Silly and far from superfly

Unfunny rather than outrageous as intended, Jonathan Kesselman’s “The Hebrew Hammer’s” laborious self-described “Jewxploitation” comedy imagines a Brooklyn private eye, Mordechai Jefferson Carver (Adam Goldberg), whose role model is Shaft. Known as the Hebrew Hammer, he is recruited by Esther Bloomenbergansteinthal (Judy Greer), the daughter of the head of the Jewish Justice League (Peter Coyote), to save Hannukah.

It seems that ecumenical-minded Santa Claus has been executed by his anti-Semitic son Damian (Andy Dick), who, aided by his lover, Tiny Tim (Sean Whalen), is determined to eradicate Hannukah. Coming to the Hebrew Hammer’s aid is Mohammed (Mario Van Peebles), head of the Kwanzaa Liberation Front. Eventually, Mordechai and Esther have to take off to Israel to head off Damian from destroying the Jewish Atomic Clock, which would mean the eradication of the Jewish calendar.

In strict fairness, it must be said that every now and then Kesselman comes up with an aside or a joke that’s at least faintly amusing, but that’s about it, despite a game cast of professionals that includes cameos by Melvin Van Peebles in his iconic Sweetback guise and by former New York mayor Ed Koch.

Kesselman dedicates his film to Jews who have had “enough of the gentile.” It apparently never occurred to Kesselman that gay audiences have had enough of homophobic filmmakers who always seem to be making gays the bad guys.

*

‘The Hebrew Hammer’

MPAA rating: Unrated

Times guidelines: Language, some violence, some sensuality

Adam Goldberg...Mordechai

Judy Greer...Esther

Andy Dick ...Santa Damian

Peter Coyote...J.J.L. Chief

A Strand Releasing and Content Film presentation. Writer-director Jonathan Kesselman. Producers Josh Kesselman, Sofia Sondervan, Lisa Fragner. Executive producers Edward R. Pressman, John Schmidt. Cinematographer Kurt Brabbee. Editor Dean Holland. Music Michael Cohen. Costumes Alysia Raycraft, Michellle Phillips. Production designer Cabot McMullan. Art director David Ellis. Running time: 1 hour, 25 minutes.

Exclusively at the Sunset 5, 8000 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood; Town Center 5, 17200 Sunset Blvd., Encino; and the Playhouse 7, 673 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena.