Hammer is no exception, though it certainly tries very hard. A very likeable cast, combined with a non-stop spray of jokes and sight gags make for a movie that's good for at least one viewing. Add in some entertaining extras and you have a disc that most everyone will get some enjoyment out of. Those of the Hebrew faith might get even more out of it, but as I am not one, I can only say give it a rental first. It couldn't hurt.

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*The Reviewer's Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer's biases lie on the film's subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.