Would someone please ‘Mess’ with Sandler?

The trailer for Adam Sandler’s latest comedy, “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan,” punk’d me good.

For a while I thought Sandler had graduated from his lazy brand of comedy and struck out for fresh terrain. No such luck.

My Washington Times review captures my disappointment. While certified comedy all-stars like Judd Apatow and Robert Smigel helped write “Zohan,” it’s got Sandler’s stamp all over it.

Black’s ‘Panda’ power

Anyone notice a similar arc in most, if not all, of Jack Black’s movies?

At first, he’s enjoyably daffy. By mid-film you want to strangle his character. Then, slowly, his manic energy wins you over despite your steeliest defenses.

I ran through those emotions in the new kiddie flick “Kung Fu Panda,” for which Black provides the main character’s voice.

“Panda” stars Black as a roley-poly panda named Po who dreams of becoming a kung fu master while slinging noodles for his father’s restaurant.

A series of clumsily staged events forces Po to accept a monumental challenge – to become the Dragon Warrior and defend his village against the evil Tai Lung (Ian McShane, oozing even more menace than he did on “Deadwood”).

Myers won’t ‘Guru’ up

Anyone who catches “The Love Guru” this weekend will swear Benny Hill was alive and well and running around with a Mike Myers mask.

The man who gave us Austin Powers is back with a brand new comic creation in “The Love Guru.” But while Myers’ impish humor remains intact, his Guru Pitka won’t enter the pop culture lexicon like his shagadelic predecessor.

The comedy follows a self-help expert (Myers) hired to help a hockey player (Romany Malco, a star if only he finds the right vehicle) break his scoring slump.

Need we even go into the plot any further? Clearly, Myers has little need for such niceties as story development and character arcs. His Guru Pitka is but a construct to support his endlessly juvenile mugging. It’s a far cry from Austin Powers, who despite two recycled sequels stands as one of the most original comic creations in recent memory.

And what is the point of Myers’ newest character, anyway? Is he a charlatan? A true believer? Something in between? The film hasn’t a clue, and that lack of focus stunts the comedic elements.

Myers does assemble a crack team to support his silliness. Jessica Alba’s character may read “generic love interest” in the script, but she’s rarely looked as comfortable, or lovely, on screen. And Justin Timberlake scores again and again as a goaltender who wields a very big … hockey stick. Yes, the humor is that infantile.

“The Love Guru” makes “Wayne’s World” look like “Masterpiece Theater.” The late, great Benny Hill would be proud.